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In this issue:

1) Opening comments.
2) Software review Pop-up Stopper
3) Changes at SurfSafely.com.
4) The opportunity of a lifetime.
5) Computer virus watch.
Opening comments.

Well, here we are. It's almost March. In my neck of the woods we're still up to our eyeballs in snow and the weather man tells us Winter is far from over. This truly has been one to remember. I am surrounded daily by scenes that belong on postcards.

And yet, life is not so good for some. I am reminded of the families and loved ones of many who have perished recently. Not long ago we had the space shuttle Columbia crash. In the U.S. we have two night club fires within a week of one another, one in Chicago, the other in Warwick Rhode Island, killing around 120 patrons total and injuring scores more. In South Korea, at least 133 perished by fire in an underground subway at the hands of only one angry man. Our hearts and our prayers go out the the families and loved ones of all who perished in these tragedies.

Life is so beautiful, and so fragile. Take a moment and hug those you love. Cherish every moment as if it were your last. We just never know.

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Software review: Pop-up Stopper
Boy oh boy, if ever a label described exactly what the product does, this is it.

We all know the problem. Visit a web site where the owner thought he could make lots of money promoting his or someone else's products in pop-up windows. From the advertisers perspective, this method does work. The real problem comes when the web site owner gets greedy, rationalizing to himself "If one was good, more must be better!" The reality is, more is not better. More is annoying. The problem is even worse if we accidentally stumble into a porn site operated by unscrupulous owners. Their mindset is a little more aggressive. "Let's FILL their screen with SO MUCH PORN they'll eventually give up trying to make it stop."

Not to fear, though. I've allowed this process to spawn unrestrained on occasion just to see what happens. It does eventually stop because at some point, your computer has launched so many browser windows it runs out of memory and locks up! They're so stupid they don't even realize their own tactics are self defeating. All they really accomplish is to annoy us, even those who like porn!

What makes the mechanism of pop-ups work is something called JavaScript. Microsoft calls it Active Scripting. Javascript really can do a great many things to enhance the enjoyment of visiting a particular web site. From automatic spell checking to database lookups, animation and games, Javascript can mean the difference between just another ho-hum experience to "Wow! That's cool!" But, like anything else, too much power in the wrong hands usually leads to abuse.

So how do we make it all stop. One method I've seen involves the shortcut keys Ctrl-W. This is fine for the one or two windows that may pop up at a site on top of the window you really want to see. But is does not work to close pop-under windows, nor does it stop new ones from appearing when navigating between pages of the same site. Most cause new ones to appear every time you enter a new page.

Another way to stop pop-ups it is to disable Active Scripting in your browser altogether. The down side to this approach is you really do rob yourself of a great many things most of us already take for granted while surfing online. If you think I'm exaggerating, I assure you, I am not. Go ahead and try it. Then try to do some online banking or shop your favorite online store or auction site. You won't get very far. This approach is like cutting off your arm to eliminate writers cramp. It works, but at what cost?

The best way to combat the annoyance of pop-ups, pop-unders and the like is to install software that targets just that problem. Pop-up Stopper is just my ticket. It's free, easy to install and very easy to use. Turning it on and off is a simple double click of the system tray icon. Most of the time I leave mine off because I rarely frequent sites given to abusive pop-up window tactics. Even if they start suddenly, double clicking the icon again stops them dead in their tracks. Another way to use this software is to leave it on but override it only when needed. When would you need to override it? Some sites, even SurfSafely.com in places, use JavaScript pop-up windows to display information without replacing the main window. This is often desirable for such things as help menus or product details. The way you normally view those is by simply clicking a link at the site. Pop-up Stopper will prevent them if enabled unless you hold down the Ctrl key while clicking the link. It's a very simple procedure to get used to. This way, pop-ups only appear when you say so, otherwise they're blocked by default.

If you've had enough of pop-ups, Pop-up Stopper is a must-have for your computer. Did I mention it's free? Yes they will try to push paid products on you. Trust me when I say, all you really need is the free version. Free is good. Get your copy today and rest easier while surfing the web. Visit Panicware (Catchy, eh?) and download your free copy today. (And yes, they use a Javascript pop-up for the download! I told you, Javascript is useful.)

