Terry's Computer Tips - Newsletter
October 8, 2006

Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter
http://www.terryscomputertips.com
A computer tips newsletter for users of PC's.

Volume 2, Number 17 — Sunday, October 8, 2006

Part 1  | Part 2  | Part 3 | Part 4

IN THIS WEEK'S ON-LINE ISSUE:
   1.   To Active-X or Not to Active-X?
   2.   Updates Last Week
   3.   Add or Remove Programs
   4.   Compacting Email Folders
   5.   Speed Bump
   6.   My Computer Security Software Recommendations
   7.   OpenOffice
   8.   Recommend my Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter to Your Friends

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1.  To Active-X or Not to Active-X?

This week I received a question from subscriber and friend Ralph Campbell, who asked:

A number of times I have seen you refer disparagingly of "Active-x controls".
I have seen downloads that require Active X to run properly. I have read the definition of the program, but, I guess I am just dense. What is this thing, and why do you consider it so insidious?
Admittedly, I'm technical-challenged, but can this program be explained?
What does one do as an alternative, if the program you want to download, requires Active-X to run?
Ralph Campbell

Active-X controls are downloadable programs that have full capabilities to do anything on your computer. I'm not sure why Microsoft chose such the innocuous word "control" for a program that had no security constraints imposed upon it.

Microsoft came up with this no-security idea back when they looked at the Internet through MSN-colored glasses shaped like butterflies. Unfortunately, the Internet is not a friendly place, so the idea of Internet Explorer downloading, installing, and running a program — just because you went to a web site — was so foolish as to be clueless.

And, yet, that's where Internet Explorer users have been until Windows XP Service Pack 2. Of course, anyone running I.E. on Win98, WinMe, Windows 2000 or even XP SP1, still has the same problem — automatic downloading of a program from a web site, just because you went there.

That's the way many of the adware, spywarae and trojans get into computers. Usually, the first thing downloaded and installed is a "downloader" that calls home and downloads everything else the slime wanted to give you.

My first choice to solve the problem, which avoids the problem completely, is to use Firefox or Opera for web surfing except for Microsoft's own site.

Although I don't like to do it, sometimes I'll use Internet Explorer to visit a site other than Microsoft's. If I happen to hit a site that wants download an Active-X program (and unfortunately, some Google Adsense ads want to do Active-X if you're using I.E.) with Internet Explorer 6 and XP SP2, my choice is "No!" to the Active-X installer.

Then, if the site doesn't work properly, I just close IE and then open it and go back to the site. This time, if you really trust the site, you can say yes.

The real issue is that, unlike Java and JavaScript (and IE's implementation of JavaScript called ActiveScript), Active-X controls (programs) do not run within any significant security constraints. If they wanted to, they could AND SOME DO log keystrokes and send them elsewhere. Or, they could format your drive. Or, they could delete or change files — specific ones or at random.

One of the more "effective" scams last year involved people in Brazil. They visited a web site, the Active-X control added an entry to their Windows "Hosts" file, which is a way to predefine the IP address for a site -- and then I.E. won't even try to check the real Domain Name Servers. The result, a lot of people heading to a large Brazilian bank ended up at a fake, entered their ID and password, and were told "come back later." Unfortunately, later they back account was empty.

Too much capability + too much automation + too much "user-friendliness" = huge security hole That is, Active-X.

Use Firefox. Use Opera. Only use IE at microsoft.com. You'll be a lot happier in the long run.

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2.  Updates Last Week

Microsoft (operating systems, email, web browser, office suites):
None. Microsoft releases almost all updates once per month, on the second Tuesday. The next scheduled Patch Tuesday is October 9.

Firefox (web browser, http://www.mozilla.com, free):
No update last week. Firefox v1.5.0.7 was released on September 15th.

Opera (web browser, http://www.opera.com, free):
No update last week. Current version 9.02 was released during late September.

Netscape (web browser, http://browser.netscape.com, free):
No update this week. Version 8.1.2 was released during the week ending September 30.

SeaMonkey (web browser, email, HTML editor, newsreader; http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey; free): No update this week. Current version 1.0.5 was released on September 14th.

Eudora (email, http://www.eudora.com, options: paid, sponsored or free/lite):
No update last week. Current version 7.0.1.0, released 12/21/05.

Mozilla Thunderbird (email, http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird, free):
No update last week. Thunderbird version 1.5.0.7 was released September 14th.

OpenOffice (office suite — spreadsheet, word processor, presentations, graphics, web design; http://www.openoffice.org; free):
No update last week. Version 2.03 was released during late June.

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Part 1  | Part 2  | Part 3 | Part 4

Volume 2, Number 17 — Sunday, October 8, 2006

Copyright © 2006 Terry A. Stockdale.  All rights reserved.