Tinfoil Hat Alert! Viruses Everywhere! Frontrunning Dems $$$'s /Internet?

[KoKo]

For some reason my browser won't let me post long subject lines, but here's my post.

Of all the :tinfoilhat: stuff I've seen on DU (some of which has been proven correct, btw) I've not seen any posts about all these intenet viruses coming out just now...as being a threat to Democratic Candidates..

Why now? Why so many......And, I've been on internet much less time than many of you....only since '96, but in the last three weeks I've gotten over 200 virus alerts from my e-mails. Very few people have my e-mail address that I'm getting these alerts on.....and I keep my Norton totally "up-to-date," so havent' been "infected" but OMG is it a nuisance quarentining and deleting all these alerts.

Anyway........with Dean and Kuchinich and Move On. Org. and other Liberal Dem Sites getting so much attention these days from the media as far as the Iraq Invasion and Campaign Contributions go......I started to wonder if all this isn't some sort of "thing" to intimidate the "novice" internet user from being on line and staying involved.

For you "Techies" who have been "online" for years and years and know all about computers this wouldn't bother any of you. But, according to Will Pitt the folks he's seeing on his "book tour" are oldies.

Oldies are folks who buy a computer, take it out of box, plug in the color coded connections from Compaq/HP and get online with AOL. They don't always know about updating the virus software included in their "package" and get intimidated by all these "hacker/virus" alerts.....and yet ........they are probably donating and trying to become very involved with candidates.

What if all this is designed to get rid of folks who are "connecting with other Dems" on the internet because they have kids or grandkids or whatever and felt the need to get "online," but have now migrated to the Political Forums because they are so fed up and sick of Bush?

What if this scares them off...........What if it's even designed by Repugs to throw us all off the internet.....and leave it to the "Business Folks?"

What better way to intimidate novice and even "home users" who aren't novice than by constant virus alerts and scare tactics of threats of violating your computer?

Any thoughts about this out there? Questions?? Is Asscroft/Bush/Rove trying to SHUT DOWN THE INTERNET??? INTIMIDATE US TO GET OFF IN FRUSTRATION??

[Pobeka]

1. Well, I don't think it's a deliberate attempt by the repubs

But you are right, it is a threat to those unfamiliar with the ways of the internet.

Step 1 -- Use netscape. Step 2. Turn off any javascript for email (you can easily do this under the preferences.

Netscape is not as seamlessly integrated to windows, but in this case that's a great benefit. Thus my avatar :-)

[KoKo]

2. Pobeka, many thanks, but I'm not one of the internet Oldies who doesn't

know this, LOL's.... My point was to intimidate the oldies and youngies who are "home users" from using their computer to donate or even to keep "browsing around."

I know many business users who've had big problems....maybe they'e downsized their IT folks or whatever but they are having to delte all these viruses and it's a nuisance.

Could this be an attempt to "intimidate the Internet User?"

[KoKo]

16. BTW......I do use Netscape (4.07 and 7.1) and have turned off JavaScript

in my E-mails......

This is totally new.......and I don't give my address out to but maybe 5 trusted people......but am getting swamped with virus problems. Yes.....I know, that one of those five folks could have an "infected address book," but the overwhelming amount of "klez/SoBig" virus infected e-mails which my Norton catches is a BIG FIRST for me.........and I've been online (as a totaly novice at first) since 1996. In the early years I didn't "update my virus protection" and never got one virus alert or had my computer crash or wipe out a hard drive.

Only the last month have I had all these virus attacks. My computer works fine ........thanks to Norton....but what about the other folks?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. My donation went right through....

Nary a trace of tinfoil, either.

[MrPrax]

4. Many GOOD browsers on the market

There is firebird (google it) former of the Mozilla set
And of course...Opera !!!
All are very good and all have 'controls' unheard of to Windoze users...
apparantly...
Also many good OSs out there...you got a box...experiment

[LTR]

5. I use Avant Browser

It's IE-based, with some Opera concepts.

