The response from the letter that was sent out to affiliates in May was overwhelmingly positive

06/29/05 2 Affiliates have reported to us that occasionaly some of the sign up files do not work

We have asked that people report this to us but....
If you are going to report it we will need some information about the issue;
1. The access number WITH area code
2. The call FROM number, meaning the number from which the modem was trying to dial from
3. The error message, operator message, busy signal, etc.
4. Where you downloaded or received the set up file from.
5. The network if possible
6. If you were able to modify something to resolve it what did you do?
All of this information will help us to resolve the issue.
Please send examples to support@connectto.net Thanks!

06/28/05 Tech Support Call Ettiquite

1. When calling support have your computer turned ON

2. Do not call in from your cell phone in your car, your work phone, a friends house etc. if the issue is something to do with the service - we cannot walk you through anything if you are NOT in front of the computer.

3. Please do not call in when there are children or other people screaming, crying or partying in the same room with you.

4. Please do not smack "discipline" your children while we are on the phone. If you need time to discipline your children please call back when they are asleep or something. The same goes for your spouse, partner, roommate, etc.

5. Please do not call into support if you think you can fix the problem. In other words, do not call in for help and then tell us we are wrong (arguing with us). If you don't need us don't call in.

6. Please follow our verbal instructions without trying to jump ahead and clicking your mouse on everything you can possibly click on.
If we are going too fast with our instrctions please say so and we will slow down.

All of these tips will help make the calls more efficient and quick.

Thank you!

Eminent Domain Ruling- Off Topic But Important!

Eminent Domain Ruling Labeled 'a Horrible Precedent'
By Monisha Bansal
CNSNews.com Correspondent
June 24, 2005

(CNSNews.com) - A spokesman for the Libertarian Party of Connecticut Thursday accused the U.S. Supreme Court of setting "a horrible precedent" in siding with local governments that seize property for the so-called "public good." Kenneth Gordon called it a "sad day in American history."

The high court's ruling on eminent domain "now allows government to be in cahoots with business to steal property from private owners to give essentially to the highest bidders," said Gordon, the communications director for the Libertarian Party of Connecticut. "It's crossing a line that I hoped we never were going to cross," he told Cybercast News Service.

In a 5-4 decision, the court allowed governments to take private property against the owners' consent through eminent domain so long as the owners receive fair compensation.

"Just as we decline to second-guess the City's considered judgments about the efficacy of its development plan, we also decline to second-guess the City's determinations as to what lands it needs to acquire in order to effectuate the project," stated Justice John Paul Stevens in the majority opinion.

Suzette Kelo and several other homeowners in New London, Conn., sued the city after it announced plans to replace their homes with a riverfront hotel, health club and offices. The development was part of a plan to draw tourists to the Thames riverfront adjoining a Pfizer pharmaceutical corporation research center.

Stevens pointed out that "the [New London Development Corporation] intended the development plan to capitalize on the arrival of the Pfizer facility and the new commerce it was expected to attract." This was designed, he wrote, "to make the City more attractive and create leisure and recreational opportunities."

But Gordon, from the Libertarian Party, asserted that "the political thugs" had won as a result of the Supreme Court's verdict.

"The deepest pockets will be able to pull the political strings to take over any neighborhoods or any pieces of property they may want. Eminent domain is not corporatism; it was intended to build highways and railroads, things that were usable by the entire public, for the public good, not for individual corporate profits. I'd hate to think what comes next," said Gordon.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the dissenting opinion, arguing that as a result of the majority ruling, "any property may now be taken for the benefit of another party." She also warned that "the fallout from this decision will not be random.

"The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms," O'Connor wrote.

The National League of Cities supported New London in the case, and hailed the decision as one of the "most effective tools for ensuring economic development."

"It's important to note that the Court did not expand the power, but reaffirmed its current use, which has been indispensable for revitalizing local economies, creating much-needed jobs, and generating revenue that enables cities to provide essential services," said Anthony A. Williams, president of the National League of Cities and mayor of Washington, D.C.

"With cities and towns facing ever-shrinking resources, we need all the help we can to redevelop our neighborhoods and provide jobs for our citizens," Williams added.


From Jeanine@ Support; What do you think about this?

