RE: [SLUG] Debian

From: Ken Elliott (kelliott4@tampabay.rr.com)
Date: Thu Dec 29 2005 - 07:25:35 EST


>> Is there other functionality of this file that I'm not aware of, which
prevents the installation of software by other than those computers
mentioned in this file?

It is simply making use of the file to redirect packets destined for known
"bad" sites back to your own machine. If you visit a site with an ad, or
spyware link, the link goes to a dead-end. This works on Linux, as well as
Windows. Here's an example of a couple of entries in my HOSTS file.

127.0.0.1 demo.netgravity.com
127.0.0.1 double-click.com
127.0.0.1 doubleclick.com
127.0.0.1 doubleclick.net
127.0.0.1 draco.netgravity.com
 
There's a no-cost Win program called "Spybot Search and Destroy" that will
create the file, and fill it with a few hundred entries. Its less of an
issue with Linux (duh), but it can speed up browsing the web by blocking
ads.

It's a good idea to do this, but you still need all the other protections as
well.

Ken Elliott

=====================
-----Original Message-----
From: slug@nks.net [mailto:slug@nks.net] On Behalf Of Paul M Foster
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 11:56 PM
To: slug@nks.net
Subject: Re: [SLUG] Debian

Robert Snyder wrote:

<snip>

> P.S. If you continue to use windows you can fix most of your Trojans,
> Viruses and Spyware but simply putting a Hosts file on the machine
> that is matained by a number of people. It stops 90 percent of pop
> ups almost blocks all spyware and trojan sites leaving a pretty darn
> end user safe machine.
>

The only use I've ever made of this file in Windows is to designate computer
name/IP equivalencies, identical to the way it's used on Linux.
Is there other functionality of this file that I'm not aware of, which
prevents the installation of software by other than those computers
mentioned in this file?

Paul

--
Paul M. Foster
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