From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri May 28 22:25:52 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i4T2PqI07779; Fri, 28 May 2004 22:25:52 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 22:25:52 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200405290225.i4T2PqI07779@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #266 TELECOM Digest Fri, 28 May 2004 22:25:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 266 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Global Crossing Outlines VoIP Regulatory Vision to FCC (VOIP News) Consumer Advocates Tell FCC That VoIP Telephone Customers (VOIP News) Re: California Adopts New Wireless Regulations (Lisa Hancock) Re: Taking my Cell Phone to Switzerland? (Joseph) Modern Telecom Frustration (Lisa Hancock) Re: DSL vs. Cable Modem? (xasdfg123456@yahoo.com) Re: DSL vs. Cable Modem? (Tony P.) Re: DSL vs. Cable Modem? (SELLCOM Tech support) Re: DSL vs. Cable Modem? (Steven J Sobol) Locating the Second Phone Line For DSL Installation (Laitkor) Porting Numbers Question (jimmy) Re: Verizon DSL Newsgroup Provider (SELLCOM Tech support) Re: RCN Files Chapter 11 Restructuring Plan (Clarence Dold) Re: Why Would I Want a Local T1? (xasdfg123456@yahoo.com) Phishing: The Latest, Very Dangerous, Spam Scam (TELECOM Digest Editor) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: VOIP News Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 14:08:13 -0400 Subject: Global Crossing Outlines VoIP Regulatory Vision to FCC Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-28-2004/0002183665&EDATE= Introduces REFORM agenda for a rationalized telecommunications environment FLORHAM PARK, N.J., May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Global Crossing (Nasdaq: GLBCE), a leading innovator in Voice over IP (VoIP) and other IP-enabled services, filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (Wireline Docket Number 04-36) in response to the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) concerning the proper regulation of IP telephony. Global Crossing believes that the FCC's recent decision in the Free World Dialup docket compels it to treat all IP-enabled services as information services subject to exclusive federal jurisdiction. "The FCC has already concluded that IP-enabled services offered over pre-existing broadband services are not telecommunications or telecommunications services. Rather than engage in a case-by-case determination as to whether a broadband connection previously existed, the FCC must simply apply the same rules to all IP-enabled services" said John Legere, Global Crossing's chief executive officer. "As we state in our comments, the FCC must establish simple, uniform rules and put an end to the constant gamesmanship that currently plagues the industry." Global Crossing's comments offer a strategic vision for the categorization of IP-enabled services, the applicability of various rules and regulations, the public interest obligations of IP-enabled service providers, regulatory jurisdiction, and inter-carrier compensation. Global Crossing believes the FCC has the opportunity to set a new course for regulation and should do so in a comprehensive manner consistent with Global Crossing's REFORM agenda: Rationalize inter-carrier compensation. The FCC must establish a uniform inter-carrier compensation arrangement that not only recognizes that a "minute is a minute," but also that a "packet is a packet." All traffic exchanged between carriers, regardless of jurisdiction or type (voice, data or video) must be exchanged at a uniform rate to be negotiated between individual carriers without the distortion of past regulatory policies. The existing patchwork system of inter-carrier compensation invites arbitrage, distorts investment, and is a source of litigation within the industry. A unified inter-carrier compensation arrangement will eliminate this source of friction for the telecommunications industry. Establish a swift and efficient dispute resolution forum. The perpetual litigation surrounding FCC rulemaking efforts is one of the principal issues plaguing the telecommunications industry. The rulemaking process itself is becoming a barrier to entry as only the largest carriers can afford to participate. The FCC must establish a swift and efficient dispute resolution forum that allows carriers to quickly resolve disputes and keep their focus on delivering service to consumers. An arbitration procedure similar to that used in major league baseball whereby each party to a dispute puts forth its "best and final" offer would be ideal. Formulate clear and simple rules and regulations. Overly complex or vague rules simply invite litigation and fail to create the certainty and predictability necessary for a stable investment climate. The FCC's experience with unbundled network elements is the most recent example of this. FCC rules must be clear and unambiguous. Overhaul universal service. Any comprehensive reform effort must include an overhaul of the current universal service system, which is also a dysfunctional element for the industry. Appropriate modifications can be addressed in existing universal service proceedings currently before the Commission consistent with four guiding principles: * the universal service fund must be sized appropriately so that it only supports universal service objectives; * eligibility criteria must be refined so that the fund is not used as an earnings support mechanism for carriers; * source