As Barry pointed out, computers can be fickle devices. A stray cosmic particle can cause havoc. I have a working copy of all my sites on my main production computer. There's a second copy on my backup computer and another on an external drive. Backups of backups of backups and if possible a backup of that. *<]:oD On 03/25/2013 11:36 AM, Shelby Vick wrote: > Isn't the external drive itself sufficient? To avoid contamination, I keep it unplugged when not in use. Oh, I DO keep different versions of the same page, but I do that from fear of misplacing a change, not as 'back-up'. > > By the way; my gender is male, not female. Someone referred to me as 'she'; just wanted to clear that up. > > ShelVy > > ________________________________ > From: Billie Walsh <bilwalsh@swbell.net> > To: freepages-help@rootsweb.com > Sent: Monday, March 25, 2013 7:27 AM > Subject: Re: [FreeHelp] Website Security > > From what some write I think some people don't keep local backups of > their pages. I keep all my websites "backed up" on my local machine as > well as an external hard drive. If the unthinkable happens I can replace > the damage in short order without having to recreate the whole site from > scratch. > > Passwords can be changed by asking Rootsweb for a new one. Not something > to be done on a whim but in extreme cases. > > On 03/25/2013 02:01 AM, Barry Carlson wrote: >> Most webpage servers are not immune to hacking attacks through the backdoor >> and/or by exploitation of a known security hole. In the case of the >> 'rootsweb.ancestry.com' servers a restriction on Server-side active >> scripting reduces the likelihood of such a security breach dramatically. >> >> The weakest part of the defence is the proliferation of FTP User Accounts >> and Passwords. The User Account Names are freely available, and with the >> current inability to change the assigned Password, it is imperative that >> care is taken in how and where you keep those details. >> >> Bearing the above in mind, I have put together an example page to >> demonstrate how a hacker could once acquiring your FTP details arrange for >> the Client-side switching of all your hyperlinks to other sites. >> >> http://freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bristowe/test/hyperlinks.html >> >> The page is meant as a gentle warning that it could happen to any one of >> you. So as one police sergeant said many years ago, "Take care out there!" >> >> Barry >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FREEPAGES-HELP-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > -- “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” -Albert Einstein _ _... ..._ _ _._ ._ ..... ._.. ... .._

Most webpage servers are not immune to hacking attacks through the backdoor and/or by exploitation of a known security hole. In the case of the 'rootsweb.ancestry.com' servers a restriction on Server-side active scripting reduces the likelihood of such a security breach dramatically. The weakest part of the defence is the proliferation of FTP User Accounts and Passwords. The User Account Names are freely available, and with the current inability to change the assigned Password, it is imperative that care is taken in how and where you keep those details. Bearing the above in mind, I have put together an example page to demonstrate how a hacker could once acquiring your FTP details arrange for the Client-side switching of all your hyperlinks to other sites. http://freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bristowe/test/hyperlinks.html The page is meant as a gentle warning that it could happen to any one of you. So as one police sergeant said many years ago, "Take care out there!" Barry

Isn't the external drive itself sufficient? To avoid contamination, I keep it unplugged when not in use. Oh, I DO keep different versions of the same page, but I do that from fear of misplacing a change, not as 'back-up'. By the way; my gender is male, not female. Someone referred to me as 'she'; just wanted to clear that up. ShelVy ________________________________ From: Billie Walsh <bilwalsh@swbell.net> To: freepages-help@rootsweb.com Sent: Monday, March 25, 2013 7:27 AM Subject: Re: [FreeHelp] Website Security From what some write I think some people don't keep local backups of their pages. I keep all my websites "backed up" on my local machine as well as an external hard drive. If the unthinkable happens I can replace the damage in short order without having to recreate the whole site from scratch. Passwords can be changed by asking Rootsweb for a new one. Not something to be done on a whim but in extreme cases. On 03/25/2013 02:01 AM, Barry Carlson wrote: > Most webpage servers are not immune to hacking attacks through the backdoor > and/or by exploitation of a known security hole. In the case of the > 'rootsweb.ancestry.com' servers a restriction on Server-side active > scripting reduces the likelihood of such a security breach dramatically. > > The weakest part of the defence is the proliferation of FTP User Accounts > and Passwords. The User Account Names are freely available, and with the > current inability to change the assigned Password, it is imperative that > care is taken in how and where you keep those details. > > Bearing the above in mind, I have put together an example page to > demonstrate how a hacker could once acquiring your FTP details arrange for > the Client-side switching of all your hyperlinks to other sites. > > http://freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bristowe/test/hyperlinks.html > > The page is meant as a gentle warning that it could happen to any one of > you. So as one police sergeant said many years ago, "Take care out there!" > > Barry > >  > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FREEPAGES-HELP-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” -Albert Einstein _ _...  ..._ _ _._  ._  .....  ._..  ...  .._ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FREEPAGES-HELP-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

