Subj : Browser Scareware
To   : Daryl Stout
From : Barry Martin
Date : Sun Dec 04 2022 07:06:00


Hi Daryl!

 BM> Smart Move #1!
 DS>   You'd be surprised how many people fall for that ruse/scam.

Yes - the initial thought is to take the helpful link presented: after 
all, the computer is so smart, right?!


 BM> I'm not so sure AdBlock Plus is all that good: when I first started
 BM> using it a few years back it did a good job and then as time continued
 BM> it seemed ot be allowing through more ads.  Read where it now has a
 BM> list of 'approved' (read: 'paid') ad it will let through.  A few months
 BM> ago I switch to uBlock and things have quited down again.

 DS>   I may try that...although I decided to zap the YouTube video
 DS> folder, and removed the ad blocker for it...as it wasn't doing
 DS> it's job. I know they have to pay the costs, but for a 2 minute
 DS> video, with a 90 second ad, it's not worth watching. Yet, many
 DS> websites (like Fox News) won't let you view the site at all,
 DS> unless you disable or delete the Ad Blocker. If I want to look at
 DS> videos or ads, I'll click on it myself...I don't like to be
 DS> forced to view it.

I've found one can sometimes use Private/Incognito Mode: sometimes skips
as not recognizing the device (no prior cookie) or have to wait a few 
seconds and then can click 'skip ad'.

As for the costs, agree they have them and so need to be financed some 
how.  Less might be more: five second ad at the beginning isn't 
intolerable.  (The 'coming attractions' pop-ups at the very end of video
are sometimes more annoying as the block what I'm trying to watch.)


 BM> The spammers are persistent!  They could have created a delay payload:
 BM> load it months ago and let it sit idle until now.
 DS>   With Synchronet, I look into the FTP and Email session monitor
 DS> for any possible hack attempts, or they tried to use a TLS option
 DS> that's not secure. In that case, I block the IP address. Now,
 DS> many of these bots repeatedly slam the telnet port, but I have
 DS> the maximum concurrent IP connections set to 1. Now, if it
 DS> detects the first connect as a legitimate BBS logon, that does
 DS> NOT count against that total...such as if a husband and wife from
 DS> the same IP, are logging on to the BBS at the same time. In that
 DS> case, that IP address is allowed in.
 
Good.  I've found the telephone spammers will use different numbers  -- 
half-wonder if two different spam groups or the same one,



 
                         ¯    BarryMartin3@    ®
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