funding must be broad-based and competitively neutral; and * disbursements from the fund should be keyed to the removal of implicit subsidies embedded in the rates of recipients. Consideration must also be given to alternative universal service funding mechanisms. Redefine public interest obligations. Global Crossing supports the VON Coalition's efforts to work with the National Emergency Number Association ("NENA") to develop appropriate solutions for supporting 911/E911 services in an IP environment. However, the FCC needs to recognize that the greatest challenge for 911/E911 service is securing proper funding for the Public Safety Answering Points ("PSAPs"). The industry must explore new ways of working with local municipalities to bring the benefits of IP technology to the public safety sector. Maintain authority over essential bottleneck facilities While IP-enabled services hold great promise for bringing competitive choice to consumers, the FCC must continue to exercise authority over bottleneck facilities and continue to enforce appropriate interconnection and unbundling rules. "The overarching theme of our REFORM vision is that a few simple rules and safeguards will allow the industry to operate in a largely deregulated environment, " added John Legere, Global Crossing's chief executive officer. "Although we recognize the regulation of monopoly services, we strongly believe that the telecommunications industry and consumers would best be served by a free and open arena for IP-enabled services." To learn more about Global Crossing's REFORM vision, the full comments filed with the FCC can be found at http://www.fcc.gov. "As a leader in IP-services, we have a strong desire to create an industry that is allowed to grow and prosper without the cumbersome restrictions of regulation," Mr. Legere concluded. "By following the tenets of our REFORM vision, the FCC will simplify the regulatory landscape and steer the entire telecommunications industry into a new era of recovery and health." ABOUT GLOBAL CROSSING Global Crossing (Nasdaq: GLBCE) provides telecommunications solutions over the world's first integrated global IP-based network. Its core network connects more than 300 cities and 30 countries worldwide, and delivers services to more than 500 major cities, 50 countries and 6 continents around the globe. The company's global sales and support model matches the network footprint and, like the network, delivers a consistent customer experience worldwide. Global Crossing IP services are global in scale, linking the world's enterprises, governments and carriers with customers, employees and partners worldwide in a secure environment that is ideally suited for IP-based business applications, allowing e-commerce to thrive. The company offers a full range of managed data and voice products including Global Crossing IP VPN Service, Global Crossing Managed Services and Global Crossing VoIP services, to more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500, as well as 700 carriers, mobile operators and ISPs. Please visit http://www.globalcrossing.com (http://www.globalcrossing.com) for more information about Global Crossing. CONTACT GLOBAL CROSSING: Press Contacts Becky Yeamans +1 973-937-0155 PR@globalcrossing.com Catherine Berthier +1 212-412-4666 PR@globalcrossing.com Analysts/Investors Contact Mitch Burd + 1 800-836-0342 glbc@globalcrossing.com SOURCE Global Crossing Web Site: http://www.globalcrossing.com How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 14:54:08 -0400 Subject: Consumer Advocates Tell FCC That VoIP Telephone Customers Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com Comment: These so-called "consumer advocates" sound like they want to kill VoIP, not protect consumers. Hopefully the FCC will realize that "enhanced" 911 is currently IMPOSSIBLE due to the portability of VoIP devices (that is, you can plug one in anywhere there is a broadband connection, and the VoIP provider simply has no way of knowing where you are). Therefore any absolute requirement for enhanced 911 would have the effect of killing VoIP. I don't know what "consumers" these advocates purport to represent, but they sure do not represent me nor my views on the subject. I'd love to know where these people get their funding. http://www.nasuca.org/newsroom/PR%20nasuca%20-%20voip%20comments%20(2).doc Contact: Terry Etter of the Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (614) 466-8574 Charlie Acquard, NASUCA Executive Director (301) 589-6313 CONSUMER ADVOCATES TELL FCC THAT VOIP TELEPHONE CUSTOMERS DESERVE PROTECTIONS SILVER SPRING, MD - May 28, 2004 - The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA) today told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that all telephone customers deserve protections against poor service, regardless of the type of connection they use to make local and long-distance calls. NASUCA has filed comments in the FCC's investigation into whether and how to regulate 'Voice over Internet Protocol' (VoIP) service. The following statement can be attributed to Timothy Hay, President of NASUCA and Nevada's state consumer advocate: 'Telephone service is essential in our society. With an increasing number of households relying on broadband-based services as substitutes for more traditional telephone connections, it is vital that the FCC and state regulators ensure that all consumers are protected against poor service. In addition, VoIP services should be required to include enhanced 911 and be readily accessible to persons with disabilities. VoIP providers should also be required to contribute to and, if qualified, be eligible to receive the low-income and rural support that has helped thousands of consumers afford traditional telephone service.' NASUCA's comments are available on its website at www.nasuca.org. NASUCA is a non-profit, national organization of 43 state offices designated to represent consumers in state and federal utility proceedings. NASUCA regularly participates in proceedings before the FCC and other federal regulatory agencies. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Jeff nor Lisa) Subject: Re: California Adopts New Wireless Regulations Date: 28 May 2004 09:40:56 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Monty Solomon wrote: > The regulation passed after an acrimonious debate about whether the > reforms represented enlightened regulation or ham-handed meddling into > the free market. Finding the balance between good and bad regulation is always tricky. There two sides to the argument which I'll explore: ANTI-REGULATION Industries have been destroyed by excessive regulation. What is supposed to be "for the public good" turns out to screw the public. Passenger railroad regulation is an example. The government ordered that many unneeded and money-losing trains be kept in service, and kept fares too low. As a result, the railroads sought to get rid of all passenger trains, even those that were still profitable. Inadequate revenue caused service quality to suffer. While the overall decline of passenger rail service was from numerous factors, government regulation hurt it badly. Oslin's Western Union history says the FCC was rough on WU: They were forced to take on inefficient Postal Telegraph and tremendous cost, allowed AT&T to have TWX against WU's Telex, etc. While the decline of WU was due to numerous factors (like the railroads), it appears government regulation didn't help here either. PRO-REGULATION Unfortunately, in the absence of regulation, companies can get greedy and take advantage of consumers. When payphone calls became unregulated, we've seen horrible price gouging for long distance calls. Cable TV is deregulated and rates have quickly climbed upward much faster than inflation. Banks have added on high service charges and high loan rates. Insurance companies have failed to keep adequate reserves for big losses and have failed. Wall Street brokers have cheated and committed outright fraud. ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: Taking my Cell Phone to Switzerland? Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 09:52:47 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.NONOcom On 23 May 2004 00:00:15 -0400, John R Levine wrote: > Cingular will sell me a Nokia 3100 "world" phone that works on GSM 1800, > but 360 days out of the year I'm in North America where my current phone > is just what I want and fits the car kit in my truck. > Can I easily rent a phone when I get there, either an empty one into which > I plug my SIM card, or one with its own card and a number I can use? Or > should I rent one here before I go? Or something else? I would seriously recommned *not* to rent a phone. Prices for phone rental are high and you can actually buy you a second-hand compatible phone to use with the service cheaper than renting a phone. The Nokia 3100 would be a wise choice. It's a good phone that will work on both GSM 850 and GSM 1900 in the US and will work on GSM 1800 in Europe and Asia. remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa Hancock) Subject: Modern Telecom Frustration Date: 28 May 2004 11:03:38 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Why I question modern technology: My old high school web page had some stuff on it I was interested in buying, although they had no information about how to order. So, I sent an email to them. It bounced back, undeliverable. So much for keeping a web page up to date and accurate. (We didn't have web pages back then, but we were taught in computers that GIGO -- garbage in/garbage out, and we had to be sure no garbage went in -- that is, our data going in had to be right and edited.) So, I tried to call them. A very frustrating experience. Let me start off by saying high school was where I first learned to operate a switchboard -- we had a PBX 555 cord switchboard and a private intercom (Bogen?). In today's calling experience, obviously the stuff they taught me right there is no longer getting through. Call #1: After about 5 rings I got a series of beeps, clicks, and finally a disconnect. What frustrates me is we were taught to watch the signal to make sure the called party answered. If they were slow in answering, we were to go in an announced "still ringing". After a time we were to tell the caller "they don't seem to be answering, is there someone else or would you like to leave a message?" Call #2: No answer at the school at all. Call #3: No answer at the school at all. Call #4: Automatically transferred to a different school. (don't know why.) Put on hold for a long time, I hung up. Call #5: Automatically transferred to a different school. (don't know why.) Put on hold for a long time. Other school said I misdialed even though I dialed very carefully and their number is different. It appears the School District is on a Centrex now. I suspect either all phone lines were busy at the high school, or, no one answered and the system automatically forwarded the call. Anyway, I