From what some write I think some people don't keep local backups of their pages. I keep all my websites "backed up" on my local machine as well as an external hard drive. If the unthinkable happens I can replace the damage in short order without having to recreate the whole site from scratch. Passwords can be changed by asking Rootsweb for a new one. Not something to be done on a whim but in extreme cases. On 03/25/2013 02:01 AM, Barry Carlson wrote: > Most webpage servers are not immune to hacking attacks through the backdoor > and/or by exploitation of a known security hole. In the case of the > 'rootsweb.ancestry.com' servers a restriction on Server-side active > scripting reduces the likelihood of such a security breach dramatically. > > The weakest part of the defence is the proliferation of FTP User Accounts > and Passwords. The User Account Names are freely available, and with the > current inability to change the assigned Password, it is imperative that > care is taken in how and where you keep those details. > > Bearing the above in mind, I have put together an example page to > demonstrate how a hacker could once acquiring your FTP details arrange for > the Client-side switching of all your hyperlinks to other sites. > > http://freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bristowe/test/hyperlinks.html > > The page is meant as a gentle warning that it could happen to any one of > you. So as one police sergeant said many years ago, "Take care out there!" > > Barry > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FREEPAGES-HELP-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” -Albert Einstein _ _... ..._ _ _._ ._ ..... ._.. ... .._

Anthony wrote:- > Why is there links all over my conn family web page they are highlighted > in red? ---------------- The answer to that problem has been given by others on the list, and discussion then centered on malware installation via third-party "add-ons". I missed it all as I was busy writing up a page on the most likely way hyperlinks could be manipulated on a Rootsweb page. Probably by the use of Client-side Javascript, as active Server-side scripting is not available on the servers. Yes, rootsweb is not imune from malware attacks, but because it allows no Server-side active scripting, the attacks must come within, and that means your FTP access details are not secure, or else third-party software containing the attack has knowingly or unknowingly been installed on your computer. I'll post a link to the page I was busy creating, when all this list traffic started, tomorrow. Barry

At 01:49 AM 3/24/2013, Ronald Mesnard wrote: >Think what you will! I was impressed with the one article that >claimed none of the top AV applications could find any of the 80 >selected malware. Why do you think the ask tool bar is not infected? There is so much confusing terminology out there -- Virus, Trojan, Worm, Trojan, rootkit, keylogger, spyware, etc. The bottom line is that Malware is software used or created to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware The downloaded software can be any of the above; but often may be an apparently benign toolbar which is downloaded assuming it is benign and a necessary part of a program you intentionally install. It may or may not be benign, depending on your definition of the term. I recently helped a friend clean her computer -- she had downloaded a quite popular image editor that installed three different add-ons, one of which changed every instance of the word "web" or "website" on her pages to a hyperlink to the download page for the software. Needless to say, she was not a happy camper. As others have pointed out, any time you download anything from the internet -- you need to monitor everything about that download. *READ* the License Agreement. Yes, there are commonalities for any copyrighted software you purchase and/or download. But there also are differences -- and freebies especially may contain differences you really don't want to subscribe to. Consider that FREE could be a come on to get you to download their particular mal and/or spy ware. That is not to say there are not some terrific free software applications. Just remember the "Buyer Beware" adage. If you have questions or doubts, ask before downloading. You CAN protect your computer using your own common sense :) Pat A.

