Tom,
I have my wireless router set up to only communicate with my laptop by
using 128 bit encryption. That might also be an option on yours. I could
also configure it to only communicate with the MAC address that is
associated with my laptop's wireless card. It's a new Belkin pre-N version,
it's advertised as having 8 times the range and 6 times the speed of the "G"
version.
Paul

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Dec 2004 07:53:59 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
news:1102336618.09d33faec01ccec4b377cac6c4f8bed9 @teranews...


I believe our friend Tom frequents places he shouldn't...and picks up
doses of things polite folks don't mention in public!

This past summer I had a new laptop on the Navigator. I bought it because
it had a built in WiFi setup and the marina had WiFi service.

Within a month, I picked up some kind of worm, bug, virus, disease or
whatever that affected the search engines. Once in a while, instead of
displaying the results of my search, it would direct the computer to a
porn
site. I really have no interest in these sites and had never purposely
visited any, but somehow the computer became infected with something.

Since then, I've learned more about WiFi service and it seems you have to
be
very careful. Other people can apparently piggy-back on your computer to
gain access to the Internet.

Since switching to Firefox on that computer, I have had no further
problems. That reminds me. I've got to download Firefox and Thunderbird
and
install them on this laptop.

And that's another whole subject. I have a wireless router and I keep
the firewall off because of the XP firewall and a specific firewall to
the computer - but...

There are several wireless computers surrounding the homestead in
other homes and I have been infected several times via that route. I
now keep the wireless portion of the router off until I need it.

Even then, I keep a Spy Eye running in the background to make sure
nobody is piggy backing on me.

Later,

Tom

On Mon, 6 Dec 2004 16:47:30 -0500, "Paul Schilter"
paulschilter@comcast dot net wrote:

Tom,
I have my wireless router set up to only communicate with my laptop by
using 128 bit encryption. That might also be an option on yours. I could
also configure it to only communicate with the MAC address that is
associated with my laptop's wireless card. It's a new Belkin pre-N version,
it's advertised as having 8 times the range and 6 times the speed of the "G"
version.
Paul

Yeah - I hear you. Mine is a little old and running under the old B
standard I think.

Maybe it's time to upgrade. :)

Later,

Tom

On Mon, 6 Dec 2004 08:39:06 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
.. .


And that's another whole subject. I have a wireless router and I keep
the firewall off because of the XP firewall and a specific firewall to
the computer - but...

There are several wireless computers surrounding the homestead in
other homes and I have been infected several times via that route. I
now keep the wireless portion of the router off until I need it.

Even then, I keep a Spy Eye running in the background to make sure
nobody is piggy backing on me.

Later,

Tom


You know what is strange? I've been using computers and accessing the
Internet for years. I've never used any kind of virus protection software.
I tried Spyware once because it was free and I was curious, but it screwed
up the computer, so I uninstalled it. Other than the WiFi thing I mentioned
and one other worm that I got on this computer last winter that I easily
removed, I've never had any problems with getting a serious virus or other
malady.

My wife, on the other hand, has been through several computers and many,
many crashes, burns, virus infections, worms etc. It seems every other
month her computer needs to be disinfected. She uses Norton, keeps it
updated but still whatever computer she has, it eventually gets messed up.

We were talking about it one day and determined that I use my computer very
differently than she. Hers is on a cable connection and she leaves it
connected 24 hours a day. I always disconnect after every use. Also,
unlike she, when using Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, I never leave
the former open when checking mail or the newsgroups on OE. The only time I
open Internet Explorer is to quickly read news, search for something or do
whatever I need it for, then immediately close it.

I don't know enough about computers to be 100% convinced that my habits make
a difference, but I know I don't seem to have the problems she and others
have, even when they are using current anti-virus software.

Eisboch

If she's on a cable connection without a firewall, I'm surprised she
lasts a week.

John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes

On Mon, 6 Dec 2004 07:53:59 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:

Since then, I've learned more about WiFi service and it seems you have to be
very careful. Other people can apparently piggy-back on your computer to
gain access to the Internet.

================================

Basically you are making your WiFi laptop part of a large and very
insecure LAN (Local Area Network). If you have default sharing
options turned on and do not have a firewall, your computer is as good
as naked on main street. Just about anyone in the world can have
their way with it, and they will. I recommend ZoneAlarm Pro as a
good, reasonably priced firewall product. It takes a little practice
and head scratching to learn how to configure it, but is worth the
effort. One of my unprotected laptops caught a worm/virus within 15
minutes of dialing up a new internet service last summer. It didn't
even come in via EMAIL.

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 13:12:13 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

There are several wireless computers surrounding the homestead in
other homes and I have been infected several times via that route. I
now keep the wireless portion of the router off until I need it.

======================================

Learn how to set the security options on your wireless LAN. That will
stop most of the mischief. You still need a good firewall however.

On Mon, 6 Dec 2004 08:39:06 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:

My wife, on the other hand, has been through several computers and many,
many crashes, burns, virus infections, worms etc. It seems every other
month her computer needs to be disinfected. She uses Norton, keeps it
updated but still whatever computer she has, it eventually gets messed up.

=======================

Norton is not enough these days. You also need a good firewall and
spyware chaser.

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 14:43:13 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

Not at your age.

That's true enough. :)

==========================

Age is good when you consider the alternatives. It's sort of in the
same category as paying a lot of income tax.

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 19:55:08 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 14:43:13 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

Not at your age.

That's true enough. :)

==========================

Age is good when you consider the alternatives. It's sort of in the
same category as paying a lot of income tax.

Then I would prefer to be much younger.

Later,

Tom

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Dec 2004 08:39:06 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:

My wife, on the other hand, has been through several computers and many,
many crashes, burns, virus infections, worms etc. It seems every other
month her computer needs to be disinfected. She uses Norton, keeps it
updated but still whatever computer she has, it eventually gets messed
up.

=======================

Norton is not enough these days. You also need a good firewall and
spyware chaser.


Wayne, thanks for the inputs and advice. It's amazing that some form of
random encryption can't be devised and used on computer to Internet
interfaces, rather than having to rely on increasingly complex but quickly
obsolete detection programs. The military and major corporations have had
secure communications systems for years (although perhaps not via the
Internet) and they are reliable and foolproof.

Eisboch

On Mon, 6 Dec 2004 20:05:47 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:

The military and major corporations have had
secure communications systems for years (although perhaps not via the
Internet) and they are reliable and foolproof.

===========================================

The appeal of the internet, and its curse, lies in universal
connectivity. If your PC has an IP address when you are connected,
anyone else with an IP can reach out and bonk you. The firewall is
there to decide friend or foe.