On Sat, 15 Oct 2005 02:40:40 -0400, "Colin Nash [MVP]"
>"BobW" <BobW@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

>1. Cookies aren't necessarily a bad thing. Basically, they are text files
>that web sites can save on your hard drive and only that site is able to
>access the file.

We've been telling folks "cookies are just text files" for years.
And we've been lying...

"By design, it is left to the web site to determine what
information to store in a cookie and how to store it. Because
of this, a site can choose to store any information in any way
in a cookie, including HTML scripting information."

See:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec.../MS02-015.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec.../MS02-023.mspx

http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/m-063.shtml

....as per Google(cookies microsoft.com patch Internet Zone)

>2. Those shares are completely normal and are usually left alone. Only
>people who know the name and password to an "administrator"-level account on
>the system can access the C$, E$ etc drive shares

Passwords are a pathetically weak defense, especially for "services"
for which no legitimate use exists (as applies when one has a
stand-alone system, to which NO "remote admin" should gain access):
- passwords can be cracked
- malware can tail in via some already-logged-in process

> file sharing usually will not work over the Internet (especially if you
> have a firewall.) So it's a concern only if you have other systems
> on a local network.

Concerns arise if you are forced to bind File and Print Sharing to the
network adapter that leads to the Internet (e.g. one PC is Internet
Connection Sharing host, through which other PCs access the 'net via
the same LAN card used for F&PS), or if your LAN is not cable-bound
(i.e. WiFi, Bluetooth, IR, etc.)

Even if it is "only" your own LAN that uses F&PS, it's best to avoid
full-sharing any code or any part of the startup axis, so that if one
PC is infected, infection can't spread to other PCs.



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I'm baaaack!
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