Billie Walsh wrote: > There is one simple, free, thing you can do to help prevent infections. > Most of the suggestions for users of Windows so far have been good, but > there is one more step that almost no one does and is almost never > mentioned. > > When you install Windows, or buy a computer with Windows pre-installed, > the user is, by default, the administrative user. That means that it is > possible for software to install on your computer without your > knowledge. Windows 7 is marginally better than previous versions but it > can still happen. Obviously having the option for admin rights and user rights came in with XP, I think, and it's been available on all incarnations of Windows since then. I have machines running 98SE and ME. > The first thing any person should do with Windows is to create a new > user identity and password with no administrative privileges for > themselves. and at the same time change the name of the old identity to > something else and give it a new password. As this new user identity > surfs the web nothing can happen behind the scenes. If something tries > to install it opens a box that you have to enter the administrative > password, not just click "OK" in. Anytime you have to enter the > administrative password should be a BIG red flag. > > On the downside there will be instances when you do want to install > something and you will have to log out and log back in as admin to > install some software. Most often you will just have to enter the admin > password. We have two click happy daus and even they haven't managed to nobble any of the other computers - yet! > I have been a Linux user for several years and the above lack of user > admin privileges is one of the features that makes Linux more malware > resistant. I very seldom ever boot into Windows on any of my computers > these days. Linux is something I want to get to grips with. It's just finding the time, space and peace to be able to do so. > A few years ago at a major computer trade show they made a challenge to > the world. They attached three top of the line laptops to the internet > and made the challenge that anyone that could hack into the computers > through the internet, without physically touching the laptops, would > receive the laptop for free. They had to hack into the laptop and put > their name in it to claim it. The big surprise was that the Mac was the > first to get claimed. The Windows computer was claimed shortly after. On > the next to last day of the show the Linux computer still hadn't been > claimed so the organizers made a rule change for the last day that > allowed the hackers to have a person at the keyboard of the laptop to > assist them in gaining access. The Linux laptop was claimed on the last > day of the show. All three of the computers were standard installs with > no extra security measures. That must have knocked many Mac users for six. Seeing something like that would carry more weight with me than a forest full of articles. However, I would still be cautious of accepting the result but then I'm suspicious by nature ;)) -- Charani (UK) OPC for Walton, Ashcott, Shapwick, Greinton and Clutton, SOM http://wsom-opc.org.uk

On 03/24/2013 09:01 AM, Charani wrote: > Billie Walsh wrote: >> There is one simple, free, thing you can do to help prevent infections. >> Most of the suggestions for users of Windows so far have been good, but >> there is one more step that almost no one does and is almost never >> mentioned. >> >> When you install Windows, or buy a computer with Windows pre-installed, >> the user is, by default, the administrative user. That means that it is >> possible for software to install on your computer without your >> knowledge. Windows 7 is marginally better than previous versions but it >> can still happen. > Obviously having the option for admin rights and user rights came in > with XP, I think, and it's been available on all incarnations of > Windows since then. > > I have machines running 98SE and ME. It has always been possible to create and delete users in Windows. Along with that it is possible to give different permissions for different users. > >> The first thing any person should do with Windows is to create a new >> user identity and password with no administrative privileges for >> themselves. and at the same time change the name of the old identity to >> something else and give it a new password. As this new user identity >> surfs the web nothing can happen behind the scenes. If something tries >> to install it opens a box that you have to enter the administrative >> password, not just click "OK" in. Anytime you have to enter the >> administrative password should be a BIG red flag. >> >> On the downside there will be instances when you do want to install >> something and you will have to log out and log back in as admin to >> install some software. Most often you will just have to enter the admin >> password. > We have two click happy daus and even they haven't managed to nobble > any of the other computers - yet! My grandkids can trash a system in just a matter of hours. > >> I have been a Linux user for several years and the above lack of user >> admin privileges is one of the features that makes Linux more malware >> resistant. I very seldom ever boot into Windows on any of my computers >> these days. > Linux is something I want to get to grips with. It's just finding the > time, space and peace to be able to do so. My first forays into Linux I dual booted with Windows and when I just wanted to play around for a while I would boot into Linux. That way I could learn about Linux without losing what I had in Windows. In a few months I started to realize that I was booting into Windows less and less. Finally I just pretty much quit using it. I won't lie, I do have, and keep, Windows available. There are a couple pieces of software that I still need Windows for. There just aren't Linux replacements for and no Linux version of. -- “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” -Albert Einstein _ _... ..._ _ _._ ._ ..... ._.. ... .._

