On 16 Jul 99, at 17:32, Jim Meagher wrote:

> Yes Sean, you are open to being hacked, BUT... and that's a big but....
> if you are using a dial up account, then the chances of it happening are
> incredibly small.
>
> The two main reasons that is almost impossible are:
> 1. The hacker would need to know when you are on line. AND
> 2. The hacker would need to know the full IP address you are using and this
> changes each time you dial in.

  There are a couple of exceptions to be noted:

2. Although it has become less common, some ISPs used to provide dial-up
accounts with fixed IP addresses, and you may possibly have such an account
(I do).  Also note that some of the newer alternatives to traditional dial-
up, such as cable modems, may use fixed addresses (and may effectively be on-
line even when you're not at the machine...).

1.  A few applications, such as ICQ, effectively broadcast the fact that you
are on line -- and, to someone with the right set of nefarious tools, your
current IP address.  While risks of being hacked are low for most dial-up
users for the reasons Jim gives, ICQ (and probably some other applications)
may increase the risks significantly.


David G

             PCSOFT maintains many useful files for download
                     visit our download web page at:
                     http://nospin.com/pc/files.html