Errors 550 & 553

SMTP Relay Blocking Error Message When You Send Messages

When you send messages you, may receive an error message that your message cannot be sent because of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) relay blocking. It will be similar to the following error message:
The message could not be sent because one of the recipients was rejected by the server. The rejected e-mail address was 'nobody@gct21.net'. Subject: '', Account: '', Server: 'smtp.gct21.net', Protocol: SMTP, Server Response: '550 nobody@gct21.net... Relaying Denied', Port: 25, Secure (SSL): No, Server Error: 550, Error Number: 0x800CCC79
OR - the message may say this- *553 sorry, that domain isn't in my list of allowed rcpthosts {#5.7.1}

Error 0x800ccc0f When Receiving and Sending E-Mail

Error 0x800ccc0d or 0x800ccc0f When Receiving and Sending E-Mail

Outlook Express no socket error 10060 0x800CCC0E

If you are getting an error like this- "The connection to the server has failed"

Error: The connection to the server has failed. Account: 'youraccount', Server: 'mail4.gct21.net', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error: 10060, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E

FIX-CIH Virus Recovery

Every April, the CIH virus resurfaces and wipes out thousands of hard disk drives by deliberately zeroing their partition, boot, and FAT tables. The first time this happened I wrote this complete post-CIH hard drive recovery utility.

Free Firewall LeakTest

When LeakTest was released, most personal firewalls were easily fooled. Any malicious program could give itself the same name as a trusted program to gain access to the Internet. LeakTest demonstrates and tests for this simple application "masquerading" vulnerability.

Microsoft Agent Content Spoofing Vulnerability (MS05-032)

MODERATE: Microsoft Agent Content Spoofing Vulnerability (MS05-032)
Affected:
Windows 98/ME/SE/2000 SP3 and SP4/XP SP1 and SP2/2003 including SP1

Description: Microsoft Agent is a software technology that provides an
enhanced user interface for applications and web pages with interactive
animated characters. A malicious webpage can use the Microsoft Agent ActiveX
control to hide security warnings such as the file download prompts, which
may lead to installing malicious code on the client systems. Note that the
ActiveX control need not be pre-installed on the systems to exploit this
flaw; the attacker's page can lead to its installation.

Status: Apply the update referenced in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-032.

Council Site Actions: Several reporting council sites plan to deploy this
patch during their next regularly scheduled system update process.

References:
Microsoft Security Bulletin
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS05-032.mspx
Microsoft Agent ActiveX Documentation
http://www.microsoft.com/msagent/dev/docs/default.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/msagent/dev/docs/autodownload.asp
SecurityFocus BID
http://www.securityfocus.om/bid/13948

Microsoft Internet Explorer Cumulative Update (MS05-025)

HIGH: Microsoft Internet Explorer Cumulative Update (MS05-025)
Affected:
Internet Explorer version 5.01 SP3/SP4
Internet Explorer version 5.5 SP2
Internet Explorer version 6.0 and SP1
Windows 98/ME/SE/2000 SP3 and SP4/XP SP1 and SP2/2003 including SP1

Description: Microsoft has released a cumulative security update for Internet
Explorer - MS05-025, which replaces the previously released update MS05-020.
This update fixes the following vulnerabilities:
(a) Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is a format for rendering images and
used as an alternative to GIF. A PNG image consists of a PNG header followed
by a sequence of "chunks" (PNG specification defines 18 such chunk types).
Microsoft's PNG library contains a heap-based buffer overflow that can be
triggered by a PNG image with a certain large chunk size. This library is
used by Internet Explorer for displaying PNG images; hence, a webpage
displaying a crafted PNG file can exploit this overflow to execute arbitrary
code on a client system.
(b) A vulnerability in Internet Explorer can be exploited by a malicious
webpage to read local or non-local XML files, potentially providing the
attacker with sensitive information. The vulnerability is a variation of
the one patched by MS02-047. Proof-of-concept exploit code is publicly
available for the older vulnerability.
(c) The update also sets the kill bit for the older versions of DigWebX
ActiveX control as it reportedly contains a yet undisclosed vulnerability.

Status: Apply the update referenced in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-025.

Council Site Actions: All council sites plan to deploy this patch, either
during their next regularly scheduled system update process or within the
next week.