Ronald Mesnard wrote: > Think what you will! I was impressed with the one article that > claimed none of the top AV applications could find any of the 80 > selected malware. Operative word there is "claimed". Well, anti virus programs deal with viruses. Anti spyware programs deal with spyware. Other malware needs other programs. That is why I have four other security programs in addition to a two firewalls and an anti virus program. No single program will protect against everything. That's why it's necessary to have more than just an anti virus program and a firewall. It also why all security programs need to be kept up to date at all times. > Why do you think the ask tool bar is not > infected? It's a toolbar and in my book all toolbars made available for installing with other programs are spyware. Why do you think it is infected? > I guess you didn't bother to read the articles I posted > links to. If I remember correctly, none of the top 4 AV software > detected ANY of the 80 malware attacks. So you've already said and I've read plenty of articles about viruses, malware, etc that support one or other point of view, not just those that "prove" a point I want to make. It's rather like the wannabe researcher who is looking for an ancestor of a particular name, finds one and attaches that person and their family to their tree, never mind that the place is wrong, the date is wrong (the ancestor was born before their alleged parents were) and nothing else fits either. The name's right so everything else must be. I read an article recently that inferred /everyone's/ inbox was so chock full of spam and bacn* it was extremely difficult to find the genuine mails. Mine isn't and I don't know anyone whose inbox is in that situation. This point of view was apparently uttered by two so-called experts. (It's on the net so it must be true?) Those "experts" have never heard of filters? They don't know who they work or how to set them up? Point is: /any/ article is just someone's point of view. There's no way to know how a test was done or under what circumstances. > ZoneAlarm isn't even one > of the top 4 free AVs. ROFL Zone Alarm is a firewall first and foremost. That's what it started out as and that's what it's best known as Yeah, it has anti virus as an add on but it isn't what I'd term a proper anti virus program. It's just jumping on the security band wagon to offer a "security suite". No prgram can be all things to all computers and shouldn't (IMO) even try. The more they try to do, the less effective they will be at /all/ components > You were the one to ask for suggestions. I've been trying to > uninstall 'Ask.com' and am told it can't be uninstalled because > some Internet Explorer windows are open. This is strange, as I do > not have IE! I use Google Chrome. Any suggestions? Er, no I wasn't. I don't have any third party toolbars on any of my machines, and never have, so I don't need to uninstalll or attempt to uninstall. Nor do I use Google Chrome. I don't wholly trust Google. If you go back through the thread to the first post about ask.com, you will NOT find my name against it. You will also see that following various suggestions, the OP was able to remove said toolbar. > The first thing > that pops into my head when you can't remove a browser addon and > the reason given is completely bogus. What are you wittering on about?? > In fact, it is the only > reasonable explanation. Eh???? > Legitimate applications must be able to be > uninstalled. Yeah, and ?? > Hackers using your computer for illegal purposes are > not legitimate. Ah! Now you're getting confused. Quite apart from anything else, no one, hacker or otherwise, is using my computer for illegal purposes. In fact anyone watching what I use my computer for is far more likely to fall asleep after a few minutes! <VBG> > I think you are taking this a bit too casually. I don't take /anything/ to do with my computer casually, let alone "a bit too casually"! If anyone doesn't know what they are talking about it appears to be you. Para deleted Remember malicious people don't just take things out of a computer, they can put things IN as well. There have been at least two incidents where someone has been accused of having indecent kiddy pics on their computers and been accused of being part of a nasty kind of ring in the UK. The police seized their computer equipment and computer accessories, taken the person to court only to have the case thrown out because it was proved beyond any doubt that someone malicious had thought it clever/funny or whatever to place illegal/criminal files on the computers in question and the owners of the computers were totally innocent. The computers and accessories were returned and the owners received an apologiy. > I went to Steve Gibson's site ran the port tests and the router > test and I was tight (perfect stealth for the ports and the router. > I take this stuff VERY seriously. Too seriously. Oh, and my computers (plural) are all in full stealth mode and always have been. All told I have five computers. Other family members account for seven others. Everyone of them behind two firewalls and in full stealth mode. All protected by at least four different security programs and all disconnected from the network so they can't be reconnected to the net remotely once they've been shut down There are also a couple of smartphones and three tablets. > Comodo Sandboxes new applications to protect you from installing > malware. That has nothing to do with web browsing. Wrong. It insists on running Firefox in the sandbox. Nothing stops anyone installing malware on their computer. The biggest cause of infected computers is between the chair and the keyboard. > I beg to differ with you. I am convinced they are real attacks. > They started when the computers came back on line and after a few > days the pinging stopped. This has happened with the 2 computers > that are back on line. I didn't think that was funny at all. How > does a fire wall ping itself? I suggest you check out thoroughly what pings actually are. The vast majority are just checks by the computer itself and totally normal. If your computer is in full stealth mode, it cannot be found by any hacker or malware program. It does not respond to any external pings intended to locate open ports. To quote the site "Your computer does not exist." Therefore they can NOT be "real attacks" Paranoia rules! OMG! Where? Where? -- Charani (UK) OPC for Walton, Ashcott, Shapwick, Greinton and Clutton, SOM http://wsom-opc.org.uk

