somethingshiny
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2007
- Messages
- 6,746
I have had a lot of goofy stuff going on with my computer lately. DH blames it on Cybersitter (a program that will block unfriendly sites, pop-ups, etc. It also keeps a history of every cookie and website visited)
Besides the general irritations that are associated with this type of program, like not being able to type "cracked" while it''s enabled (because you can''t write "crack"), I''m ending up with pop-ups and what appears to be a spyware.
STRM linked a couple sites for me a while back which I went thru and it was unable to detect anything this time, but obviously something''s wrong.
Also, when I got through the System Snooper on Cybersitter, it brings up a lot of "file found" with no addresses linked. (usually it will report the "potentially dangerous site''s addy.) When I double-click them, it brings up a page that lists HUNDREDS of websites...everything from college websites to foreign sites to xxx sites. These are things that we never go on. (yes, I trust my DH not to be on the XXX, but even if he was, neither of us are ever on a FOREIGN site.)
I''ve been receiving TONS of spam that my spam filter doesn''t catch.
Today I got a message in my email from Cybersitter as follows.
Serious Internet Security Alert
There is a new, and very serious, security issue affecting computers world wide. It is known as DNS Hijacking. Here''s how it works: You or someone using your computer visits a web site or downloads a program that contains malicious code. This code changes your Windows Internet settings to use what''s called a "Rogue DNS" server.
First, we''ll explain what a DNS Server is for those that do not know. Basically, whenever you want to go to an Internet web site you type in an address such as www.google.com. Actually, this address does not really exist, rather it is the "friendly name" of a web site that is accessed by an IP address such as 200.200.200.200. Every computer on the Internet has an IP address, even yours. Obviously, it would be extremely difficult to remember all those addresses, so what a DNS server does is to translate the "friendly name" to the corresponding IP address. Every single computer on the Internet uses a DNS server to translate these addresses. You DNS server is usually assigned to you by your Internet provider, and in many cases, this is done automatically in the background.
The DNS server you use can be easily overridden. A malicious application can override your default DNS server and tell Windows to use a different DNS server. You will never notice the difference and in most cases, there is no problem. However, what these "Poisoned" DNS servers will do is to change the IP addresses of some web sites to forgery web sites.
For example, say you want to go to the Bank of America web site to check your account balance. Rather than going to the real Bank of America web site, the Rogue DNS server takes you to a different web site that is a perfect forgery of the legitimate one. They may ask for user names, account numbers and passwords. They record these and can then access your account any time they want to. These DNS servers can be used for other purposes as well such as displaying pornography, unwanted ads, and bogus search results. This is an extremely dangerous threat!
Your Internet Security Software Does Not Protect You
Most current Anti-virus and other Internet security software programs can find and remove these malicious programs, however in most cases they cannot prevent the damage from being done. Once your DNS is modified, NO Internet security program can fix this or even report the problem to you.
Free DNS Checker Program from CYBERsitter
Because of the seriousness of this issue, and the lack of available tools to discover and fix the problem, we created a free utility called "What''s My DNS" that will check your Windows settings and let you know if your computer has been compromised. We have collected the addresses of all known Rogue DNS servers and will keep it updated as new information becomes available. It will also perform other checks for you like telling you if you are being redirected to a DNS server in a different country. This program is extremely easy to use, very small, does not interfere with anything, and best of all, it is totally free. We strongly recommend that everyone get this and run it frequently. For the time being, it is probably advisable to run it immediately before starting an Internet session where you may be asked for financial or other personal information. It takes less than a second to do it''s work.
If you would like a free copy of "What''s My DNS", simply click here.
Do you have a wireless network?
One of the latest security issues facing home computer users is wireless network intrusion. Most people have no idea if unauthorized users are using their wireless Internet connection for their own purposes. These days, almost every new computing and entertainment device supports wireless networking. You need to know what and who is connected to your network. Watch for our March newsletter where we will be introducing a new, easy to use network monitor designed specifically for home users.