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Changes to SurfSafely.com.


We've been struggling with a few problems lately and it wasn't getting any better. Something had to be done and something has.

Everyone hates junk email. It's bad enough that our addresses end up on lists that are sold and resold thousands of times, then exploited by marketers who want to show us how to regrow hair, enlarge our genitals and make millions of dollars overnight, not to mention the really vile spammers who send unsolicited pornography. Most of the time a trained investigator can easily trace the origin of any given email, or at least the vehicle used to send it. That's how anti-spam lists work. That's how another of our favorite free products, Mailwasher, can clean your inbox of known spam. But we're not here to talk about Mailwasher.

One way to get around being detected by these lists is to use someone else's resources to send it. The second party usually never knows anything happened until he finds his email is being rejected by others with spam filters because HIS computer or mail server was blacklisted! This happens several ways. Sometimes spammers will comb the web with automated software looking for mail servers with older operating systems that have known security holes, allowing them to seize control and use it to forward their email, making it look as if the compromised system originated the email! Another way is to exploit simple scripts installed by web site owners used for sending email from forms on a web site. You've seen the type. Go to a page, fill in a few fields and hit send. In theory, what happens in the background is the information is taken from the form and sent to only one recipient, you. However, some email form scripts have loopholes in them allowing spammers to send from someone else's script to thousands of unsuspecting recipients at a time. The spammer sends his message, the second party gets the blame.

Even though we've never had a problem quite so large at SurfSafely.com, we still have see some abuses. Web developers who list their sites with us need accurate information. One way we provided this was through an email autoresponder. Include your email while submitting your site and you got a confirmation email with all the details of your submission, pass or fail. Very useful. The problem was, not everyone was using their own address. The problem was compounded by submission software and services that submit sites to thousands of search engines at a time. SurfSafely.com is on almost all of those programs and we wouldn't have it any other way. We find a lot of quality labeled content this way.

The problem became epidemic when WE began receiving autoreplies from the White House to "autoreplies" we were supposedly sending them for political extremist web sites being submitted to our directory! I call it second hand spamming. They call it annoying. And I don't blame them. Had we allowed it to remain unchecked, SurfSafely.com would also have likely been blacklisted. So, we've added a new twist. Now, any developer wishing to send himself an autoreply from our directory may only send to an address at the domain being submitted. This means someone submitting political-extremist.com can not send an "autoreply" to anyone@whitehouse.gov, only a valid_user@political-extremist.com. Either that or no email address at all.

Another change forced upon us came by way of the slammer virus that choked MS SQL 2000 servers worldwide a few weeks ago bringing the Internet to it's knees in ten minutes flat! For as much as I hate that the security hole existed, in Microsoft's defense, the patch to plug the hole was available a full seven months earlier! Anyone using Microsoft products must know that they are prime targets for virus attacks because Microsoft as a company is THE prime target of virus authors. Shame on anyone using Microsoft products and not staying current with security patches and updates, home users included.

When the dust settled, many web hosting companies with NT web servers "upgraded" to MS IIS 5.0 and set front end security so tight our search engine could no longer read the meta tags on pages hosted there being submitted to our directory. Submission attempt failures from pages hosted on these servers were on the rise. We had to do something, and quick. A major rewrite of the parsing engine was the only answer. Many hours and sleepless nights later, the new parsing engine was in place.

On the plus side, an unexpected benefit came when we realized we had also fixed the XML compatibility issue that had plagued us for so long too. We are now fully XML compatible. No more can the "cutting edge" web developers use this as an excuse for not labeling. We did our part to accommodate their needs. Now it's their turn to show some responsibility toward their audience and label their content.

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The opportunity of a lifetime.
Very recently, I received an invitation to deliver a keynote address describing the accomplishments and future plans for SurfSafely.com to promote a "Culture of responsibility" online, to members of a European Union funded project called SIFKaL (Safer Internet For Knowing and Living) , under their Safer Internet Action Plan (SIAP), at an International Internet Safety Conference to he hosted in Seville, Spain, all expenses paid. To say their invitation was a great honor is an understatement. To say that I have struggled with the decision whether or not to go in these times of great turmoil is also an understatement.

