Aol6 Security, Can Aol Spy on You?

Written by:  Dan Daily 

Hi Gang!

The last column dealt with Aol DSL, in that article I said it seemed a firewall wasn't necessary.  But, do you need a firewall to protect you from Aol itself?  Today we'll discuss Aol6 security in more detail, the holes it makes, and how to fix them.

.Before we go any further, let me answer the question.  Can Aol spy on you?  The answer is absolutely.  Aol6 comes with the tools in place that will allow Aol to see anything on your hard drive, or see anything on your network.  Why?  Guess you have to ask Aol.  According to Fred Langa of Winmag.com, they blame it on Windows, and claim it's not intentional, in fact, they claim they have a firewall in place to protect them from your data.  Yes, you heard that right, "protect them from your data."  But who protects you?  Well, as usual, YOU!  And only You!  Actually, in this case, it's "US."  Now, aren't you glad you come here?  LOL  You're not "Alone Again, Naturally" Gang. 

How Does Aol6 Do This?

Without getting too technical, simply; Aol6 installs an Internet adapter on your computer, with "File Sharing" enabled.  What does that mean?  Well, say you are part of a network, or you make a home network; you have to turn on file sharing to allow yourself to see the files in the other computer.  OK, I have DSL, and a computer upstairs hooked to this one.  By allowing file sharing, the upstairs computer can use the DSL down here to connect to the net.  Get the picture?  You don't have a network you say?  Well that's OK, Aol installed the "Microsoft Virtual Private Network" adapter on your computer anyway.  So, you are in fact part of a network, Aol's.  If Aol wants to run the records on your computer, all they'd have to do is just do it.  PERIOD!  And you would never know they did it.  This is a fact, not somebody's fiction; you only need to check the "TCP/IP dial up adapter #2" in the network file to see this.  Does that sound like big brother to you?  It does to me.  At best Aol programmers are a bunch of incompetent boobs:  At worst, it's a plot; you choose which.  Frankly I don't care which is correct, my job is to teach you how to protect yourself.

Danny!  My God!  How Do I Fix This?

The fix is really quite simple.  Go to "Start/Settings/Control Panel/Network."  Scroll down the list and highlight "TCP/IP Dial Up Adapter #2" and click on the File/Print Sharing button.  Uncheck the two boxes; click OK, and OK.  Windows will tell you to reboot.  That's all there is to it.  BUT!  I ask you; if I hadn't just told you all this, WOULD YOU HAVE KNOWN???

Sorry, But There's More Again, Naturally!

What's just as bad or worse, depending on your definition; Aol6 adds yet another adapter called "IPX/SPX-Compatible Protocol, Dial Up Adapter #2," and binds it with the unsecured TCP Adapter just mentioned.  What this does is connect your internal network to your external network.  In other words, this allows your dial up adapter access to your network, thus making all files accessible on all other computers you have access to, available to the dial up adapter.  I'm trying not to be technical here, but take my word for it, THIS IS A NO NO!

OK Danny, How Do I Fix This?

Fortunately, this is just as easy to fix.  Just use the same procedure mentioned above.  In this case, when you highlight the "IPX/SPX-Compatible Protocol Dial Up Adapter #2," Click on the properties button.  Then click on the bindings tab, and uncheck the "TCP/IP Dial UP Adapter #2" box, and click the OK's and reboot.  It's actually very simple.  But again; Had I not just told you, would you have known?  That's why you have me here Gang!

Firewalls, Are They For Me?

In the next column; The whole issue of firewalls will be brought up.  What they are, and why you need one; even if you don't have broad band.  Additionally, I'll give you a place to get the very best one for free.  But first, you need to review two articles, I want you up to speed on the rest of the security picture, it all ties together.  The articles are here, just click on the titles:  "Are You Secure On The Internet" and "Your Computer is Spying On You."  These are essential reading to complete the security issue in general.  I will assume after reading these, you will have Ad Subtract installed, and will have downloaded Ad Aware, and have run it to clean out your spyware.  This is essential to prepare for a firewall.  If you have spyware on your computer, your firewall will drive you crazy.  A firewall's job is to protect you from everything, even yourself!  All the above are free, so let's get to it gang.

I hope this helps you on your road.  Your Road?

Yes, Your Road To Computer Sanity

                              Danny