November 2005 Archive

Please get some tech help, Mr. Politico

November 30th, 2005 | No comments

I would really like to know how a politically oriented website is “surreptitiously collecting information about individuals who post” on it. With the exception of gathering a pile of IP addresses, which in this case will likely all point to Colorado (and either Comcast or Qwest), I just have to wonder what information Hans Gullickson [...]

No firewall you say

November 30th, 2005 | No comments

Just because a lot of exploits carry themselves across ports that your firewall keeps open for other services doesn’t mean they are useless. Advising Windows users not to use firewalls just because it creates a false sense of security is just not solid reasoning. Your machine will be clogged with traffic from pinging zombies (who [...]

Your blog and your future

November 30th, 2005 | No comments

Most of the people I know who have weblogs are technology and marketing folks. They have embraced the medium hoping to spread their mantra or help someone with a problem, and in some cases they get a few listeners or contribute a solution. The rest aire differences, bash companies, talk about their significant others, what [...]

The many faces of spam

November 30th, 2005 | No comments

The average, everyday Joe looks at spam from the email inbox only. The rest of us see trojans lurking in image attachments, links to ID thieves, and stupid comments and trackbacks. If you are a popular marketing type, you may see even more.

Colorado universities embrace security

November 29th, 2005 | No comments

I was getting worried for a while, but now I can now safely continue picking on all the universities losing their data. I feared I might eventually have to target someone around my neighborhood, but as it turns out, Colorado universities are taking the issues pretty seriously. Whew!

Spyware changing colors

November 29th, 2005 | No comments

According to the latest spyware report from Webroot, adware infections are slowing, and system monitors are becoming more common. With more and more keyloggers on the loose, and music companies watching what you are listening to, the news from Webroot is none too surprising.

Mini making media play

November 29th, 2005 | No comments

Rumour has it that Apple might attempt to twist the Mac Mini into a media console – that’s not too far fetched. Apple has already released an iMac with a remote control unit, so why not. Folks might think the lack of input devices and monitor would hamper the efforts, and right now the lack [...]

FTC makes breakthrough discoveries!

November 28th, 2005 | No comments

The Federal Trade Commission just completed a spam research study which indicated that spam filters work. I’d say wow, but they go on to state the even more obvious. The FTC says spammers actually harvest email addresses from public websites. We never would have guessed.

ID thieves becoming influential

November 28th, 2005 | No comments

Identity theft is being called easy and lucrative. Organized crime is naturally getting in on the game – if hackers and script kiddies can do it, why can’t they. They supposedly control the garbage pickup business, so why not – sift through the stuff for credit card statements at a secure location, eh? Then again, [...]

Bundling the marginal

November 28th, 2005 | No comments

The question came up as to whether telcos are being too conservative with their TV plans, but I have to wonder whether the investment they will have to make is worth the price.