References:
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-025
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS05-025.mspx
ISS X-Force Advisory (PNG Overflow)
http://xforce.iss.net/xforce/alerts/id/196
NISCC Advisory
http://www.niscc.gov.uk/niscc/docs/al-20050614-00488.html?lang=en
SANS Handler's Diary Posting
http://isc.sans.org/diary.php?date=2005-06-14
PNG Specification
http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/spec/iso/index-object.html
GreyMagic Advisory (IE XML Disclosure Vulnerability from 2002)
http://www.greymagic.com/security/advisories/gm009-ie/
SecurityFocus BIDs
http://www.securityfocus.om/bid/13941
http://www.securityfocus.om/bid/13943
http://www.securityfocus.om/bid/13946

Discussion: satellite Internet connection

A satellite Internet connection is an arrangement in which the upstream (outgoing) and the downstream (incoming) data are sent from, and arrive at, a computer through a satellite. Each subscriber's hardware includes a satellite dish antenna and a transceiver (transmitter/receiver) that operates in the microwave portion of the radio spectrum.

What do you think about satellite Internet connections?

Pro's and Cons?

Anyone reading this blog ever used satellite for a connection?

One way, two way?

MS Patch Train Drops Off 'Critical' IE Fix

Microsoft on Tuesday released 10 advisories to cover a slew of security flaws in a range of products, including a "critical" cumulative update for the Internet Explorer browser.

Three of the 10 bulletins are rated "critical," the company's highest severity rating.

Langa Letter: Laptop Setup Secrets

You can gain space, security, and performance with these time-tested tricks for setting up a portable PC, Fred Langa says.

KeePass Password Safe

What is KeePass?
KeePass is a free/open-source password manager or safe which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key-disk. So you only have to remember one single master password or insert the key-disk to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish)

06/15/05 Some numbers in Texas are currently giving dead air and/or a fast busy signal

There is a trunk down to SBC. Techs are onsite working to resolve the issue.
Numbers affected during this ticket :
- 9565822600
- 9562752600
- 9564842600

Error 0x800ccc0f When Receiving and Sending E-Mail

06/13/05 Mozilla Browsers Frame Injection Vulnerability

MODERATE: Mozilla Browsers Frame Injection Vulnerability
Affected:
Firefox version 1.0.4
Mozilla version 1.7.8
Description: An old vulnerability has been rediscovered in the Mozilla and Firefox browsers. This vulnerability permits a malicious website to inject a "frame" into the browser window of another website. For example, the content from http://www.malicious.com can be loaded into another window displaying the content from http://www.mybank.com. The flaw can be exploited by a malicious webpage to spoof its identity as a trusted site. This may lead to stealing sensitive user information such as passwords, or further compromise of the user system. Proof-of-concept browser test tools have been publicly posted.
Status: Mozilla has not confirmed, no patches available.
References:
Secunia Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/15601/

Sprint numbers in Missouri - issue resolved

06/10/05 Certain Sprint numbers in Missouri are currently having issues

Numbers affected during this ticket :
- 6602230038
- 6602510038
- 8162401038
- 6183900038
- 5076291038
- 7858832223
- 6602250038
Users will experience operator intercepts and fast busy signals.
Sprint has rerouted the traffic, however the new switch is bouncing.
New hardware is en route to the location to alieviate the issue. New ETR is Tomorrow morning

How to add a comment

If you want to add a comment to anything posted here it is easy.

Just click on the comments link at the bottom of any article you want to say something about.
Then, click on post a comment.

You will get a pop up window that you can type into. You can post as anonymous if you like and click on log in and publish. If you have chosen anonymous there is no log in required.

Free Spyware Removal Tools

HijackThis, a general homepage hijackers detector and remover.


HijackThis 1.99.1


About:Buster 5.0 A removal tool for Home Search Assistant, ie; res://random.dll/index.html#12345


About:Buster 5.0


BHODemon 2.0.0.22

BHODemon protects you from unknown Browser Helper Objects (BHOs)


CWShredder 2.15


defense against the new Cool Web Search variants

06/09/05 Email Scam Warning!

IF YOU RECEIVE AN EMAIL THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS:

Dear Valued Member,According to our site policy you will have to confirm your account by the following link or else your account will be suspended within 24 hours for security reasons.http://www.gct21.net/confirm.php?email=

Thank you for your attention to this question. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,Gct21 Security Department Assistant.


DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK AND DO NOT RESPOND TO IT! PLEASE SEND THE ENTIRE EMAIL MESSAGE HEADERS TO US AT: SUPPORT@CONNECTTO.NETIT IS SOME SORT OF PHISHING SCAM - WE DO NOT SEND EMAILS LIKE THIS!

