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Pastimes : Computer Learning -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jw who wrote (8829)	3/21/2000 1:46:00 PM
From: mr.mark	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110626

re #reply-13214968 this from 2000-Mar-20 LangaList ... "Is The "Sixth Security Layer" Useless? You folks are great! Each week, I'm awed by your collective knowledge, which many of you share in email or in the chat areas associated with some of the columns I write. For example, the current column on the WinMag site ("Secure Your PC Online, Part Three" at winmag.com ) describes a six- layer defense I use to protect my PC against miscreant hackers, and shows you how you can employ any or all of the same layered strategy to help secure your PC. Last week, I got this note from Viraf Mohta, who's the Director of Kiosks and Interactive Media for eOutlets.com: Dear Mr. Langa: First, I would like to thank you for your informative newsletters. Second, I would like to draw your attention to a POSSIBLE error in your most recent article regarding multiple layers of defense for your online PC. (You may want to confirm this with other sources though.) As your 6th layer of defense, you unplug your modem and replug it, under the assumption that in doing so, your PC which has a dynamic IP address, will be assigned a new dynamic IP address. You also state that this is true for ANY PC using dynamic IP addresses. Well, I don't think this is ALWAYS true. It depends on the way the dynamic IP addresses are allocated to your PC by the server. You could very well get the same IP address, each time you unplug and replug your machine, and even if you were to turn your machine off for a few days. A rule (set by the server admin) on the dynamic IP address assigning server determines what happens at your end, to a certain extent. The rule could state that even if your machine has been shut down for a week, you will still get the same IP address when you re-boot it; but if shut off for two weeks, then grant any IP address which is free and available. Although an IP address granted to you is dynamic, it is still 'reserved' for you for the duration of the one week specified in the rule on the server. So unplugging your modem or LAN connection, or even turning your machine off doesn't guarantee a new IP address. Once again, thanks for your very informative newsletters. Viraf is right: It is possible to reserve an address--- but that's not true dynamic addressing. But even with dynamic addressing, there's still a small but nonzero chance you could get the same IP each time. If a connection is truly dynamic, then (because of the way blocks of IP addresses are allocated) you'd have a 1 in 256 chance of getting the same address-- - not hugely favorable odds, but better than nothing. It's also possible that your odds would be 1 in 256256 addresses or even 1 in 256256*256 addresses; these are much larger "haystacks" for the "needle" of your address to get lost in---for making you harder to track. But in itself, dynamic addressing is not a great defense. That's why it's the 6th (and weakest) layer in my system. It doesn't do a lot--- but even a minor speed bump in the path of a hacker is better than nothing. 8-) Come check out all six defensive layers and see which ones would work for you!" winmag.com