A warning to all on this forum

[allieb]

Be careful.

New members are popping up all the time and their first post is a link to some porn site. By clicking the link and visiting the site you may be subjecting your self to a trojan being put into your PC. The new member can then get into your PC anytime through the door the trojan has created. One in your computer anything can be accessed from your pics to your personal details.

Be careful everyone it could be some malicious asshole or it could even be some government authority compiling lists of LOS lovers. I cant help thinking about a poster this week who was stopped in the UK and challenged about his trips to LOS they seemed to know a lot about him already when he was stopped, and he couldn't work out how

I wish the moderator would delete these members.

[bkkguy]

That's it. No exceptions! Run a firewall when you are online.

like the rest of your glib, simplistic and usually incorrect responses this is not particularly useful advice in this situation - a firewall will not stop a trojan being installed by a web site and may not stop the trojan calling home depending on how it does it and what ports are open on the firewall

certainly use a firewall (one that monitors traffic in and out), but it is not that simple - surf/IM/email safely (don't click on suspicious links or unexpected attachments, javascript/activex off, etc), keep up-to-date on security patches, become more educated about security issues, etc,etc, etc

bkkguy

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

for bringing this up as I think it's a very serious matter especially as there has been a crack down on spam email. There will be much more appearing on internet chat boards and it's going to get more sophisticated.

You also bring up the very intersting facet of porn and the fact that a person could find
themselves innocently on the wrong side of the law with no defence especially with some of the hysteria that floats around today. You really have to treat surfing the net as throwing open your front door and allowing the world access to your home and taking the chance that some very clever person may sneak in.

[elephantspike]

Please see my comments on this matter here:

Uncensored Stuff (http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10110)

not just on the boards......... dont open any emails unless you know the sender and even then be careful.

for bringing this up as I think it's a very serious matter especially as there has been a crack down on spam email. There will be much more appearing on internet chat boards and it's going to get more sophisticated.

You also bring up the very intersting facet of porn and the fact that a person could find
themselves innocently on the wrong side of the law with no defence especially with some of the hysteria that floats around today. You really have to treat surfing the net as throwing open your front door and allowing the world access to your home and taking the chance that some very clever person may sneak in.

This is all very interesting. I personally don't feel like I have anything to hide, though there is the issues of privacy. I dont show any discipline when I surf, very few people do I can imagine. Is it a case of curiosity killed the cat? Is surfing onto an illegal site (not that I think I ever have, judging from content) illegal? Surely not? Even the pope might unexpectedly find himself on a site about "the infant boy pising in his nappy" would he then be harangued by under cover agents? I think you have to do more than just surf, I think you have to access pay sites.

What I find chilling is the ever diminishing freedoms of American citizens, I hope this is not spilling over onto the rest of the planet. I am ever thankful that I don't have to live there, I still value freedom of speech amongst other things.

So yes anyone have any ideas about absolute privacy on the net, I am keen to learn more, I believe broadband and wireless is easier to access?

[bkkguy]

Is surfing onto an illegal site (not that I think I ever have, judging from content) illegal?

you would need to get legal advice on that from someone in the country you are surfing from, but I would imagine at least that surfing to a great many illegal sites would certainly increase the level of suspicion and make i harder for you to claim innocence!

in cases like this one, the main worry is more likely to be the malicious software such sites may install on your PC - increasingly these days without your knowledge or active participation


So yes anyone have any ideas about absolute privacy on the net

The CEO of Sun Microsystems Scott McNealy famously quipped in 1999 that "You have zero privacy anyway, get over it."


I believe broadband and wireless is easier to access?

with broadband computers are often left connected to the Internet 24/7 giving the port scanners and other bad guys a long time to poke around, with wireless and dialup connections you are usually connected for a shorter time thus reducing but not emilinating the risk - this is one scenario when a good "stealth" firewall that cloaks your presence is recommended

public wi-fi hotspots with no encryption are inherently insecure and are an open invitation to anyone around you to sniff your "private" data but properly configured a wireless network can be almost as secure as a wired network

most email and web traffic is unencrypted and thus can potentially intercepted and read anywhere between you and the other end - use a VPN, gpg/pgp or other encryption options if you want to keep private information confidential

every computer connected to the Internet has a uniquie IP address and most servers log access by IP address, use an anonymiser to hide your IP address but choose carefully - most free public anonymisers are not to be trusted

bkkguy

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

Even the pope might unexpectedly find himself on a site about "the infant boy pising in his nappy" would he then be harangued by under cover agents?

the Italian equivalent of the FBI calling upon his Holiness."It's about youra interent search for "angelic choir boys" "...but then it helps to have your own country..the Vatican !! :cheers:

Funny the things people worry about and don't worry about.
Like not removing their 'tracks' when they use an internet shop in Pattaya to access their bank account.

Even though there has been much publicity\warnings; a woman was recently stopped just short of transferring $130,000 in a Nigerian scam and a preacher was clipped for $350,000, something about a fortune, smuggled out of Nigeria by painting the bills black, which would be shared if the recipient of the e-mail would send money to buy solvent to remove the paint! It's variously known as the Pidgeon Drop, Tulsa Bag, Lookie-Loo, etc... and has been around more years than Madame Pearl!... But the geeks go right on falling for it.

A 'woman'? who has a Cooking web-site recently sent all subscribers a plea for help: 'It's Christmas, and the family is broke and she had to hock her wedding rings to pay the mortgage and there'll be no Christmas... And Oil-Can Harry has little Nell is tied to the rails and Bessie tied up in the saw mill and...and...and....
And another arrived today regarding how cruel people are for telling her to stuff it--Not a roast chicken!
Meanwhile; Little Johnny's moving more swiftly down the river! He can hear the falls!...but Dangerous Dan the Ding-Dong Man has his pants down & Johnny's knickers tied round Johnny's skinny ankles and is about to!...About to! Tune in tomorow!... When Johnny gets a flu shot.

I wonder how many who exchange messages with 'pictures' posted on 'introduction' (Lovelorn) sites give a thought about who may actually be on the opposite end of the loop. I know a retired Filipino lady who's supplementing her pension by posting some very demure photos of her 14 y.o. grandson, (what a) Boyet and 15 y.o Boom Boom! (Not the names she uses and, by the way the photos were taken more than 15 years ago.) And, Oh, how Lola (Granny) can emote!...Recently the poor wee tyke's home was destroyed: sliding down a steep hill during a typhoon\mud-slide and there is nothin for Christmas...as she sits there in her bra & panties smoking (the wrong end of) her Hope cigarette and typing with one finger: the same finger she's giving the punters who are sending her grandsons money--And she could be the least problem one might encounter on the internet.