Triple-Barreled Trojan Attack Builds Botnets

June 4, 2005
By Ryan Naraine


Anti-virus researchers are sounding the alert for a massive, well-coordinated hacker attack using three different Trojans to hijack PCs and create botnets-for-hire.

The three-pronged attack is being described as "unprecedented" because of the way the Trojans communicate with each other to infect a machine, disable anti-virus software and leave a back door open for future malicious use.

"This is so slick, it's scary," said Roger Thompson, director of malicious content research at Computer Associates International Inc. "It clearly points to a very well-organized group either replenishing existing botnets or creating new ones."

According to Thompson, the wave of attacks start with Win32.Glieder.AK, dubbed Glieder, a Trojan that downloads and executes arbitrary files from a long, hardcoded list of URLs.

Glieder's job is to sneak past anti-virus protection before definition signatures could be created and "seed" the infected machine for future use. At least eight variants of Glieder were unleashed on one day, wreaking havoc across the Internet.

On Windows 2000 and Windows XP machines, Glieder.AK attempts to stop and disable the Internet Connection Firewall and the Security Center service, which was introduced with Windows XP Service Pack 2.

The Trojan then quickly attempts to connect to a list of URLs to download Win32.Fantibag.A (Fantibag) to spawn the second wave of attacks.

With Fantibag on the compromised machine, Thompson said the attackers can ensure that anti-virus and other protection software is shut off. Fantibag exploits networking features to block the infected machine from communicating with anti-virus vendors. The Trojan even blocks access to Microsoft's Windows Update, meaning that victims cannot get help.

Once the shields are down, a third Trojan called Win32.Mitglieder.CT, or Mitglieder, puts the hijacked machine under the complete control of the attacker.

Once the three Trojans are installed, the infected computer becomes part of a botnet and can be used in spam runs, distributed denial-of-service attacks or to log keystrokes and steal sensitive personal information.

A botnet is a collection of compromised machines controlled remotely via IRC (Inter Relay Chat) channels.

According to CA's Thompson, the success of the three-pronged attack could signal the end of signature-based virus protection if Trojans immediately disable all means of protection.

"These guys have worked out that they bypass past signature scanners if they tweak their code and then release it quickly. The idea is to hit hard and spread fast, disarm victims and then exploit them," Thompson said in an interview with Ziff Davis Internet News.

He said he thinks the attack, which used virus code from the Bagle family, is the work of a very small group of organized criminals. "There's no doubt in my mind we are dealing with organized crime. The target is to build a botnet or to add to existing ones. Once the botnets reach a certain mass, they are rented out for malicious use."

"There's a black market for infected computers. The bigger your botnet, the more money you can make," Thompson said. He said researchers tracking underground hacker activity had seen a price tag of about 5 cents per infected machine.

Next Page: The spyware connection.
Thor Larholm, senior security researcher at PivX Solutions LLC, said there's enough evidence that the sophisticated botnet activity is highly organized by small groups of skilled hackers.

"Over the last year or so, we've seen how easy these guys have created these armies of zombie machines. We believe there are less than 200 people controlling 95 percent of all the botnets out there."

Click here to read about Sasser, the last big network worm.

Larholm said the botnet owners have shied away from using major network worms and have instead turned to very small attacks. "We're not seeing the Slammer and Sasser attacks anymore. We're now seeing these virus variants infecting just 20 or 30 machines. The attacks are smaller and the botnets are smaller, and that allows them to stay under the radar," he said.

Both Thompson and Larholm said they see a direct connection between the botnets-for-rent and the adware/spyware scourge. "Botnets are not just for spamming anymore. They are being rented to install spyware," Larholm said.

He said the complicated affiliate schemes that pay commissions based on spyware installs have created a lucrative market for botnet controllers.

Computer Associates' Thompson agreed. "I think that the adware component is becoming clearer, particularly on the bigger botnets. Whenever someone yells at the adware providers, they blame the affiliates. Well, that's the problem. The affiliates are using criminal means to install spyware, and these botnets are a key part of the puzzle."

Andrew Jaquith, security analyst at Yankee Group Research Inc., said the notion of purchasing the use of botnets, or zombie grids, is well-known in the industry. "There's a sharp uptake in the amount of spam being generated by these zombies. It's pretty well-organized," Jaquith said.

