I was reading about "fish tank water" and got a pop up selling
a method I'd
rather not describe. Has anyone else experienced this. The
spam is bad but
if this is the new thing then my participation on the web is
over.
Let me know.
Rgds,
Scott Clark

You need to start practicing "safe computing." ;-)

The pops were NOT a part of the IBC. Nor, I suspect were they a
product of the originator of that message, though I suppose it is
possible.

News groups are a more "dangerous" method of reading material on
the web than mailing lists. They are open to everyone -- which
is very democratic, but offers the unscrupulous many ways into
your computer.

The IBC is accessible via news group AND mailing list (same
messages).

Mailing lists require a subscription, and while I do not have the
list set up to require my personal approval of each subscription
I DO require the subscriber to verify his subscription. MOST
spammers, etc. don't do this. I also have the list set up in a
way that does not allow attachments (which would include the
popups, or viruses), something that I cannot do for the NG.
Folks on the mailing list didn't get any popups from the "fish
tank water" post. I also "watch" new subscribers for a while,
and can (and have) zapped the very few that misbehave.

The popup MAY not have had anything to do with your use of the
news group. The most common way to "catch" these is to visit an
unscrupulous web site that is filled with tons of bells and
whistles ("dancing bears, etc.), including ads. These folks
often -- VERY often -- will plant things on your computer that
can come back to haunt you.

Go to www.lavasoft.nu and download a copy of Ad Aware and its
latest data file, then scan your computer and see how many
nasties of this type it finds. Then clean them away.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL -- Bonsai List
manager

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