PRIVACY ALERT!!

By B. A. Ware

KEYSTROKE RECORDERS IN THE WORKPLACE

STOP before you lose control of your data body! Your boss may be recording your every keystroke! Employers own the computers that you use at work and have the right to read your email, monitor every program that you run and log every website that you visit while using their systems.

If you work in an office, whether it be a large corporation or a small office, you are subject to monitoring and should be aware of your company's policy on worker monitoring, and the methods and degree. It is not only important to read the company policy, it is essential to know what means are being used to watch you and record your activities, which may or may not be disclosed.

What you can do? Find out what programs your boss runs and to what degree your computer usage is logged. Beware if your boss uses a "keystroke recorder." Keystroke recorders literally record every key that you type on your keyboard, including the DELETE key--the whole sequence, from typing to the deletion, can be played back as if you were doing it again, keystroke by keystroke! Your company memos, email to your colleagues, even your PASSWORDS! Your entire "session" can be played back, reproducing and creating a report of your every move!

If a keystroke recorder is in use at your workplace, NEVER USE YOUR PASSWORDS TO YOUR PERSONAL EMAIL OR ENCRYPTION KEYS! If you do, you risk compromising the integrity of your own personal security and privacy. No amount of encryption can protect you from a keystroke recorder, nor can the deletion of files, even if they are securely erased!

KNOW YOUR ISP!!

Internet Service Provider (ISP) Earthlink is owned by the notorious NET CENSOR and masters of co-optation, the Church of Scientology (Co$). During 1999, in its quest to acquire greater market share (mindshare) in the ISP market, Earthlink/Co$ took over the service provider Mindspring. If you are a subscriber to either Earthlink or Mindspring, be advised that you are supporting the Co$ with your money and may be subject to their censorship policies and invasions of your privacy.

ACTIVIST ALERT!!

Well-known progressive ISP IGC/ PeaceNet, in an effort to downsize its operations and reduce infrastructure costs, outsourced much of its internet services, including dialup access and web hosting, to Mindspring in 1999, shortly before Mindspring was taken over by Earthlink/Co$.

Mindspring has now inherited nearly all of IGC/PeaceNet's members, many of whom are unaware that they have been captured by the Co$!!! If you are a subscriber to IGC/PeaceNet or Earthlink-Mindspring-Co$ you should seriously consider changing to another ISP! If you are in the New York area, you may consider moving your dial up access to an independent ISP in your area!!!

INVISIBLE DIRTY TROJAN

An electronic surveillance tool known as D.I.R.T (Data Interception by Remote Transmission) that is undetectable by current virus scanners has recently been released as a tool for "law enforcement" to remotely and secretly monitor a subject's computer.

D.I.R.T. affects computers running Micro$oft Windows (including 95, 98, 2000 and NT) and can use all available internet protocols to send out information from the target machine to a remote location. Its capabilities include surreptitious keystroke logging, stealth transmission of captured data, remote screen capture, and selective file deletion.

D.I.R.T. is a "worm" or "trojan horse" that can be introduced into a computer running M$ Windows operating system either remotely over the internet, or by other programs infected with D.I.R.T., or embedded in the autorun feature of a CD-ROM. Once D.I.R.T. copies itself onto a target hard drive, it works invisibly to capture keystrokes, screenshots, and scan files for contents. Once it has what it is programmed to retrieve, it transmits the collected information to a predetermined internet address that is monitored and decoded by the D.I.R.T. Command Center Software. Planting D.I.R.T. on a subject's computer does not require physical access to the subject's computer.

Detection of D.I.R.T. surveillance on a computer requires a fair amount of skill and knowledge of networking, and some readily available tools for monitoring networks. Tools such as portscanners and packet sniffers can reveal any suspicious network activity from D.I.R.T that may come from an infiltrated computer. If it is suspected that D.I.R.T. is on a machine, it is important to monitor the network load and use a packer sniffer to audit all traffic to and from the suspect host. There is no easy way to detect whether a computer has been infiltrated with D.I.R.T., so it is advised to be extremely aware of your computer at all times, especially when using the internet. To prevent infection from CD-ROMS, turn OFF the "autorun" on the computer's CD-ROM drive.

No amount of encryption in the world can save you from D.I.R.T. since D.I.R.T. records your KEYSTROKES and will capture your passphrase and everything else you type on your keyboard (and will likely capture voice commands as well on systems with voice recognition).

So far, D.I.R.T. only affects computers running Micro$oft operating systems, and is presently not known to affect MacOS, UNIX, Linux, BSD, or other varieties of UNIX operating systems. D.I.R.T. is produced by Codex Data Systems, Inc. of Bardonia, New York -- http://www.codexdatasystems.com.

MICRO$OFT AND NSA CONSPIRE TO SPY ON THE WORLD!

French intelligence agency DAS (Strategic Affairs Delegation) recently accused the US National Security Agency (NSA) of working with computer giant Micro$oft to develop software that enables the US spooks to spy on global communications.

A report, written by a senior officer at the DAS, claims that agents from the NSA helped install secret programs into Micro$oft software that is in use in 90 per cent of computers around the world. According to the report, a "strong suspicion" of the lack of security in Micro$oft software and operating systems was aroused by rumor of spy programs built into Micro$oft products, and by the presence of NSA personnel on Micro$oft development teams.

The NSA, once known as "No Such Agency", is tasked with monitoring communications and with "SIGINT" (Signals Intelligence) and providing intelligence info to the US Department of Defense and other US intelligence agencies. The NSA is also suspected of operating "Project Echelon" a global surveillance system that intercepts and monitors all telecommunications and internet traffic. According to the report, "it would seem that the creation of Micro$oft was largely supported, not least financially, by the NSA, and that IBM was made to accept the (Microsoft) MS-DOS operating system by the same administration." The report also claimed that the Pentagon was Micro$oft's largest client.

CONGRESS TO PASS E-MAIL SURCHARGES?

By Roy G. Biv

CNN reports that Congress is preparing to vote on allowing telephone companies to CHARGE A TOLL FEE for internet access. Translation: Every time we send long distance e-mail we will receive a long distance charge. This will get costly.

There is also proposed legislation under which the U.S. Postal Service will be attempting to bilk email users through "alternate postage fees." Bill 602P would allow the federal government to charge a 5 cent surcharge on every email delivered, by billing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) at the source. The consumer would then be billed in turn by the ISP. This would be money paid directly to the U.S. Postal Service for a service they do not even provide.

Congressman Tony Schnell has even suggested a "twenty to forty dollar per month surcharge on all internet service" above and beyond the government's proposed email charges.

Most of the major newspapers have ignored this story, the only exception being the Washingtonian, which called the idea of email surcharge "a useful concept who's time has come" (March 6, 1999 editorial.) Don't sit by and watch your freedoms erode away!

The following web site will allow you to send an e-mail on the subjects of telephone and postal surcharges for your e-mails and file complaints DIRECTLY to your Congressperson: http://www.house.gov/writerep.