"I see this particular malware cocktail as being more evolutionary than revolutionary. The so-called 'blended threat' that it represents is just a combination of existing techniques, updated and tweaked," Jaquith added.

He said he had independent information that zombies are rented out for illegal use and said Computer Associates' assertion of a 5 cents-per-machine market price is quite eye-opening.

"What's interesting about the general trend in malware such as this is that the goal is not to do damage on the victim's system per se, but to enlist it in the attacker's zombie network," Jaquith said.

"It's more useful to the bad guys to leave their targets alive. All Granny's going to notice is that her computer is running slowly while, unbeknownst to her, it's blasting out spam or assisting in a denial-of-service attack."

Even worse, CA's Thompson said, "I think the bad guys are in danger of winning."

"Here we have people who understand how anti-virus works and are smart enough to release multiple approaches to get the 'seeds' through. This wasn't your usual mass-mailer," Thompson said.

Shane Coursen, senior technology consultant at Kaspersky Lab, said CA's theory of a small band of organized criminals is very credible. "We're seeing all kinds of coordination and communication between Trojans, botnets and virus writers."

In an interview, Coursen said there's a massive race among malicious hackers to build and control massive botnets. "It's a very lucrative business, so this is not a surprise at all."

PROTECTION AND DISINFECTION:

With the rapid proliferation of new types of virus, Trojan and worm attacks, PC users are urged to be strict about following security guidance.

This includes never opening and executing file attachments from unknown sources. Even if the source of the attachment is known, a good rule of thumb is to double check with the sender to make sure it is a legitimate file.

Microsoft Corp. offers detailed information on how to protect against viruses. These include applying security patches in a timely manner and using an Internet firewall. For computers running Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2), Microsoft suggests turning on automatic updates and using the Windows Firewall that is enabled by default.

It is also important to subscribe to industry standard anti-virus software and to keep updates current.

Microsoft also offers free clean-up tools, including a malicious software removal tool and an anti-spyware application.

Symantec Corp. also provides a free removal tool for the Bagel virus and its variants.

Editor's Note: This story was updated to include instructions regarding protection and disinfection.

Check out eWEEK.com's Security Center for the latest security news, reviews and analysis. And for insights on security coverage around the Web, take a look at eWEEK.com Security Center Editor Larry Seltzer's Weblog.

Firefox Suffers Seven-Year Itch

By Jennifer LeClaire
www.LinuxInsider.com
Part of the ECT News Network
06/07/05 8:38 AM PT

Some analyst have argued that Firefox's growing popularity has made it a larger target for hackers, crackers and other malicious people. Others deny such claims. However, a recent study authored by Symantec sheds some light on the debate.


Tired of running from one end of the office to the other? Then turn to HP for the perfect solutions. Save money, space and office mileage with the compact HP LaserJet 4345mfp series. Now with $249 in instant savings. Print, fax, scan, copy. And save space!

While Mozilla Latest News about Mozilla Foundation is celebrating over Firefox's growth in Europe, the open-source browser maker is simultaneously up in arms over software vulnerabilities. A security research firm is reporting Mozilla's current browsers are once again susceptible to a seven-year-old flaw that could let malicious people spoof the contents of Web sites.

According to Secunia Latest News about Secunia, Firefox 1.x and Mozilla 1.7x are vulnerable to a frame injection flaw that first surfaced in 1998. Secunia reported the hole as "moderately critical."

"The problem is that the browsers don't check if a target frame belongs to a Web site containing a malicious link, which therefore doesn't prevent one browser window from loading content in a named frame in another window," said the Secunia advisory.

That means if you are viewing a trusted site in one window and an open site that belongs to a spoofer in another window, the spoofer can insert code in the window showing the trusted site. If you enter your personal information Latest News about personal information in the spoofed site, then the spoofer can use your identity for illegal activities.
Firing at a Growing Target

Yesterday, French Web metrics company XiTi released a report indicating Firefox was the browser used by 14.08 percent of users who access a sample of Web sites that use XiTi measurement software. The figure was at 13.31 percent in April and 11.60 percent in March. The report tracked browser use in 24 European countries. Some analyst have argued that Firefox's growing popularity has made it a larger target for hackers, crackers and other malicious people. Others deny such claims. However, a recent study authored by Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) Latest News about Symantec sheds some light on the debate.

