tech-security: Re:'WXP 'phoning home ' (was 1024 bit key considered insecure (sshd))

Subject: Re:'WXP 'phoning home ' (was 1024 bit key considered insecure (sshd))
To: Actually davidchr <davidchr@microsoft.com>
From: Dave Feustel <dfeustel@mindspring.com>
List: tech-security
Date: 09/14/2002 11:53:33

If you install ZoneAlarm Pro and enable
component checking, you will discover
that WXP 'phones home' about many, many
things that you do while running IE and OE.
What happens is that ZAPro alerts you to
each attempt by an OS component to access
the internet, at which time you allow or disallow
the access. If you disallow access, then all further
internet access is disallowed OE/IE until the program
is terminated and restarted. 

What you will see (among other things)
is msimn attempting to access the internet even
when you're not using OE (the mail program).
It is this behavior by WXP (plus the new EULA
terms) that has aggravated
me to the point that I am now switching to
OpenBSD as my internet OS. I will continue
to run Windows software, but only on computers not
connected to the internet.

------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Feustel
http://www.mindspring.com/~dfeustel
260-483-1857
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