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>From a recent post
> > ...
> > I immediately disconnected from the internet.
> > ...
Do we overreact to dangers of intrusion?
I should admit that I know little on the subject. So, the above is a question, indeed. Still, a
common sense makes me wonder, how real are these dangers?
What concerns me is a possibility of giving somebody an access to private information kept on my PC:
personal data, financial records (# of credit cards, bank, brokerage accounts). As some might have a
bad luck to learn, this may spell a long, long trouble in contrast to just temporary unpleasantness
of restoring data on HD damaged by a virus, from your backups. Yep, I do backups regularly after I
was taught a hard way (two HD crashes with total loss of all data) a lesson on "What these freaking
backups are for?"
As I understand, for an outsider to ,say, read files on my PC connected to Internet, he should be
able to take over, at least partially, PC's operational system. For it, PC should have installed a
remote telecommunication program specially tailored for these needs (an ability to transmit
covertly, etc.). Not just something standard, available on each computer like Hyperterminal in
Win95. Also, it cannot get there without your, though involuntary, participation - you may put it in
there when opening e-mail, downloading stuff from a Web site, and so forth. Only then, I believe,
you are ripe for being picked up by an intruder. If you are "clean", the intruder may sniff out all
your ports, upper and lower, but no chances to succeed. Am I wrong on this? Perhaps, most of these
"attacks" are really innocent (like searching for a partner to play a game), and we shouldn't get
obsessed with it? Maybe, it's a way the Web lives that we've just discovered to our confusion?
Also, mind that even an intruder with an access cannot visit your PC casually, from time to time.
Each time you get connected to the Web, you get a new Internet address, so next time you are lost
for the intruder. It's true as well for "always on" Internet connections like cable modems: as soon
as you turn off/on your PC (not sure if closing a browser does the trick), you get a new address
also.
Thanks for your patience.
Cheers, Vitaly
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