Robin writes:

<<I've used Kazaa with good success. However, make sure that you download
Kazaalite and not the full featured Kazaa with all its spyware.>>

Treat Kazaa, and indeed any file-sharing program, as you would a glass of
hemlock.

It's not the program or even the spyware as such, but the nasties some
cretins put out there for the innocent and unwary to download.

It's now come to light that there's a security flaw in Winamp, which will
allow registry keys to be secretly placed in your registry via an
apparently innocent .MP3 file, which will then execute any destructive code
some stranger wants to place inside your computer.  Alexa and Hotbar have
been secretly downloading registry keys for ages, so nothing new there in
principle.

The short answer to downloading ANY file from a complete stranger
is---DON'T.  Seems there are several nasties floating around Kazaa right
now, as a lot of people are suddenly getting things screwed up.  You'll
find that most tech advisors will advise against using such software.

If I were to use any peer-to-peer downloading, I think I'd download all
such files to a completely isolated Drive or an old computer first. Then if
anything gets screwed, it's simple enough to reformat to clean things up. I
wouldn't be relying solely on any a-v software to keep me 100% safe.

A glance at Symantic and other similar a-v sites will reveal the sorts of
nasties these cretins are putting out onto the Web.

The idea of peer-to-peer sharing is great, as long as you are aware of the
risks, and the possibility that you might have to reformat.  There's always
someone out there who wants to ruin it for the rest.

Don Penlington
Free computer tutorials at: http://www.geocities.com/donaldpen/
Also Fractal Galleries,  free icons,  poetry,  and beautiful Queensland beaches.

      "Hold No Punches.." Rode brings you great shareware/freeware
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