Home Office: More Web Sleaze

Sick of fending off threats from the Net? Me, too. Also, "nonsense" defined.

Steve Bass

I was talking to a buddy about computing--and he was fuming. "If it's not spyware or adware, it's some 'free' tool that phones home," he said. "I seem to spend half my computing time fighting something off." I couldn't console him because I often feel the same. I don't want to sound paranoid, but I sometimes get the feeling that lots of people on the Internet are out to take us to the cleaners.

The problem my buddy's facing isn't going to go away. But lots of people I talk with just don't want to be bothered with the hassle of putting a fence around their PC. The cantankerous Steve Manes complains about this situation in "Full Disclosure: PC Defense Takes an Antinet."

I agree, it can be a hassle having to round up a half-dozen products to defend against spyware, viruses, and other threats. You need SpyBot or Ad-Aware for spyware, ZoneAlarm for firewall protection, utilities to block ads and pop-ups, more add-ons to fend off spam, and an antivirus program to boot. But there are some darned good reasons to shore up your computer's defenses, and some darned good ways to do it. Read on for details.

Ignore Spyware at Your Peril

Some of my user group members have told me they don't give a rat's patootie about their privacy, and they couldn't care less about spyware. "Screw 'em," one guy said, "I have nothing to hide." That may be true... and I guess he doesn't think it's any big deal if some Web site tracks his buying habits and passes along ads that seem to fit his profile.

I don't have anything nefarious to hide, either, but I take some basic precautions to keep my business and personal parts private. You should too, because it's not just your privacy at stake. For example, we all know how damaging computer viruses can be: Spyware and similar programs can be just as dangerous. One particularly nasty little bugger is Connect2Party, which disconnects a modem and then uses it to call an international long-distance number. Read more about it in "More Sleazy Web Sites."

And the stuff is all over the place: According to a recent report from the National Cyber Security Alliance, 91 percent of us have spyware on our home computers. Hell, much to my dismay, SpyBot found some spyware on my PC just last week--and no, I haven't a clue where I got it.

Dig This: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet? "Actually," says Microsoft, "it is nonsense." (Unlike other stuff from Microsoft.) Want to know more? Read Microsoft Knowledge Base Article #114222; then get more details at the official Lorem Ipsum Web site, where you can get your very own Lipsum.

Privacy Is Serious Stuff, Bunkie

If you thought stalking was something that just happened to Hollywood stars, you'd be wrong. A woman fought back against an online scam targeting writers and ended up with lots of grief. Read what happened to her in Andy Brandt's "Privacy Watch: Stalking Over the Web Is a Growing Threat."

A related issue is identity theft, serious business indeed. A few weeks back I talked about this problem, and how to avoid being a victim.

In "Who's Watching You Surf?," one of our reporters talks about how Congress and privacy groups are worried about the Federal Bureau of Investigation secretly looking at our phone and Internet records. It's something out of the J. Edgar Hoover days and something I think you ought to read.

Too many of us (me included) ignore those long-winded, 30-page privacy statements that Web sites serve up. My guess is they're intentionally made long to dissuade us from reading them. The problem, as you can read in "Privacy Policies Neglected, Abused," is that too many Web sites are abusing the information we might give them.

AT&T's got a solution, a brilliant (and free) utility with a dumb name: the Privacy Bird. The Internet Explorer add-on lets you decide how much tolerance you have for, say, companies that swap or sell your name and address for marketing, pass along your health or medical information without permission, or stick you on a mailing list. Then it reads the privacy policy of each site you visit and tells you if the site meets your standards.

String Up Some Barbed Wire

You shouldn't be without protection, so I want you to take a gander at Scott Spanbauer's "Pest Zappers." In this review Scott tests antivirus and anti-spyware products--including Ad-Aware, Spybot, and ZoneAlarm--then recommends the best of the best.

You'll probably want to set up a firewall. Our very own Stan Miastkowski gives you the details In "Step-By-Step: Bulletproof Your PC With a Software Firewall." It's a short read and covers using the firewall in Windows XP, Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall, and Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm Pro.

To complete your fortress, you may want to get tighter control over your e-mail, and get rid of those pesky Web advertisements. You can reduce your daily diet of spam by trying one of our "Top Spam Utilities." And as for an ad-blocker or pop-up stopper, we've got lots of them at our Downloads site.

Let's say you've loaded up your system with antivirus and anti-spyware software, a firewall, a pop-up stopper, and an antispam program--and you crave even more security. If you've got Windows Me or XP, you could use the tools built into your operating system. "Windows Tips: Password-Protect Your Sensitive Files and Folders" shows you how.

And if you use America Online or the Microsoft Network, you'll want to read one of Scott Spanbauer's Internet Tips columns. In "Pay Less, Stay Private, and Block Spam in One Shot" he talks about ways to make AOL and MSN protect your privacy.

You might also think about lassoing your passwords and keeping them in one safe spot. Here are three to choose from: Darn Passwords ($15) does a good job of letting you drag and drop passwords to an application or Web site; Passwords 2000 ($20) lets you export and print your password list; Password Corral (free) is the one I use. (Darn Passwords and Passwords 2000 offer a free trial period, BTW.)

Counterfeit Cartridges and Phony Toner

Before you go, I've got another warning for you: If you're trying to save a buck or two on those outrageously expensive ink jet and toner cartridges, make sure the product you're buying is legit. Tom Spring exposes all in "Bogus Ink Stink."

Dig This: You don't have much to do today, right? (Ha!) So you might as well spend a little time with Saion, a Japanese site that'll fascinate you for long enough to miss an important committee meeting.

Dig This, Two: Okay, so Saion didn't hold your interest? How about a very addicting Flash game?

Dig This, Three: I know, how about a funny commercial from England I call "Quick, hand me the epoxy."

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