How Bout The Internet

Hey, kinda understand the basics of Os's but I am still at mystery to how the internet works and all stuff related to that. How does that work in relation to how the malware gets in the system?

Read the topics about :- hosts files. To start with.

yeah i get how the hosts files work…. what else is there to know? i'm like a sponge

Did you read this one http://forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?showtopic=26908 it also explains DNS servers - and how they can both be hijacked. also check out the post by TonyKlein at here:- http://www.computercops.biz/postlite7736-.html For how people get infected.

yep that's one of the pages that i learned about the hosts file and dns about. Keep em coming

You now need to look up referances to drive by downloads and activeX Controls Try google - post some links here that you find useful for the others that are following this exploration of knowledge.

Activex controls. Reusable software components that incorporate ActiveX technology. These components can be used to add specialized functionality, such as animation or pop-up menus, to Web pages, desktop applications, and software development tools. ActiveX Controls can be written in a variety of programming languages, including C, C++, Visual Basic, and Java. An ActiveX control is one of several types of program that web sites can invoke. They serve many purposes, mostly benign. Unlike scripts and applets which are software delivered from web sites, ActiveX controls are programs that are resident on your machine. Examples are Adobe's Acrobat Reader, Macromedia's Flash movie player, and Google's search toolbar. Some web sites use ActiveX to deliver irritating content. And since there is, in theory, no limit to what these native programs can do on your machine, they have the potential to expose your machine to substantial security risks. PopUpCop can be made to disable them, but use this switch with caution; turning ActiveX controls off may prevent some web sites from working properly and disables Flash movies Tell me if this is right activex is the evolution of com->dcom->active x through the different operating systems. And if that is so, why is dcom always enabled on startup? Isnt it just an unneded vulnerability? (My knowledge on this is kinda skecthy. I think that's right) active x is shown by hjt as 016's right?

drive by downloading: "I discovered last week that a Trojan Horse was installed in my computer through a technique called drive-by downloading. The term "drive-by downloading" refers to downloading of executable code just by visiting webpages. Actually, it wasn't so simple; the offending webpage uses a social engineering technique that asks an obvious question to stimulate the user into clicking on the webpage, thereby causing a download to occur. In my case, the popup was asking an obvious question, such as who is the most popular singer or is the first lady of the country, and presenting a list of three answers, only one of which was obvious." I'm thinking that drive by downloading is a way for people to install stuff on your computer without knowing it. By clicking on certain links, you can download stuff without your internet browser inform you of it. Also, I've found that if your security settings are on low, you can unwillingly download stuff just by moving your mouse over a link/advertizement. You dont even have to click it. Now that's crazy

Nice - but do not just quote - A link to some articles would help others too. ActiveX is not activated automatically in other browsers - only IE. The authors of the other browsers KNOW how vulnerable that makes the browser to hijacks.

Drive-by Download A drive-by download is a program that is automatically downloaded to your computer, often without your consent or even your knowledge. Unlike a pop-up download, which asks for assent (albeit in a calculated manner likely to lead to a "yes"), a drive-by download is carried out invisibly to the user: it can be initiated by simply visiting a Web site or viewing an HTML e-mail message. Frequently, a drive-by download is installed along with another application. For example, a file sharing program might include downloads for a spyware program that tracks and reports user information for targeted marketing purposes, and an adware program that generates pop-up advertisements using that information. If your computer's security settings are lax, it may be possible for drive-by downloads to occur without any action on your part. Extract from an article Here Bob

what else makes the internet tick?

HTML coding - and lots else - not much that we can teach here - they are aall big subjects - and a little out of our expertise.

The internet in itself is a mind boggling thing. It's so simple yet so complex. When you get a foundation of basic networking it becomes a bit clearer, take that and apply it on a monster scale and you have the internet… over simplified but I find it's easier to comprehend things if taken in small pieces. I built championship stock car engines several years ago. The engine on the whole is a incomprehensable device, yet break it down and it becomes clear its just a bunch of "simple machines" all working together… everything man makes is nothing more than the basic machines, (I believe there are seven…. its been ages) to have a look at the most complex thing most people will ever see pull the cover from a old vcr (unplugged of course) they are truely amazing to look at, yet in its basic components so simple. There is a book called just that and it explains things in that manner. Helped me realize that as a fully certified auto mechanic, I could fix ANYTHING if I took the time to realize that the refrigerator I was looking at is EXACTLY the same as the air conditioner in a car…. Bing the old ford light bulb lit up and since then it's all so increadably simple you just wouldn't believe it. Just don't be overwhelmed by the inital observation…. thats where many go wrong and think I cant… "I can't" will poison you, think I can and you open new horizons… * I hope I haven't killed anyone from bordom… I tend to prattle on at times

You're asking good questions, wng_z3r0 In this thread and others…keep it up Have you spent any time in the Tutorials over at Bleeping Computer yet? There are several that speak to the internet (see entries for 'Basic Internet Concepts' and 'Intermediate Internet Concepts'). http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/tutorials.html There are also a number of very good tutorials on security and other subjects that are relevant to anti-malware work. daveai

thanks for the link