Dangerous "phishermen"
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Still kicking!!
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From: Kalispell, Mt.
Dangerous "phishermen"
As always, when I find some articles worth passing on, from my WinXP Newsletter, I will post them here. I hope this helps y'all keep out of trouble.
New "Improved" Phishing Technique is More Dangerous than Ever Traditional phishing messages rely on persuading you to go to a Web site and enter personal information. The latest form of this attack doesn't require you to respond to the phishing e-mail at all - all you have to do is open it. When you do, it runs a script that rewrites the host files on your computer so that the next time you try to go to your online banking site, you get redirected to a fraudulent Web site that collects your logon information. Luckily, you can thwart is by disabling the Windows Script Host. We'll tell you how in this week's "How to" section. Meanwhile, read more about the problem here:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=041109TI-Phising
New "Improved" Phishing Technique is More Dangerous than Ever Traditional phishing messages rely on persuading you to go to a Web site and enter personal information. The latest form of this attack doesn't require you to respond to the phishing e-mail at all - all you have to do is open it. When you do, it runs a script that rewrites the host files on your computer so that the next time you try to go to your online banking site, you get redirected to a fraudulent Web site that collects your logon information. Luckily, you can thwart is by disabling the Windows Script Host. We'll tell you how in this week's "How to" section. Meanwhile, read more about the problem here:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=041109TI-Phising
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: NE Texas
Thanks, Dick. Whenever this comes up and someone has the wherewithal to post it, I think we should grab it, print it, and stick it to our computer.
Sometimes all you get is that "hindsight" feeling.
Good post
Sometimes all you get is that "hindsight" feeling.
Good post
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Still kicking!!
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From: Kalispell, Mt.
Duh @ me. I guess I should have posted this with it, eh?
How to Disable Windows Scripting Host (WSH)
WSH is installed by default in Windows XP. Disabling it will prevent .vbs files from running. Here's how:
How to Disable Windows Scripting Host (WSH)
WSH is installed by default in Windows XP. Disabling it will prevent .vbs files from running. Here's how:
- Log on with an administrative account.
- Right click My Computer and select Open from the context menu.
- Click Tools and then click Folder Options.
- Click the File Types tab.
- In the list of registered file types, scroll down to find VBScript Script File and highlight it.
- Click the Delete button.
- Click Yes when asked to confirm that you want to remove it.
- Click OK to close the dialog box.
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Still kicking!!
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From: Kalispell, Mt.
Originally Posted by Maxium4x4
VBscript Script file
VBScript encoded script file....leave this one?
VBScript encoded script file....leave this one?
FTE Leadership Emeritus
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From: Long Island USA
Originally Posted by webmaster
Stop using Microsoft email products and you won't have this problem. I've used Eudora for nearly 8 years and I'm more convinced each day that I made the right choice.
Close the security hole - don't use IE or Outlook
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Still kicking!!
Joined: May 2003
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From: Kalispell, Mt.
Im not too worried about viruses or worms. My mail goes through Postini.com for initial virus and spam removal. Then I have my Norton. Anything else that gets through, gets deleted as fast as I see what it is, if it's something I don't want or didn't ask for. I have heard a lot of good stuff about Eudora though. May have to check it out.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Florida
Norton's newest spam blocker is really cool. It 'learns' your email patterns and is also able to pick up on the junk email with strings of unintelligible letters (put there to fool spam filters).
I'm not going to participate in the Microsoft Bash-Fest since I don't have problems with it. The way I see it, surfing the internet requires a certain amount of common sense. It's wide open with little regulation. I need to rely on my own common sense to protect myself from undesirables, just as I would need to protect myself from certain people while walking through any downtown industrial area after midnight. I cannot just blindly trust every stranger who approaches me and says 'open this' or 'delete this program from your computer'.
And no, I'm not deleting a function of my OS based on a couple posts on a truck forum. Anyone who does is a fool, in my opinion.
I'm not going to participate in the Microsoft Bash-Fest since I don't have problems with it. The way I see it, surfing the internet requires a certain amount of common sense. It's wide open with little regulation. I need to rely on my own common sense to protect myself from undesirables, just as I would need to protect myself from certain people while walking through any downtown industrial area after midnight. I cannot just blindly trust every stranger who approaches me and says 'open this' or 'delete this program from your computer'.
And no, I'm not deleting a function of my OS based on a couple posts on a truck forum. Anyone who does is a fool, in my opinion.
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From: Long Island USA
Originally Posted by Rocky J
I'm not going to participate in the Microsoft Bash-Fest since I don't have problems with it. The way I see it, surfing the internet requires a certain amount of common sense. It's wide open with little regulation. I need to rely on my own common sense to protect myself from undesirables, just as I would need to protect myself from certain people while walking through any downtown industrial area after midnight. I cannot just blindly trust every stranger who approaches me and says 'open this' or 'delete this program from your computer'.
And no, I'm not deleting a function of my OS based on a couple posts on a truck forum. Anyone who does is a fool, in my opinion.
Of course, be careful with what people on here tell you, that's first and foremost...
But don't you realize without MS's naivete about security, you wouldn't need this weeks adware remover? Or this month's virus signatures?
I use plenty of common sense browsing the Internet - but it's nice to know I don't need to worry about ActiveX controls or TODAY's CERT advisory talking about ANOTHER buffer overflow vulnerability in IE 6 and earlier? No kidding, just got a CERT advisory about 30 minutes ago about another hole in IE 6... see http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA04-315A.html
"Common sense" is just as much about choosing another browser or turning off VB scripting or removing a Windows XP service that serves almost no purpose, as it is about not clicking on that link just because it's so enticing