[JA] Re: "You've got mail" problems
- From: thepccat@xxxxxxxx
- To: juno_accmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 14:20:30 -0800
On Tue, 31 Dec 2002 11:43:06 -0800 Babette C Bloch <bvcb@xxxxxxxx>
writes:
> Well, as long as we're dealing with my web problems this week <g>:
> 1. [...]
> BUT...sometimes even tho we haven't clicked on the "get mail" button
> in
> that box, it will start to download mail by itself. (I don't want
> that
> to happen without my knowing and having sent my "safe" message to
> myself
> with the download.)
> Does anyone know why this happens?
Well, I haven't used Juno Web for some time, so I can't say, and I would
find that unacceptable. OTOH, IMHO you could quit with the "safe" message
and relax, if you [1] had IE 6+ patches [either go to Windows Update
site, go there and sign up for automatic updates, or put
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/securi
ty/current.asp on a link and visit there occasionally] [then you almost
certainly could not get infection by just looking at an email]+ [2] get
and use some sort of decent antiviral solution [AVG certainly being the
best of the free ones [update signature once a week then scan the disk,
choosing all files and compressed files--while for real time settings,
I'd suggest less agressiveness so that it does not load down computer
performance, depending on your computer performance and taste--although I
have read opinion which says almost all antiviral programs
{even--heavens!--Norton or McAfee] do fine jobs] [then, even if you
launch a virus it almost certainly will be stopped in its tracks, or you
can gracefully recover from any potential infection].
> 2. Sometimes when we are disconnected while online to the web, Juno
> redials by itself, even 'tho I have Dial up connection marked NOT to
> do
> so. (I like to know whether something other than we are trying to
> go on
> line.)
>
> Is this possibly a sign of spyware? Can it do that even if the "auto
> reconnect" is not checked?
That will happen to me everytime I am online with another ISP than
Juno--if I click on a link in a Juno email [regardless of any Juno
setting :( ]. For a long time now, I copy the text with the links, paste
into WordPad, copy the links from there & paste into the browser. This
two step has gotten to be automatic. This flaw might have been fixed with
Juno 5 and does not exist with OE, etc. OTOH, I am sticking with Juno 4
as long as I can. I have always stopped this dialup procedure if I
inadvertently activate it--what is the result when your modem is already
connected to an ISP? Has this ever happened when you have not clicked on
a link in the Read or Write screen?
Re. spyware: It is almost certainly not. Any real spyware worth its salt
would report stealthily at low rate while one would be online, I'd think
[rather than dialing up in your face--things called "dialers" on the
other hand, break the Internet connection before doing their dialing &
you would almost certainly see that happening in the System Tray].
Received wisdom recommends doing a good antiviral scan [which also finds
most well-known trojans] and an Ad-Aware scan [to get the classic spyware
apps]. One can run trojan scanners, but many are not free, and the free
ones are not supposed to be that comprehensive. Personal firewalls are
also recommended, though making a spy app which could get by Zone Alarm
[or even hardware firewalls] is not said to be that difficult [though
people say there are none out there of yet]. We know little about
government capabilities in regard to spyware, though there is plenty
speculation. OTOH, I'd think there would have to be pretty good reason
for the gov to want to bug someone's computer in the first place [whether
with software or by monitoring electromagnetic emissions from your
computer from the "bread truck" across the street, or with Carnivore, or
Echelon]. <wow, what a paranoid tangent--nothing to really fear but fear?
;-)> OTOH many say the only secure computer is the one which is not
turned on & I agree completely--except for physical security.
Happy New Year to all from thepccat
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