gave up for the day. Note -- all of these calls were long distance for me and I have to pay for them. ------------------------------ From: xasdfg123456@yahoo.com (xasdfg123456@yahoo.com) Subject: Re: DSL vs. Cable Modem? Date: 28 May 2004 12:08:50 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa Hancock) wrote in message news:: > My local telephone company (Verizon) and cable TV company (Comcast) > have been running an aggressive TV ad campaign pushing their > respecting high speed data services. Verizon is pushing DSL while > Comcast is pushing cable modem. Each says they're far superior > (faster data and more reliable) and cheaper than the other. > Any opinions on cable modems vs. DSL in today's world? A good resource for checking on DSL service in your area is dslreports.com. It is impossible to say which might be a better service for you, since DSL service and reliability is dependent on so many things. I have had pretty good luck with cable in my area, and it is overall cheaper than DSL service here. And they will often bundle cable modem service with TV service as well. But the down side for me is that cable providers often filter certain server ports and do not allow servers in their AUP, while most DSL providers allow you to run servers, provide static IPs, and will even usually provide additional IPs if you are willing to pay more. Setup is entirely different too, since if you choose a DSL provider that is not your local telco, they will have to make arrangements with the local carrier to install their equipment and check the line. And let's just say they don't always cooperate with each other. I went through a month of waiting for Covad DSL at an old house I rented, only to find that it had a DAML on the one line into the house and couldn't receive DSL. I ordered cable and it was connected in two days. Overall, I think DSL networks are admin'd better than cable networks (unless it's the phone company ;) ). I look at my firewall logs and on cable see all sorts of noisy local broadcasting and chatty multicasting that should be filtered out. AT&T was pretty good though (now on Charter and the transfer light never stops blinking). HTH. BR ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: DSL vs. Cable Modem? Organization: ATCC Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 19:15:23 GMT In article , barmar@alum.mit.edu says: > In article , Tony > P. wrote: >> Far as I know, you can't get consumer cable IP feed without >> subscribing to cable television. > That's not true with Comcast. They offer discounts if you purchase > multiple services, but they don't require you to. Try it some time. Around here you get basic cable along with the Internet service because there isn't any feasible way for them to filter it. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That's interesting you say that about the problems with filtering one tier of service while allowing others. I asked at our local Cable One office if they used 'traps' on the line to prevent one kind of signal while allowing others. The woman said to me 'we used to do that (when we were owned by Time-Warner) but now it is all done on computer.' As an example she told me to watch her working on my account on her computer in the office. She typed a few things and turned on my internet service; typed something else and turned off (then back on again) my entire service. I do not know how they do it, but it seems much more effecient than those ugly traps that used to hang on all the poles in the area. PAT] ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech support Subject: Re: DSL vs. Cable Modem? Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 00:19:30 GMT hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa Hancock) posted on that vast internet thingie: > My local telephone company (Verizon) and cable TV company (Comcast) > have been running an aggressive TV ad campaign pushing their > respecting high speed data services. Verizon is pushing DSL while > Comcast is pushing cable modem. Each says they're far superior > (faster data and more reliable) and cheaper than the other. That so depends on how close you are to your phone company and how crowded your cable network is with heavy usage neighbors. Generally if higher upstream speed is important to you, then DSL (a business package). If not then cable tends to offer more speed per buck. This is true here, but is it true there? I dunno ... Steve at SELLCOM http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, Motorola Vtech 5.8Ghz; TMC ET4000 4line Epic phone, OnHoldPlus, Beamer, Watchguard! Brick wall "non MOV" surge protection. Mini-Splitter log splitter! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: DSL vs. Cable Modem? Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 19:34:53 -0500 Barry Margolin wrote: > That's not true with Comcast. They offer discounts if you purchase > multiple services, but they don't require you to. I think the same is true of Charter. JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, Apple Valley, CA PGP: 0xE3AE35ED Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net Domain Names, $9.95/yr, 24x7 service: http://DomainNames.JustThe.net/ "someone once called me a sofa, but i didn't feel compelled to rush out and buy slip covers." -adam brower * Hiroshima '45, Chernobyl '86, Windows 98/2000/2003 ------------------------------ From: laitkor@gmail.com (Laitkor) Subject: Locating the Second Phone Line For DSL Installation Date: 28 May 2004 13:40:54 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hi, I have ordered DSL on a second phone line. The phone company has activated the second line. Installing the DSL is no big deal. But trying to find out which pair of lines is the second line in the spagetti of wires in phone box is the issue. I live in a apartment complex so getting access to the NIC is not possible. I have thought about buying a tone generator to locate the wires which have any voltage in them. I don't know if thats possible. Any suggestions on how I should go about. Thanks, Jay [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: When trying to trace, or 'ring down' a pair of wires in a spagetti nest of wires, *always* begin with known wires, which is the wires in your home. Attach your sounder or other noise-making source (such as a portable radio with leads from its speaker) to the known wires, then go to the next connection point in the house pairs and listen for it there. If the pair at that point (or somewhere under your control) is identified in some way by telco such as a numbered strip or a paper tag, etc then make note of that number or other ID. Make sure you can hear your sound at that point. At some point you are going to lose control of the wires, their identification or whatever clues you had from the phone man who was there before you. Try at that point (the most frustrating point usually) to hear your sound source. The battery in your sounder or other source puts out a small amount of current with the audio, which is all you will need, even if the pair is otherwise 'dry' or 'dark'. PAT] ------------------------------ From: jimmy Subject: Porting Numbers Question Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 17:35:05 -0400 How long should my account be *established* before I attempt to port my numbers to another carrier. I just ordered some gold numbers from Verizon and I plan to port them to a different vendor as soon as I am allowed. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I would suggest that out of courtesy to Verizon (if you feel like being courteous) you wait at least one full billing cycle. And I do not know what makes 'gold numbers' any different than any other telephone number, but you might want to assure yourself that the numbers *are* transportable and that you are not under some kind of contractual obligation to Verizon. PAT] ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech support Subject: Re: Verizon DSL Newsgroup Provider Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 00:16:21 GMT Gordon S. Hlavenka posted on that vast internet thingie: >>> I'm planning on switching to Verizon DSL for my ISP. Talked to their >>> technical information person to ask who Verizon gets their Newsgroup >>> feed from. Her answer: "What's a newsgroup?" Is there someone using >>> Verizon DSL here who can answer this for me. > Steve replied: >> Try news.verizon.net > Steve, I don't think this answers the question. What about gnilink.net then? I believe the original question was whether they have news included rather than how they do it. Steve at SELLCOM http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, Motorola Vtech 5.8Ghz; TMC ET4000 4line Epic phone, OnHoldPlus, Beamer, Watchguard! Brick wall "non MOV" surge protection. Mini-Splitter log splitter! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. ------------------------------ From: dold@RCNXFilesX.usenet.us.com Subject: Re: RCN Files Chapter 11 Restructuring Plan Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 19:39:12 UTC Organization: a2i network Monty Solomon wrote: > PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) -- RCN Corp., a telecommunications upstart that > packages phone, Internet and cable service but has been shedding > assets and employees, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on > Thursday and said it has support from creditors for a restructuring > plan. That might explain why the RCN mirrors of freeware aren't online. A Cygwin update goes part way through and fails. Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5 ------------------------------ From: xasdfg123456@yahoo.com (xasdfg123456@yahoo.com) Subject: Re: Why Would I Want a Local T1? Date: 28 May 2004 11:32:21 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to a question: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Because everyone in your building would > share the same T1. Some people, for various reasons, do not like to > share, either because they need the bandwidth or they have security > concerns, or maybe they are just greedy. Shared facilities are always > cheaper, if that's your only concern. PAT] Thank you for your reply. I am trying to figure out why my office was setup with a local T1 for phone connectivity. At ~$650/month + call charges it is a costly expense for our small office of 20 people. From what little documentation the previous admin here left, I see 12 trunks in operation: six lines for our Panasonic DBS and six other lines for other purposes (faxs, modems). Is this something that our local carrier would not be able to provide for us? Not all of these are necessary anymore. It just seems like it would be much less expensive (like hundreds) to use the lines already in the building. Help my little brain to understand. Thanks a lot! BR [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You may want to do a full audit of your telecom there, and also detirmine what you are paying for and the exact amount of the charges on each item, etc. Telco is notorious for overcharging on things, and $650 does seem like a hefty bill. Depending on how long the bill has been getting paid, you may well get a very nice refund. Let's start from the beginning, evaluating each item you are paying for, etc. Most companies, large or small (but especially the larger ones) are paying for stuff they do not even have. If you need professional help on this, get a consultant involved, give him a letter of agency so telco won't snub their nose at him when he begins to make things difficult for them, and see what you can accomplish. Let us know how it works out. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 11:40:52 -0500 From: TELECOM Digest Editor Subject: Phishing: Latest Spam/Scam; Very Dangerous This could be subtitled 'EMAIL THAT TRANSFERS YOUR MONEY TO RUSSIA'. In the good old days (a few months ago), most viruses deleted or changed files on an infected PC, sent out annoying email messages to many people, and took a long time to clean out of an infected computer. Today, the email may not contain a virus, but the web site it suggests you visit could infect your computer with software that can potentially transfer all of your money to Russia, and steal your identity. This story applies to Windows machines. You don't need to use email to get infected! These programs can be downloaded to your PC by just clicking a link on a web site you visit, or visiting a web site that you find on Google or some other search engine. Visit the site, and it automatically installs software on your PC that will log your keystrokes (like credit card numbers and passwords), and automatically email them to a crook somewhere. Phishing is just as bad. Pfishing (or Phishing) is when a crook tries to convince you to give him your login and password for your bank, ebay, Paypal, or some other web site that enables him to get access to your money by having your login information. They do this by sending you an email that says due to some event (security problem, etc.), you need to log into your account, and enter some information (also called 'baiting'). In an email, it will give you a link to click on that will take you to a very official looking web page. It looks official because they simply copied the graphics and wording off the genuine web site. A 12-year-old can do that. The scientific term for how they get you to give them this information is 'social engineering.' When you're done entering your information, they usually just send you to the real site, and you think everything is wonderful. Well, it is wonderful for the crook that's about to transfer a lot of your money to Bulgaria. There are many crooks in foreign countries targeting 'rich Americans' just this way. The Internet is international, and U.S. laws won't protect you at all. Like I said, you don't need email to get caught by this. By just visiting a site that looks perfectly honest, you can have your HOSTS files changed on your PC. That means every time you type in yahoo.com (or whatever), you're directed to the crook's site that looks like Yahoo. My mother called and said she got an email from her bank saying that her account would be turned off unless she entered some information. I had already warned her about this. When I asked her if she opened the email, she said she knew it might be dangerous, but she was curious so she went ahead and opened it, and went to the web site that it linked to. Holy Cow! Luckily, she's using a Mail Station from Earthlink that doesn't run Windows, so it can't get infected. Wheew. Besides for stealing your identity, it can take hours to clean the downloaded spyware or viruses from a PC, if it can be cleaned at all. Curiosity can lead to a lot of work for the guy who has to clean the viruses and spyware of a computer. Figure a couple of hours, minimum. You've heard about viruses, but trojans are now more popular than viruses and more dangerous to you. A trojan is a program that you somehow mistakenly download that's made to automatically run whenever you start your computer (without your knowledge). The writer of the trojan takes over control of your computer, in the background. While your PC might seem slower, you may not even notice it. In most cases the trojan hides itself so it doesn't show up in the Windows Task Manager (which normally lets you see and/or stop all running programs). The trojan may simply send your keystrokes or passwords to the author, or it may wait for commands to do bad stuff like contact a web site at a preprogrammed time in a DOS (Denial of Service) attack. A famous DOS attack brought down the White House web site a couple of years ago. There are ways to stay safe: Number 1 is NEVER click on a link in a SPAM email you receive, no matter how good a deal. It looks like a good deal just to get you to go to the web site, and get infected. Number 2 is NEVER respond to an email or a web site asking you to log in and change your password, or enter credit card information. If you're not sure, call or email the company to see what's going on. Number 3 is NEVER just click OK when a box pops up when you're browsing, asking if you want to download a program from 'XYZ Company.' If the company named is Microsoft or Macromedia (Flash), it's probably safe, but unless you're sure about what they're going to download to your PC, it's better to pass up whatever they're offering you on the web site. It might be a neat cartoon or something that you can't live without