But it allows turning off Active X, scripts and Java, which are great for browsing this board (it otherwise gets really slow).

A good, adjustable version of IE. Highly recommended.

[cosmicdot]

6. with these people anything is possible

I'm having problems on mine ... they know where to target ... if they'll rig voting machines, sabotage elections, etc. Because someone's donation goes in now, doesn't mean it will later. I'm convince they have blood on their hands. A grid downtime on election day would be too convenient.

I'm baffled by the massive increase in spam ... the sharp increase is suspicious to me ... once in awhile I might have gotten spam ... it seemed the increase spam traffic changed quickly ...

Keep these ideas out there ... there's nothing tinfoil about it. I think there needs to be a naivety hat.

These people are ruthless scoundrels ... the good ol'boys use abuse in preservation of their power. I've experienced it first hand ... and, perhaps, there, when one hasn't directly experienced it ... it, therefore, doesn't exist ... baloney

[KoKo]

7. Are the viruses being sent out by Right Wing Repug Hackers? Disrupting....

to keep us Democratic Activists from contacting each other. From Organizing with each other.

Since the reports of Move On.orgs. Candidate Primary, plus the reports of how much money Dean has raised and how much support he's gained from the internet groups are all over the place now.......it seems to me the internet is now viewed as a threat to the Repugs.

When the Repugs see a threat........they attack it and try to shut it down.

[TacticalPeek]

8. I would never overestimate the honor and integrity of slimey freepers.

n/t

[Generic Other]

9. How come some DUers put cookies on us when we read their posts?

I have been curious about that. Why are they monitoring us?

[KoKo]

15. The Cookies probably come from the "Linked Sites" that Du'ers give. WP is

big offender in cookies......and there are other online newspapers and sites which plant "cookies" for the priviledge of reading their articles online instead of paying to subscribe to their magazines or newspapers.

I don't have a problem with that........I can't expect these Media outlet to let me read for "FREE" .......why should I . That I have to read ads or accept Cookies doesn't bother me with that.

And, I've noticed that DU has had some "Pop Up Ads." I'm okay with that also. We can't expect these people to provide a service to us as if we are "charity cases" can we?

[sandnsea]

10. Red Alert & my tinfoil hat

It came out a month or so before 9/11. Now we have So Big. That concerns me much more than the idea that this is connected to Ashcroft. Although nothing really would surprise me anymore.

[KoKo]

11. Kick, Kick

:kick: I think this needs to be seen.....

[nextbillgates]

12. Not quite tinfoil material

Large businesses (read: big Republican spenders) are affected just as much as home users, so I don't see the logic in the VRWC unleashing a virus torrent.

MSBlaster was the first of several worms to exploit a new MS vulnerability, and the other viruses are just Ye Olde Outlook viruses that rely on social engineering to spread, which never fails.

I highly doubt this is a neo-con plot.

[Abaques]

13. Actually large businesses are affected alot more.

And you're right, this is no neo-con plot. It is most likely some lonely, lonely man who decided that he didn't like the world.

[KoKo]

17. This lonely man who "doesn't like the world" could be a Paid Operative?

I don't know about that........there are alot of lonely men and women with hacker skills......why now? why so much emphasis on virus after virus in the month of August? And, why so much successs....

Lonely man....woman.......sitting in front of computer with nothing better to do......ugh......seems like something from a 1950's novel........(this person would be a little "too clueless),.bu,t who knows......my senses are telling me otherwise....but whatever.......

[KoKo]

14. Okay.....then Why Now? Why so many "Alerts" for Virus attacks....and the

underlying information....disinformation that "Oh just get the latest Microsoft Patch and you will be Okay!"

Then we are cautioned that "Microsoft Patches" might have a "window...or open door" which allows the virus in? And why have I who have been on the internet since '96 and keep my anti-virus totally up-to-date" have had well over 200 virus attackswith everything from the "old KlezVirus" to the new "SoBig" virus. My Norton has successfully stopped these viruses but the time I take hitting quarentine.....is overwhelming.