There is one simple, free, thing you can do to help prevent infections. Most of the suggestions for users of Windows so far have been good, but there is one more step that almost no one does and is almost never mentioned. When you install Windows, or buy a computer with Windows pre-installed, the user is, by default, the administrative user. That means that it is possible for software to install on your computer without your knowledge. Windows 7 is marginally better than previous versions but it can still happen. The first thing any person should do with Windows is to create a new user identity and password with no administrative privileges for themselves. and at the same time change the name of the old identity to something else and give it a new password. As this new user identity surfs the web nothing can happen behind the scenes. If something tries to install it opens a box that you have to enter the administrative password, not just click "OK" in. Anytime you have to enter the administrative password should be a BIG red flag. On the downside there will be instances when you do want to install something and you will have to log out and log back in as admin to install some software. Most often you will just have to enter the admin password. I have been a Linux user for several years and the above lack of user admin privileges is one of the features that makes Linux more malware resistant. I very seldom ever boot into Windows on any of my computers these days. A few years ago at a major computer trade show they made a challenge to the world. They attached three top of the line laptops to the internet and made the challenge that anyone that could hack into the computers through the internet, without physically touching the laptops, would receive the laptop for free. They had to hack into the laptop and put their name in it to claim it. The big surprise was that the Mac was the first to get claimed. The Windows computer was claimed shortly after. On the next to last day of the show the Linux computer still hadn't been claimed so the organizers made a rule change for the last day that allowed the hackers to have a person at the keyboard of the laptop to assist them in gaining access. The Linux laptop was claimed on the last day of the show. All three of the computers were standard installs with no extra security measures. -- “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” -Albert Einstein _ _... ..._ _ _._ ._ ..... ._.. ... .._

On 24/03/2013 7:24 AM, Antoinette Waughtel Sorensen wrote: > I was curious on this and could not find the area for "Probe My Ports" or > does one have to sign in first. > Antoinette > There is a menu bar under the name at the top of the page Greg -- DAVIS Genealogy Blog - http://davisgenealogyproject.blogspot.com

