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I believe this will be of interest to all, especially given the
discussion going on in RT recently.
Yesterday, while digging into security issues, I found several sites
that actively probe your system to test its security. The one at
http://grc.com seems to be one of the best. Among other things, it
includes an eye-opening (and absolutely terrifying) explanation of
exactly what hackers can do to most systems, and how easily they can
do it.
Then, just this morning I got this referral to it in the latest
LangaList, which is a newsletter put out by former BYTE and PCMag
editor/columnist Fred Langa.
Enjoy! And may your system be safe. Let's be careful out there!
Gary
==============================================================
>From the LangaList:
FREE Internet Security Check
Steve Gibson is a very smart and prolific guy--- he's been
producing very cool, very useful software for, gosh, 15
years or more now.
A lot of his stuff takes a unique spin or tack at solving
problems, and often does a better job than some of the more
widely-know apps from the giant software houses.
Last week, I got a note from Steve describing a new free
service he's offering:
Hey Fred,
I wanted to apprise you of my just-this-instant
finished contribution to the Internet-connected
Windows-based personal computer community:
http://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 or
http://grc.com/ShieldsUp
When I recently switched my office from ISDN to
DSL (our servers live on an off site T1 trunk), I
did some research into the insecurity of typical
Windows-based Internet connections ... which is
exacerbated by "persistent" connections to the Net
such as those now being established by DSL and
Cable Modem technologies. I was SHOCKED by the
number of people with insecure connections, and
then by the ease with which Internet scanners can
find, target, and penetrate their systems. (This
is all documented in tutorial form on my new web
site, but you can quickly peek here: <
http://grc.com/su-nbscan1.htm > and also here <
http://grc.com/su-nbscan2.htm >)
On Friday of Labor Day weekend (9/3) I realized
that when someone came to my web server, their
connection gave me the IP address of their
machine. This meant that I could perform an ACTIVE
SECURITY ANALYSIS of their system on the spot and
display the results as a web page. So I started
coding and the concept grew into a comprehensive,
free service and extensive tutorial -- including
some freeware -- to quickly secure ANY Windows
system.
Given the inherent "default" insecurity of most
Windows connections -- and the significant
financial gain possible for intruders who can now
easily install keystroke-monitoring Trojans into
people's computers to capture online banking
passwords, account numbers, etc. then eMail the
results -- I worry that Internet Intrusion and
Theft is a "growth industry." So I think this is a
VERY important message to get out to the
population at large.
The ratios of exposure as shown by the graphs on
the visitor history page demonstrate the extent of
the problem! http://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh1akydu
If you agree and wanted to help me spread the word
that would be totally terrific!
Steve's site attempts to sniff back through your internet
connection and will show you everything it can find out
about your system, your files, your printer and so on.
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