All of a sudden in the last month? And, I am a "Move On.org member and have given to Dean/Kucinich/DU over the internet? The pattern is very odd to me.

You don't believe in Repuglican Hackers? No one in the Repug Organization would fund a hacker or hackers to corrupt peoples computers????????Really......there's nothing here....just move along? :shrug:

[nextbillgates]

18. It's practically impossible to target individuals in this manner

Once a virus is unleashed, it doesn't care whether your a Democrat, Green, or other leftie. It will directly affect those who allow themselves to be infected, and indirectly affects everyone by sucking up internet bandwidth.

If DU, Bartcop, etc. were cracked into, then yeah, I'd suspect neo-con involvement. However, I don't see any gain at all by releasing viruses.

[disgruntella]

19. yep, there is nothing here. move along.

It's one of many publicized flaws in Microsoft software. Malicious hackers like to exploit these flaws, especially if it's easy to do so. This time they did a very, very good job of it. I've been online about as long as you have, and it is the worst attack I've seen (since ILOVEYOU, which hit my ex-campus hard)

Plus, it targets all Microsoft users. It's an apolitical virus. The freepers in my office got it too!

Honest... there's plenty to worry about the Republican agenda, but this isn't part of it

B-)

Edit: bad wording

[KoKo]

20. disgruntella.......But, what if it is? How do we know for sure it isn't a

RW Hacker paid by Rove and Dirty Tricksters to do this?

And, why do folks here feel this is beyond the realm of possibility?

[disgruntella]

22. because i work with computers

I have been a system administrator and programmer for 5 years. The virus hit a wide swath of computer users, including many freeper clients and co-workers. The virus targeted a Microsoft flaw, not a segment of the population. That is why I think your theory is beyond the realm of possibility. I really do.

If you are asking *could* republicans do some sort of "political virus attack" targeting democrats, I don't have an answer. If Dean's web site were hacked, that would be one thing. But really, I think there's enough troubling stuff about the Bush/Cheney/Republican agenda to worry about without wondering about this virus.

(edit: bad grammar!)

[KoKo]

23. Your point is taken........why target everyone....But why not target every

one......is what I'm asking. How much better to cover oneself? I know....I said it was :tinfoilhat:......but I wouldn't put anything past these folks.

They don't care about you or I or about business from a practical point of view......they care about winning and to do that they need to instill fear in the population.

The figured odds of LARGE Companies not having complicated and secure virus protections systems to thwart these viruses is so low......that they know it will only be a nuisance to those "Big Corporate Guys."

The smaller businesses and home users are just "Collateral Damage" to them........I know ......sounds far fetched.....but it's also possible?????? It just fits into their "gameplane" so well.......CHAOS!

[Capn Sunshine]

24. OT-- I LOVE your Screen name :)

[Capn Sunshine]

21. Tinfoil is useful

Never forget that, no matter how "logical" you may deem yourself to be.

Like mysterious new human viruses that seem to run rampant and then disappear around the world, it is not illogical to see these as experiments in delivery et al.

Party on, Garth :scared:

[Jackpine Radical]

25. OK-so maybe it's a Repig plot to attack ALL users,

left, center or FReeper. Bush doesn't need the Internet. He's got huge corporate donors & the whole of the Establishment media.

People like Dean--and us--need the Internet, both as a way of staying informed about what's REALLY going on and as a way of soliciting & sending contributions. So any attack that damages the functionality of the net works to Bush's advantage, even without political targeting.

[nolabels]

26. Besides they prey on people that are uninformed, ignorant and .......

un-curious people. That is their core constituency, and with out fear to use on an un-knowing public, they would be a very minor third party just about now. One of their biggest tricks is convincing people that once they step over some certain step or threshold that they can never go back and try something different if it didn't work out