Detection Tools Clean Up a Dirty Computer
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
I thought that different filters used to detect porn were something reserved for public computers. At home, if you didn’t partake in looking at websites related to adult material, you were pretty safe. I thought programs and filters available for a home computer were for either detecting a spouse with wandering eyes, or were a way for people who viewed the website regularly to just be able to point out that it can be accidental. A similar logic to people who “didn’t know how that magazine got under the bed.”
However, I have discovered over time that it is simply not true. There are situations where an unassuming individual who does not deliberately view such sites may still need a filter. There are individuals or bots that sign up for accounts on social networking sites, such as Myspace and Twitter, and send you a message. It us typically about something related to a keyword in your profile, or they ask you to check out a photo of a pet, for example. They may include a signature link, or a direct request to check out a website that is related to what you do.
Unfortunately, they mask the website url by using one of the websites that shorten long links. Instead of sending you a link to something of interest to you, they send you to a site that contains adult material. In other words, you are the unassuming person who falls into their trap. Often, it is good enough to click off of the site. Other times, such sites use secondary attacks such as spyware. It is not unheard of for such sites to imbed images on your computer or to trick you into downloading them. Some such sites manage to create a pop up that looks like a windows “My Computer” or “Windows Explorer” interface and makes it appear that the material is already in your picture file! Naturally, you click it to see if it is true.
These days, you really need both a filter and a detection tool. SurfRecon has such a package, and has tools for MacIntosh and Linux based computers, as well as for Windows based operating systems. It will filter data that is streaming to your computer, as well as detect files that are already there. Sometimes savvy coworkers or housemates can disable a filter, so the detection software is a great backup. Also, if you happen to purchase a second hand computer, like I recently did, it will eliminate any surprises.