Re: [FreeHelp] links - 'Ask.com' > > It is very likely that you have malware. > > I don't thin there is any malware. Ask.com is actually a search > engine. It used to be known as Ask Jeeves. Most programs now try to > install a toolbar, change your home page to their product and a search > engine of their choosing. > > ZoneAlarm does it. > > > I upgraded by firewall to Comodo free fire > > wall. > > I have Comodo free firewall on one of my machines and it is getting > the boot. It allows no control over what programs it allows through. > > > I have seen several attempts of someone or something trying > > to come through my firewall. > > These will be "pings" to see if you are still there. There's nothing > harmful about these in any way. It's actually the firewall thats > sending them. > > If you want to know how secure you are, go to Steve Gibson's site > (www.grc.com) then select Probe My Ports. It's perfectly safe but you > may get a shock. > > > I browse the internet now with Sandboxie. > > You're not using Comodo's own sandbox? Think what you will! I was impressed with the one article that claimed none of the top AV applications could find any of the 80 selected malware. Why do you think the ask tool bar is not infected? I guess you didn't bother to read the articles I posted links to. If I remember correctly, none of the top 4 AV software detected ANY of the 80 malware attacks. ZoneAlarm isn't even one of the top 4 free AVs. You were the one to ask for suggestions. I've been trying to uninstall 'Ask.com' and am told it can't be uninstalled because some Internet Explorer windows are open. This is strange, as I do not have IE! I use Google Chrome. Any suggestions? The first thing that pops into my head when you can't remove a browser addon and the reason given is completely bogus. In fact, it is the only reasonable explanation. Legitimate applications must be able to be uninstalled. Hackers using your computer for illegal purposes are not legitimate. I think you are taking this a bit too casually. My son knows someone that had their door busted in by Homeland Security just about 2 yrs ago. Everyone in the town house was hand-cuffed and all their computers and computer equipment were taken. 2 month later they got their stuff back. Homeland security did not pay for any damages and did not apologize for keeping their computers for 2 months. Hackers probably used their computer along with thousands others to attack the Pentagon. While the firewalls were getting pinged by an army of bot nets, files were taken. Bot-nets are used to perpetrate a wide range of criminal activity such as cyber crime, distributing child porn ect. You are technically responsible for what your computer does. I went to Steve Gibson's site ran the port tests and the router test and I was tight (perfect stealth for the ports and the router. I take this stuff VERY seriously. Comodo Sandboxes new applications to protect you from installing malware. That has nothing to do with web browsing. > These will be "pings" to see if you are still there. There's nothing > harmful about these in any way. It's actually the firewall thats > sending them. I beg to differ with you. I am convinced they are real attacks. They started when the computers came back on line and after a few days the pinging stopped. This has happened with the 2 computers that are back on line. I didn't think that was funny at all. How does a fire wall ping itself? Ron Mesnard

On Sun, Mar 24, 2013 at 1:49 AM, Ronald Mesnard <ron_mesnard@hotmail.com>wrote: > <snipped> > You were the one to ask for suggestions. > I've been trying to uninstall 'Ask.com' and am told it can't be > uninstalled because some Internet Explorer windows are open. This is > strange, as I do not have IE! I use Google Chrome. Any suggestions? > <snipped> She already said she got it un-installed. I think the person writing about pings meant the site link given to test ports-- The test site says it will send pings, to not worry because the pings are directly from their site, but it could set off AV alarms. The real point for this thread is: Today, application downloads/upgrades come with ALL kinds of Add-ons already clicked as Yes. So no one should blindly click Accept anymore. Read the install boxes, uncheck what you don't want. Always protect your PC. Judy

JYoung6180@aol.com wrote: > I just found this help page for Firefox but similar action may work for > other browsers as well: > > http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/932814 Thanks, I'll try to keep that in a safe place. It may come in useful. I haven't had any trouble with Ask (touch wood) but that's not to say it won't happen.sometime. -- Charani (UK) OPC for Walton, Ashcott, Shapwick, Greinton and Clutton, SOM http://wsom-opc.org.uk