or it might be a virus or spyware. You have no way of knowing which. To check to see if you already have spy software on your PC, and then keep from getting it later, download the free Spybot Search & Destroy program from www.safer-networking.org This software is totally free (but they'll take donations), to both check your PC and clean it of spyware (not viruses). DON'T go to any other site to download it, or mistakenly put .com in the above address! It's .org. If you make a mistake by even one character, like 'safe-networking,' you'll go to the site of a company who's purposely looking to sell inferior stuff to people who put in the wrong address (the Internet is full of unsavory characters). Once you download and update Spybot, run it in regular mode (advanced, not easymode) and it will find most of the spyware on your system. Let it remove it, and then click on Immunize on the left panel. That will let you automatically block a bunch of bad programs from being downloaded to your PC. If someone tries to install bad software that this program knows about, a window will pop-up asking if you want to block the software. You can also tell Spybot to automatically block all of those downloads, without asking. Next, you'll also need another free program, called Ad Aware, at: www.lavasoftusa.com Update it after you install it, and run it to remove what's left of the spyware on your PC. Run both programs (and update them) at least once a week. Running them without updating them is a waste of time, and will give you a false sense of security. Even though both of these software packages are free, you should know that some of the free software on the Internet is put out by crooks, and you won't know which ones. You have to be very careful downloading any software from the Internet, because some of it also contains key loggers or other malicious software. The crooks actually create software which says it performs some useful function that you just can't live without, so they can get bad stuff onto your computer that runs in the background. You absolutely need virus scanning software. As I mentioned a couple of months ago, AVG has a good free version (www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php). We were using Trend Micro's PC-Cillin on all of our PCs, but when I called them to ask them a question about upgrading, I couldn't understand what the foreign person was saying because the connection was so bad (probably VoIP). I asked her what country she was in, and she said The Philippines. I've decided not to spend any money with companies who outsource, so I switched. In calling around, a friend recommended an anti-virus package he's been using for a couple of years. He said he's never gotten a virus using Command AntiVirus (he has gotten them with Panda, which he had previously used), which is only $24.95. I called Command, and was able to reach a live person who said she was in the US, and that all support for US customers is provided by technicians in the US (phone support costs extra). www.authentium.com Interestingly enough, my friend who recommended Command works for an accounting firm, in their IT department. The company he works for fired all of the people doing their customer's books in their office, after all the jobs were outsourced to India. I asked him if their customers knew, and he said 'not yet.' He did say that while he doesn't have much to do with accounting stuff, he hasn't heard of problems with the work they're doing in India. If you do get a virus, getting rid of it is often difficult, frustrating, and time consuming. You'll know you're infected because your anti-virus software says so, or because your PC slows down, locks up, or you get strange get errors. While anti-virus programs will get rid of viruses that aren't currently running, they generally only tell you the name of the virus if it's actually running on the PC (you can't delete a file that's in-use in Windows). You should have two small free programs that are absolutely necessary for getting rid of viruses and spyware. Download them before you get infected, because you may not be able to connect to the Internet after you're infected. First, download Process Explorer (www.sysinternals.com), which lets you see programs that are running, even if they're hiding themselves from the task manager. Once you find the name of the program in the list, Process Explorer lets you kill the process, so you or your anti-virus program can delete the files. Second, download HijackThis (www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html be sure to use the whole URL including the ~), which lets you view your Windows Registry, and delete items that are in the registry that you don't think belong there. These are both tools for someone who knows their way around Windows. A second uninfected PC with access to the Internet is often necessary, so you can look up removal instructions for the virus or spyware you're trying to get rid of. This isn't the same Internet as a year or two ago. I asked an Internet 'security expert,' who had been arrested for hacking in the past, what the crooks do with all those credit card numbers they get? Do they spend all day shopping at Wal-Mart? He said they sell them wholesale, to organized crime. Makes me look at spam a lot differently. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. 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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #266 ******************************