It sounds like it may be related to what I have going on, but I don''t particularly want to click on their links in case it is another bogus email.
Suggestions??? Please??? TIA
Besides the general irritations that are associated with this type of program, like not being able to type "cracked" while it''s enabled (because you can''t write "crack"), I''m ending up with pop-ups and what appears to be a spyware.
STRM linked a couple sites for me a while back which I went thru and it was unable to detect anything this time, but obviously something''s wrong.
Also, when I got through the System Snooper on Cybersitter, it brings up a lot of "file found" with no addresses linked. (usually it will report the "potentially dangerous site''s addy.) When I double-click them, it brings up a page that lists HUNDREDS of websites...everything from college websites to foreign sites to xxx sites. These are things that we never go on. (yes, I trust my DH not to be on the XXX, but even if he was, neither of us are ever on a FOREIGN site.)
I''ve been receiving TONS of spam that my spam filter doesn''t catch.
Today I got a message in my email from Cybersitter as follows.
Serious Internet Security Alert
There is a new, and very serious, security issue affecting computers world wide. It is known as DNS Hijacking. Here''s how it works: You or someone using your computer visits a web site or downloads a program that contains malicious code. This code changes your Windows Internet settings to use what''s called a "Rogue DNS" server.
First, we''ll explain what a DNS Server is for those that do not know. Basically, whenever you want to go to an Internet web site you type in an address such as www.google.com. Actually, this address does not really exist, rather it is the "friendly name" of a web site that is accessed by an IP address such as 200.200.200.200. Every computer on the Internet has an IP address, even yours. Obviously, it would be extremely difficult to remember all those addresses, so what a DNS server does is to translate the "friendly name" to the corresponding IP address. Every single computer on the Internet uses a DNS server to translate these addresses. You DNS server is usually assigned to you by your Internet provider, and in many cases, this is done automatically in the background.
The DNS server you use can be easily overridden. A malicious application can override your default DNS server and tell Windows to use a different DNS server. You will never notice the difference and in most cases, there is no problem. However, what these "Poisoned" DNS servers will do is to change the IP addresses of some web sites to forgery web sites.
For example, say you want to go to the Bank of America web site to check your account balance. Rather than going to the real Bank of America web site, the Rogue DNS server takes you to a different web site that is a perfect forgery of the legitimate one. They may ask for user names, account numbers and passwords. They record these and can then access your account any time they want to. These DNS servers can be used for other purposes as well such as displaying pornography, unwanted ads, and bogus search results. This is an extremely dangerous threat!
Your Internet Security Software Does Not Protect You
Most current Anti-virus and other Internet security software programs can find and remove these malicious programs, however in most cases they cannot prevent the damage from being done. Once your DNS is modified, NO Internet security program can fix this or even report the problem to you.
Free DNS Checker Program from CYBERsitter
Because of the seriousness of this issue, and the lack of available tools to discover and fix the problem, we created a free utility called "What''s My DNS" that will check your Windows settings and let you know if your computer has been compromised. We have collected the addresses of all known Rogue DNS servers and will keep it updated as new information becomes available. It will also perform other checks for you like telling you if you are being redirected to a DNS server in a different country. This program is extremely easy to use, very small, does not interfere with anything, and best of all, it is totally free. We strongly recommend that everyone get this and run it frequently. For the time being, it is probably advisable to run it immediately before starting an Internet session where you may be asked for financial or other personal information. It takes less than a second to do it''s work.
If you would like a free copy of "What''s My DNS", simply click here.
Do you have a wireless network?
One of the latest security issues facing home computer users is wireless network intrusion. Most people have no idea if unauthorized users are using their wireless Internet connection for their own purposes. These days, almost every new computing and entertainment device supports wireless networking. You need to know what and who is connected to your network. Watch for our March newsletter where we will be introducing a new, easy to use network monitor designed specifically for home users.
It sounds like it may be related to what I have going on, but I don''t particularly want to click on their links in case it is another bogus email.
Suggestions??? Please??? TIA
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