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The LangaList 2001-10-04 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 1) Plugging Some Instant-Messaging Security HolesThis week's InformationWeek article shows you the worst security holes that Instant Messaging tools commonly open up, and even shows you--- in the *vendors' own words*--- why IM tools shouldn't be used for sharing sensitive information. And, as is so often the case, your fellow readers have some *great* ideas on the subject: For example, Mike Elgan offered a pointer to a new IM client that encrypts the transmissions ( http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/zd/20010927/tc/developer_encrypts_corporate_im_1.html ); and Troy Gates tells how he uses PGP to accomplish something similar:
But what's *your* take? Do you use IMs for sensitive communication? Were you aware of the risks? What steps do you take to prevent snooping, eavesdropping, identity theft, and the host of other problems that IM'ing invites? What secure forms of online communication do you use to supplant IMs? Please check out the new article at See you there! Click to
email this item to a friend 2) Road Runner Cable Now Walking?Reader Charlie Vanderford, a past president of the Greater Tampa Bay PC User Group, writes:
I know *exactly* what you mean, Charlie: I also use RR here; or rather I did: Road Runner's local outlet here (MediaOne) was taken over by AT&T several months ago, and it's now called "AT&T Broadband." The cable modem speed hasn't changed, but I also went from almost no inbound pings/probes to what is now a huge number-- often 2-3 per second! Most of these come from IP address blocks that appear to be part of the RR/AT&T system and not RR/AT&T subscriber IPs. The pings/probes are easily blocked, and they're more of an annoyance than anything else; I stop them all at my primary firewall, and so none makes it to my desktop systems. But the large amount of bogus activity makes it almost impossible to see when truly malicious probes come in because the "noise" from the RR/AT&T activity swamps everything else. And, of course, the bogus activity does consume some bandwidth. (A packet here, a packet there, and it starts to add up.) Clearly, something bad happened to Road Runner and/or AT&T/RR. Anyone else seeing this? (Replies to broadband@langa.com ) Click to
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 3) Angry Reader Wants Explanation
Hiding system files is conceptually similar to putting a safety cap on a medicine bottle. The cap isn't there to "hide" the medicine from you, but simply to prevent accidental misuse. Windows hides *all* system files, and a number of other important files, simply to prevent casual users from altering them. A Select All/Delete, for example, will NOT normally work on hidden files. In that way, system-level and other important files can be protected from accidental erasure or damage that could render your system unstable or even (literally) unbootable. It's nothing new: DOS hid files, too--- and still does. A DOS boot disk contains hidden files that actually contain the code needed to make the system boot. (That's why a formatted boot disk has less free space than a formatted non-boot disk: The hidden files of the boot disk take up the "missing" space.) These boot files are hidden so that they can't be accidentally deleted by a "del *.*" operation that otherwise would make the boot disk unbootable and therefore useless. But in terms of file attributes, "hidden" isn't the same as "secret." Windows and DOS hidden/system files are not secret at all and have always been accessible to users who need to get at them. For example, all it takes to tell Windows Explorer to show you hidden files is to change the "View/Folder Options/View/Hidden Files" menu setting. And once you can view the files, you can then use the standard file or folder Property tab to un-Hide hidden files or folders so you can see them without the "show hidden files" setting. (In DOS, you can use the "ATTRIB -h" command to do the same thing.) For that matter, you can do the reverse and hide any file of your choosing by turning on the "hidden" attribute via Windows Explorer, or via a DOS "ATTRIB +h" command. In fact, once you know how, you can alter *all* file attributes--- including those of system-level files, read-only files, and so on. If you want to, you can even boot to DOS, go to the C:\ directory and type "ATTRIB -h -s -r *.* /s" and you'll then un-hide/un-system/un-read-only all the files on your entire hard drive, in one massive operation. But it's not a good idea: Once you change a file's hidden or system attribute, you've removed a safeguard. These files usually are tagged as hidden or system for a reason, and casual tinkering with them may land you in major trouble. And that's the real point: It's easy to view and access hidden files; the "secret database" theory is bunk. There's never been any secret at all about these files; they're just tucked out of harm's way, for safety's sake. Click to
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 4) Free "WinKey"
Thanks, Joseph! Copenric descibes Winkey this way:
Sounds good to me! Click to
email this item to a friend 5) Dirty Mouse BallsOK, wipe that smirk off your face. <g> It's a real issue, and one that may affect you. For example, a bemused reader recently wrote:
The solution that usually works for me in cases like this is to disassemble the mouse and clean its innards: Turn off the PC, flip the mouse over, unscrew the mouse-ball retaining ring, and remove the ball. In the most common kind of mouse, there are two thin rollers inside the case that can easily accumulate fibrous gunk: The rollers should be smooth from end to end, but you'll often see or feel lumps of, er, stuff that's become wound around the rollers. A little gentle work with a cotton swab or even a fingernail will usually remove the crud and restore the rollers' smooth surface. Check the mouse ball itself, too: It usually can be cleaned with a damp paper towel, or with a mild cleaning solution. Finally, unplug and re-plug the mouse cable into the PC socket. (Might as well re-seat all the other cables, too, as long as you're back there.) Chances are, the above will cure most sticking/skittering/pointing inaccuracies in your mouse's operation. Click to
email this item to a friend 6) Marty O'Malley Got His Gift Certificate. Want One?Reader Marty O'Malley just got his
no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software,
hardware, kitchenware, toys, and more. He got it by using the "Recommend" link
at
http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm . Either way, thank you, and good luck! Click to
email this item to a friend 7) Free Intel ChipSet AcceleratorI haven't had a chance to try this yet--- mostly because my main PC doesn't have an Intel chipset on it. But rather than wait for a chance to test it on another system here, I thought this sounded good enough to pass along to you "in the raw" (so to speak):
Thanks, John! Click to
email this item to a friend 8) More Reader Sites!Do you have a home page or website?
(It doesn't matter what size.) Please click over to
http://www.langa.com/code.htm , and maybe you can join the hundreds and
hundreds of LangaList readers who have "Loaded the Code!" (If you've already
"Loaded The Code" and are wondering if your site will appear here or on the
Langa.Com web site, please see
http://www.langa.com/link.txt ) Manually Browse All
Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At Free Software Snooper for
networks Mystic Jitterbug Northwest Audio Bucknalls' Refuge Click2Coupons (shopping
site/ring) Tom's World Helen Dashwood's Home Page Above & Beyond Hockey Pacific Islands Info AAAdvanced Engineering
Concepts Tube Radio and Electronics
Page Click to
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 9) Steve Gibson RaveSteve Gibson (of http://grc.com and "shields up" fame) sent this along the other day:
It's an interesting interface, all right, although the many Java applets that power it may take some time to load. I like it better as a virtual museum front end (because you can poke around at items of interest in a nonlinear way) than I do in its original (and to me, confusing) incarnation as a money-management analysis tool at smartmoney.com But no matter what, it is interesting and worth a look. Thanks, Steve. Click to
email this item to a friend 10) Just For GrinsReader J. K. Bounds forwarded this item, which appears to have made quite a few rounds through the email before I got it:
Click to
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 11) Plus! Edition Extra:
Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 30% more content including: a free, reader-recommended resource with absolutely authoritative information on using the version of DOS bundled with Windows 9x; an excellent (and also free) resource that helps you understand some very obscure system variables--- such as ChunkSize--- that can effect how well and fast your PC runs; and additional information on reducing font overload in your system in order to reclaim speed and system resources. Plus! Edition info: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm Click to
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