From: "Good Soldier Svejk" <goodsoldiersvejk-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: AUT: Re: Security on the web and in e-mail
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2002 11:58:19 +0100


This is a multi-part message in MIME format.


If you must use Windows, there is a good free antivirus program, AVG, available from www.grisoft.com
(and whatever you do, don't use Macafee - it can seriously fuck your system).
A good firewall, again free, is ZoneAlarm, www.zonelabs.com
Using non-Micro$oft products, especially browser & email clients, also protects against viruses etc - I recommend the open-source Mozilla project, www.mozilla.org, for excellent browsers (Mozilla and Phoenix) and a fair email client.
Ad-aware is available from www.lavasoft.de

I've had some viruses sent to me from people on this list, & from other political lists, so please take notice and do some techie stuff!

John

Chris wrote:

  1. Anti-virus software, with regular updates.  This is the one place where spending the money is absolutely worth it!  Or try to get it some other way, but make sure that you can get regular updates.  If you borrow software, remember not to use the live update/auto update features, which can track your IP address and often check your registration.  Download the virus updates as separate files and install them after the download.

  2.  Seriously consider a good firewall.  You can get some free and others for cash, but nothing will keep people out of your files better.  This is especially iportant for cable modem users, who are ALWAYS ON when your computer is on.

  <snip>

  4.  Get ad-aware 5.83, the latest version, and the ad-aware auto-update software.  It is free and it removes spyware, aka software which sends out information about you and your habits, tastes, preferences, etc. from your computer without your knowledge!  I bet almost everyone here will get a rude shock when ad-aware is done.  And run it monthly, if not more often.  I get new garbage all the time.

  5.  Consider learning Linux and getting a good, user-friendly version of Linux like RedHat 8.0, Mandrake 9.0 (IMO, better than RedHat and 99% compatible), SUSE 8.1 (best European support), or Libranet 2.7 (for people interested in a cheap version using Debian GNU/Linux, which is less popular, but more powerful and well-designed than the RedHat-based Linux versions, which is the other three I mentioned.)  Linux is slightly harder to use, but mostly only if you want to do fancy stuff with the operating system.  The newest versions are easy to install on any PC, easy to use with nice interfaces and offer a lot, including much better security and stability than Windows.  Just consider that over 90% of viruses are written for Windows, and the majority aimed at Microsoft products, such as IE, Outlook/Outlook Express, etc.  Get Linux, Opera for Linux, and a good e-mail product (KDE 3.0.3 seems to have a nice one), the appropriate security software above and a good office suite or individual applications (word processing, spreadsheets, databases)  Other software (not including office suites) may be harder to get and if you do something with Windows software that is not available on Linux (like Adobe stuff), it may not be easy to switch over.  It will take time and effort to convert, but you can then join the world of safer, more intelligent computing AND support the Open Source revolution, which is just one way that the opposition to capital is making itself felt.  Also, don't spend money on full distributions from the Corps.  Go to www.linuxcentral.com or one of the other vendors and order the operating system for $2-3, instead of $20-50.  Or if you have a CD-burner and a very fast Internet connection, download it from the web (many vendors offer the OS free for download) and burn it to CD and load it that way.

  Apple is also an alternative, though I sure as hell can't afford a Mac.  Still, OS X is very nice and very powerful and has a wide range of popular politically useful software available for it, such as the Adobe and Quark multi-media and desktop publishing software.  If you can't switch to Linux for some reason, go Apple if you can afford to (only worth it, IMO, if you go OS X.)

  If you must keep Windows, as I have to, then consider learning how to set up a dual-boot, so that you can go between Windows and Linux.  Its not as bad as it sounds, but it is a good idea to get a Linux-capable friend to make sure that you are not going to be SOL.



  ---
  Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
  Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
  Version: 6.0.401 / Virus Database: 226 - Release Date: 09/10/02

HTML VERSION:

1. Anti-virus software, with regular updates.  This is the one place where spending the money is absolutely worth it!  Or try to get it some other way, but make sure that you can get regular updates.  If you borrow software, remember not to use the live update/auto update features, which can track your IP address and often check your registration.  Download the virus updates as separate files and install them after the download.

 

2.  Seriously consider a good firewall.  You can get some free and others for cash, but nothing will keep people out of your files better.  This is especially iportant for cable modem users, who are ALWAYS ON when your computer is on.

 

<snip>

 

4.  Get ad-aware 5.83, the latest version, and the ad-aware auto-update software.  It is free and it removes spyware, aka software which sends out information about you and your habits, tastes, preferences, etc. from your computer without your knowledge!  I bet almost everyone here will get a rude shock when ad-aware is done.  And run it monthly, if not more often.  I get new garbage all the time.

 

5.  Consider learning Linux and getting a good, user-friendly version of Linux like RedHat 8.0, Mandrake 9.0 (IMO, better than RedHat and 99% compatible), SUSE 8.1 (best European support), or Libranet 2.7 (for people interested in a cheap version using Debian GNU/Linux, which is less popular, but more powerful and well-designed than the RedHat-based Linux versions, which is the other three I mentioned.)  Linux is slightly harder to use, but mostly only if you want to do fancy stuff with the operating system.  The newest versions are easy to install on any PC, easy to use with nice interfaces and offer a lot, including much better security and stability than Windows.  Just consider that over 90% of viruses are written for Windows, and the majority aimed at Microsoft products, such as IE, Outlook/Outlook Express, etc.  Get Linux, Opera for Linux, and a good e-mail product (KDE 3.0.3 seems to have a nice one), the appropriate security software above and a good office suite or individual applications (word processing, spreadsheets, databases)  Other software (not including office suites) may be harder to get and if you do something with Windows software that is not available on Linux (like Adobe stuff), it may not be easy to switch over.  It will take time and effort to convert, but you can then join the world of safer, more intelligent computing AND support the Open Source revolution, which is just one way that the opposition to capital is making itself felt.  Also, don't spend money on full distributions from the Corps.  Go to www.linuxcentral.com or one of the other vendors and order the operating system for $2-3, instead of $20-50.  Or if you have a CD-burner and a very fast Internet connection, download it from the web (many vendors offer the OS free for download) and burn it to CD and load it that way.

 

Apple is also an alternative, though I sure as hell can't afford a Mac.  Still, OS X is very nice and very powerful and has a wide range of popular politically useful software available for it, such as the Adobe and Quark multi-media and desktop publishing software.  If you can't switch to Linux for some reason, go Apple if you can afford to (only worth it, IMO, if you go OS X.)

 

If you must keep Windows, as I have to, then consider learning how to set up a dual-boot, so that you can go between Windows and Linux.  Its not as bad as it sounds, but it is a good idea to get a Linux-capable friend to make sure that you are not going to be SOL.

 

 

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.401 / Virus Database: 226 - Release Date: 09/10/02