At first I immediately accepted the invitation. Who wouldn't? This is a respected organization, with great influence, powerful members, and the chance to be a part of if it all. Travel plans were well under way. Then I had the opportunity to speak with a security expert in whom I place great trust who advised that I not travel abroad under any circumstances, citing some very good reasons why I shouldn't. Now I had a serious dilemma. Go and make a difference or stay home and play it safe. I whimped out and announced to SIFKaL my plans to withdraw.

Ah, but all was not lost. Living as close to ESPN as I do, speaking with several people I know on the inside, I decided to explore the possibility and ask if they might have interest in helping me conduct a live remote video conference. While the jury was still deliberating at ESPN, I presented my plan to SIFKaL. SIFKaL immediately said no. (Psssssssssssssss......... That's the sound of my my balloon deflating.)

Again I had a dilemma.

After speaking with colleagues in Europe, I learned more of the enormous impact the SIFKaL project has had, having been sponsored under the European Union, Safer Internet Action Plan (http://www.saferinternet.org). Knowing that Europe was falling behind the rest of the world in this area, members of the E.U. did more than dispense rhetoric. They took bold action, organized online safety awareness conferences and provided seed funding to other online safety initiatives, even in the private sector. Their proactive approach has yielded some outstanding results and has become a model for others to follow. They realized, as do I, that the key to success is education. Tools are not enough. Teaching others how to use what's available to them and making them understand their part in the online safety equation is an essential element. Parents must know that some of the responsibility falls on them as well. It's not enough to say "someone else can do it for me." It's time someone teaches them to give up being spoon fed; To pick up a fork, sit at the table and eat like an adult. The colleagues I spoke to said they would not hesitate to go, no matter what.

The question I had to answer for myself was: How much do I believe SurfSafely.com can contribute to their efforts and how important is my presence at this event to make that a reality. Arriving at my decision to go was still not easy. If nothing else, my presence there will be a clear demonstration of my resolve and determination to make a tangible, lasting difference for the benefit of all mankind, promoting a culture of responsibility by providing positive incentives for web developers to voluntarily label their content through my search engine, SurfSafely.com. It's that important. I will be there.

I'm not sure what awaits me in Spain or what dangers I will face in getting there and back safely. But then again, I'm not sure what dangers lay before me every time I get in my car and venture from home to work every day. What I do know is, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Wish me luck! And if you're so inclined, say a little prayer as well. Every little bit helps.

Here's a few links to check out regarding the conference and SurfSafely.com's involvement. Official press releases to follow.

http://www.ofsi.org/english/instituciones.php?id=en
http://www.saferinternet.org/filtering/portals.asp
 http://www.saferinternet.org/news/events-feb2003.asp
 http://www.saferinternet.org/awareness/sifkal.asp
http://www.europa.eu.int/information_society/programmes/iap/index_en.htm

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Computer virus watch.
This month I notice that the Nigerian money laundering scam is on the comeback trail. This time, Africa and several other nations have surfaced as origins for these scams. Seems they need some quick cash too. It is estimated that U.S. Citizens have collectively lost hundreds of millions of dollars in these scams. Please be alert. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. REALLY it is.

KLEZ email virus strains with their crafty opening messages, enticing users to click on a certain link or run this "funny" program still seem to fool many. I have to wonder, what percentage of these viruses are being propagated by children who haven't been taught the simple do's and don'ts of email?

A couple of others we're watching are W32/Lovgate@M and W32/Yaha.k. A good bookmark to keep handy is http://www.mcafee.com/anti-virus/. Read the descriptions of these two viruses and take note of how crafty the authors must be. Yaha.k masquerades as a virus warning! How's that for clever? This is what we're up against. This is why education is key, for children too. I check here often, even if only to see some of the fun I've been missing! ;-)

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x patch
Mcafee updates
Norton updates
F-Secure updates

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That's news for now.

Be informed,
Be involved,
Be well.

Sincerely,
Mark Brasche
Founder and CEO,
SurfSafely.com

Come visit our growing family of web sites and services
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http://surfsafely.com/ Our web directory/portal
http://surfsafely.net/ Our pre-filtered Internet service
http://surfsafety.com/ Our online safety community site
http://surfsafely.de/ Coming soon! Our portal in German
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