I see the same as you, Pat. Checked in both Firefox and Internet Explorer. Linda now in California (was Costa Rica) Monroe County, New York Genealogy http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~monroenys Monroe County, New York History http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~monroenys -----Original Message----- From: Pat Geary Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2013 5:20 AM To: Anthony Conn ; freepages-help@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [FreeHelp] links At 06:38 AM 3/23/2013, you wrote: >Why is there links all over my conn family web page they are >highlighted in red? ==================== Is this your site http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~connfamily/ The default color for links is: standard link: blue visited link: purple active link: red When I first land on the page, the links all show as blue which is normal. Once I have clicked on the link to move to a different page then return to the home page, the link then shows purple (normal). If I click on the link it briefly shows red. I don't see anything (at least on the Home Page) that displays in red in Firefox. Did not check other browsers. pat

Ronald Mesnard wrote: > It is very likely that you have malware. I don't thin there is any malware. Ask.com is actually a search engine. It used to be known as Ask Jeeves. Most programs now try to install a toolbar, change your home page to their product and a search engine of their choosing. ZoneAlarm does it. > I upgraded by firewall to Comodo free fire > wall. I have Comodo free firewall on one of my machines and it is getting the boot. It allows no control over what programs it allows through. > I have seen several attempts of someone or something trying > to come through my firewall. These will be "pings" to see if you are still there. There's nothing harmful about these in any way. It's actually the firewall thats sending them. If you want to know how secure you are, go to Steve Gibson's site (www.grc.com) then select Probe My Ports. It's perfectly safe but you may get a shock. > I browse the internet now with Sandboxie. You're not using Comodo's own sandbox? -- Charani (UK) OPC for Walton, Ashcott, Shapwick, Greinton and Clutton, SOM http://wsom-opc.org.uk

Disabling JAVA in your Web browsers while keeping it enabled for use ON your computer is not as hard as it used to be since all of the warnings most browsers have made it easier to find and disable and some users have reported that browser updates automatically disabled the JAVA Plug-in. In Firefox you click on the Firefox red name up top and in the menu that open click on Add-Ons and then click on Plug-ins and click DISABLE (a box on the right next to the JAVA plug-in listing...VERY easy. In IE settings it is under the General tab and you highlight any listing that starts with JAVA and check off the radio button below the list of plug-ins for DISABLE for each listing if more than one and click to save the changes. You may need to shut your browser after making the changes and reopen it but you shouldn't have to restart to get the changes to stick. Joan In a message dated 3/23/2013 6:58:31 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, kabespir@yahoo.com writes: Thanks, Joan. I think I should upgrade to latest version of Java as well; Java automatically downloads and upgrades on this puter, but I choose whether or not to install/upgrade. A lot of things require having Java. Not sure about 'disabling the 'plug-in', as I'm not truely 'tech savvy', but I can usually find an answer on the I-net. I've begun to email my writings as attachments to my other email accts. too. That works as a pretty easy backup for me. (Especially if a computer breaks, and I don't have an external HD. And, without programs to 'run' downloaded/installed on a new computer, 9from my broken puter), the path is broken to run anything from a USB jump, or external drive, or any disks anyway. (My PAF file for example on a USB Jump .zip which I'm working on re-downloading the software. But misplaced the stupid USB jump and my new Legacy software. (I've been injured badly since Oct. '12, so things are a mess here.) I just can't lose my writings by updating and uninstalling the old Java version though. My Norton does backup my files too though. Will check to see if the 6 WORD docs I see as dependent on Java 6, are there in Norton. Thanks again! I need to get back to work on my rootsweb pages. I got so frustrated when I used their "WYSIWYG" editor and lost all of my work (hours of work), while trying to publish it. I can't write in HTML (had written a basic program in college, but that was so long ago). Stupidly, I never got a "template" as Pat had suggested. Always willing to learn though! Or, is that always forced to learn?! <laughs> I'll be back for help! Kathie Buchanan ____________________________________ From: "JYoung6180@aol.com" <JYoung6180@aol.com> To: kabespir@yahoo.com; shelvy20012000@yahoo.com; freepages-help@rootsweb.com Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2013 3:56 PM Subject: Re: [FreeHelp] links - 'Ask.com' I think you should upgrade JAVA to the most recent version but then make sure it is DISABLED in all of your browsers (under plug-ins). This will enable you to USE JAVA in any program on your computer (locally) which should be safe especially if you have the most recent updates. But it will protect you from any exploits via the Internet. Joan PS: Yup...it added the stupid toolbar even after I unchecked the box BUT it was not difficult to delete it in Firefox which is where it intalled itself. In a message dated 3/23/2013 3:07:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, kabespir@yahoo.com writes: Maybe uninstall and reinstall Java? I noticed that Java has that "Ask" box checked on upgrades, But, I have a question too. Java wants me to upgrade from Java 6 to the newest version, and it will uninstall all previous versions of Java. In a search of my computer to see what programs relied on Java, I found that at least 6 of my WORD docs relied on Java (from when I was using the "professional trial version", unbeknownst to me? >>>Snipped KB