The number of documented vulnerabilities affecting Mozilla and Firefox was higher than the number affecting Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Latest News about Microsoft Internet Explorer between July 1, 2004 and Dec. 31, 2004, according to the latest Internet Security Threat Report from Symantec.

The report noted 13 vulnerabilities affecting Internet Explorer compared to 21 vulnerabilities affecting Mozilla and Mozilla Firefox browsers. However, Internet Explorer still had a higher proportion of serious flaws. Nine of Microsoft's 13 flaws were rated as highly severe; only 11 of the 21 Mozilla browser flaws were labeled highly severe.
Who Responds Faster?

Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox told LinuxInsider the argument that says Firefox's popularity is leading to the discovery of more vulnerabilities may contain some truth. But, he added, Microsoft could say the same thing.

"There is still the argument that Microsoft software is in greater use so it's targeted more," Wilcox said. "It's a great marketing argument because there's really no way to prove it."

Most analysts seem to agree that it's not really about which browser has more vulnerabilities or why -- since all browsers will have flaws. What really matters is which development camp responds fastest with patches to fix the flaws.

According to the Symantec report, it has taken Microsoft longer to fix Internet Explorer flaws: Microsoft took an average of 43 days to fix vulnerabilities compared to Mozilla's 26 days.
Protecting the Perimeter

Other debates argue which approach to software development is more efficient. Does the all-eyes approach allow Mozilla to respond more quickly? This is up for debate, but again, analysts stress the basic facts. There are always going to be flaws in software, they say. What matters is who can fix them and how quickly they are fixed.

"Many large companies have fortified their networks with firewalls and done a pretty good job at it," Wilcox said. "If you block off that route for breaking into the computer, then the hackers simply go somewhere else. The most obvious place for them to go is to the application layer via the Web browser. The browser allows two-way traffic in and out of the corporate network. It's like a tunnel going right into the company. You have to protect that tunnel."

Seventeen facts American shoppers need to know — but don't

Annenberg study shows Americans vulnerable to exploitation in the online and offline marketplace.


Most Americans who use the Internet have little idea how vulnerable they are to abuse by online and offline marketers and how the information they provide can be used to exploit them, a new study led by Joseph Turow, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center shows.


The study involved telephone interviews averaging 20 minutes with a national sample of 1,500 adults who said they had used the Internet in the previous 30 days. Commenting on the findings, Professor Turow said it was "startling to find that 65% of respondents said they 'know what I have to do to protect myself from being taken advantage of by sellers on the Web.' Judging by their scores on the factual questions in the survey, their self-confidence is mistaken."


He warned that "As society moves further into the twenty-first century, prices that vary based on firms' information about us could become an increasing feature of the marketplace. Consumers who are not aware of how price discrimination works, of what rights they hold when it comes to companies using knowledge about them, and of how to respond to these circumstances may find themselves consistently paying more than others for the same products. Database-driven price distinctions could spread as growing numbers of retailers use information consumers never knew they revealed to draw conclusions about their buying patterns that they would not have wanted."


The formal report on the survey (which is available on the APPC website at www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/) is titled "Open to Exploitation: American Shoppers Online and Offline." It warns that most Internet-using adult Americans will fall prey to marketplace manipulations even while many believe (incorrectly) that they know how to handle themselves.


The findings suggest that Americans' ignorance of key retail realities at a time of major marketplace changes leaves them open to economic abuse and emotional distress.


-- It is legal for an online store to charge different people different prices at the same time of day for the same product. 62% didn't know.


-- It is legal for an offline store to charge different people different prices at the same time of day for the same product. 74% didn't know.


-- By law, a site that compares prices on different products or services is not required to offer the lowest prices. 68% didn't know.


-- When a website has a privacy policy, it does not mean the site will protect your privacy. 75% didn't know.


-- When you give money to charity, by law that charity is allowed to sell your name to another charity even if you don't give it permission. 72% didn't know.


-- Supermarkets and drug stores are allowed to sell other companies information about what you buy. 64% didn't know.


-- A video store is not allowed to sell information about the titles that you have rented. 71% didn't know. It can, however, sell your name and address as someone who has rented from the store.


-- Your bank has a right to share information about you with the companies that it owns. 73% didn't know.


-- When you subscribe to a magazine, by law that magazine is allowed to sell your name to another company even without your permission. 52% didn't know.


-- A website is allowed to share information about you with affiliates without telling you the names of the affiliates. 49% didn't know.


-- Banks do not send their customers emails that ask them to click on a link wanting them to verify their account. 49% didn't know.


-- Companies today have the ability to follow your activity across many sites on the Web. 20% didn't know.


-- A company can tell that you have opened its email even if you don't respond. 28% didn't know.


-- Most online merchants give you the opportunity to see the information they gather about you. 47% didn't know.


-- Most online merchants do not allow you the opportunity to erase information they have gathered about you. 50% didn't know.


-- The national credit reporting agencies that can provide you a copy of your credit report are Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. 66% didn't know even one.


-- The Federal Trade Commission will not correct errors in credit reports. 76% didn't know that.


SOURCE: University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center

At age 9, girl in Pakistan is a Microsoft Certified Professional

The MCP credential is for technology professionals who have the skills to successfully implement a Microsoft product or technology as part of a business solution.

At just 9 years old, Arfa Karim Randhawa , of Faisalabad, Pakistan, is one of the youngest MCPs in the world.

She recently received her credentials from Emre Berkin, chairman of Microsoft's Europe, Middle East and Africa region, and Jawwad Rehman, Microsoft's country manager for Pakistan.

"I belong to a purely agricultural family from a rural background. My late grandfather was an unlettered scholar and had a great passion for higher education for his next generation. My father is serving with a U.N. peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. My mother is a landlady and looks after the land affairs in the absence of my father. I have two younger brothers, named Sarmad and Dawood, ages 7 and 3, respectively. Prior to me, no one in my family is in the field of IT, but I can feel that my brothers are following my footsteps very anxiously and enthusiastically. They are posing a constant challenge to my world record," says Randhawa.

06/07/05 The following unpublished number will soon be removed from our database:

585-226-1010 Avon, NY
In its place, 585-226-1151 can be used.
This will take effect sometime in the next 7-10 days

How To Diagnose and Test TCP/IP or NetBIOS Network Connections

How To Diagnose and Test TCP/IP or NetBIOS Network Connections in Windows 2000

SUMMARY
This article provides information about how to diagnose and test Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) or NetBIOS network configurations. This article also describes the use of the most common diagnostic tools along with basic network analysis techniques.

What is SpeedFan

SpeedFan is a freeware program that monitors voltages, fan speeds and temperatures in computers with hardware monitor chips. SpeedFan can even access S.M.A.R.T. info for those hard disks that support this feature and show hard disk temperatures too, if supported. SpeedFan supports SCSI disks too.

Mystery Behind Windows Registry

Mystery Behind Windows Registry

What is Registry - an introduction

Jumper Viewer

ALL CUSTOMERS ON NETWORK H

Anyone who is on network H needs to be moved to another network A.S.A.P
If your log in has an h in it please call us now so we can make the change

Example: yourusername#gct@H.56k.cc - you are on H and need to contact us now.
877 586 3538

A Review About Propel from CBS News

Only about 10 percent of Americans have signed up for a cable modem or DSL even though such broadband services greatly increase the speed of surfing the Net. Some people just don't want to spend the money -- typically between $39 and $50 a month -- while others live in an area where service isn't available.

Now there is an alternative that, though not as fast as broadband, is at least twice the speed of a standard modem. And you don't need any special lines or equipment to use it.

Installation is a breeze. I had the software installed and was enjoying the extra speed in a matter of minutes. The service works on Windows XP, 98, ME, 2000 and NT 4.0, and Mac.

Unlike many programs that claim to speed up Web surfing, this one actually works.
It does it in three ways. First, it compresses graphics and text so that they are delivered more quickly to your PC. It also caches (stores) frequently used Web pages so that they pop up almost instantaneously. Finally, while you're online, the Propel software maintains a persistent connection between your PC and the company's servers so that you don't have to re-establish a connection each time your browser makes a request.

There is nothing unusual about any of these technologies. Internet Explorer and Netscape already cache pages, and there are lots of programs out there that will compress graphics. Yet Propel is able to do these things far more intelligently because of the cooperation between the software on your machine and the company's servers.

06/01/05 Some Numbers in NC are ringing busy

Numbers affected during this ticket
704 271 2441
828 374 5441

Original Issue :-
Some Numbers in NC are ringing busy due to Bell South having an issue with a switch in the Charlotte area.
We are awaiting further updates on this issue at this time.

No ETR as of yet