> Subject: Re: [FreeHelp] links - 'Ask.com' > To: "freepages-help@rootsweb.com" <freepages-help@rootsweb.com> > Message-ID: > <1364052903.59376.YahooMailNeo@web140706.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > I've been trying to uninstall 'Ask.com' and am told it can't be uninstalled because some Internet Explorer windows are open. This is strange, as I do not have IE! I use Google Chrome. Any suggestions? Sorry for the terrible news. It is very likely that you have malware. Probably a bot-net. It is unlikely that you will be able to find the infection because the scanners will see the malware as an add-on to your browser. Browser infections usually go after passwords and credit card numbers. If you use FTP apps like FileZilla some will also pass the login information found in the file that saved this information so you do not have to type it in each time you FTP, to the hacker. The hacker can then infect your site and acquire more bot net computers. I am not sure if freepages can get infected like that because of restrictions as to what can be on your page. Here are some articles about the problem... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet http://news.dice.com/2012/12/14/is-anti-virus-passe/ http://www.informationweek.com/security/vulnerabilities/identity-theft-malware-surges-600/219400767 The only sure way to rid you computer of all malware is to start from scratch. These bot-nets usually have methods to re-infect your computer if the bot net is removed. If your computer is a PC then... The cheapest way to to do that is to go do system restore and revert to factory setting after backing up all your data. Unfortunately, even if you had that option, the bot-net usually destroys this option. Then the next cheapest is to buy a recovery disk for your computer. This site http://www.restorediscsplanet.com has a wide selection. These will need your Windows product key. I would install the free app Belarc Advisor on your computer. That will recover all your product keys from your registry. Sometimes the product key attached to your computer is a bulk product key and will not work unless you get the recovery disk from the manufacturer. They may charge a lot more for a recovery disk. When I checked, mine would be more than double. I will note that this is only theory since my disk is in the mail so I have not had the chance to recover the infected computer yet. I have recovered all the keys and license information and it all looks good. I am still going through this painfull process my self. Once your computers are reset. I upgraded by firewall to Comodo free fire wall. I have seen several attempts of someone or something trying to come through my firewall. Apparently my old free firewall that is part of my Operating System wasn't good enough. I upgraded my AV some. Then I got free imaging software here. https://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-drive-imaging-program.htm I browse the internet now with Sandboxie. I find this very useful because it prevents initial attacks to the browser. You can see an attack on your browser getting blocked because you get an error message. I am now keeping very little other than applications on C: If I see any problems

You're really supposed to 'knock on wood....3 times'....not just 'touch' Joyce Gaston Reece -----Original Message----- From: Charani Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2013 6:45 PM To: freepages-help@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [FreeHelp] links - 'Ask.com' JYoung6180@aol.com wrote: > I just found this help page for Firefox but similar action may work for > other browsers as well: > > http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/932814 Thanks, I'll try to keep that in a safe place. It may come in useful. I haven't had any trouble with Ask (touch wood) but that's not to say it won't happen.sometime. -- Charani (UK) OPC for Walton, Ashcott, Shapwick, Greinton and Clutton, SOM http://wsom-opc.org.uk ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FREEPAGES-HELP-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

At 05:24 PM 3/23/2013, you wrote: >I was curious on this and could not find the area for "Probe My Ports" or >does one have to sign in first. No you don't have to sign in https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?rh1dkyd2 pat