Not only might there be Trojans lurking on your system (this is easily fixed with use of a good virus scanner), there may be other end of spectrum - software that is used to illegally access other machines. These programs are not illegal, network administrators find them of great value in troubleshooting their systems. A number of these tools are free and easily accessible.

.............Do you know what software is installed on your computer?

I was going to publish some of names of these programs, but thought twice as information may actually prompt birth of yet another "Script Kiddie"

If you would like a list of some of popular programs utilised to carry out this practice, please email me. I am currently compiling a list of these programs along with instructions on how to detect them. I can guarantee you that you probably won't find them under Start/Programs menu!

If your kids are engaged in this type of activity, it may be that they just need some information. They may not be fully aware of damage they can cause, or of legal implications to themselves and to you. As a parent, in most countries, you can be prosecuted for illegal activities of your children. Script Kiddie tracing is becoming more refined as problem increases.

Once again, while I have been drafting this article, port number 12345 has been "probed" a total of 5 times on my computer.....somebody's bored..... There are ways to "nuke" person/s doing it, but as my more experienced associates inform me, this only lets person know I am here. It's better off just reporting infringement to originating ISP - a subject for another article.

Michael Bloch  michael@tamingthebeast.net  http://www.tamingthebeast.net Tutorials, web content and tools, software and community. Web Marketing, eCommerce & Development solutions. _____________________________________________ 

Copyright information....If you wish to reproduce this article, please acknowledge "Taming Beast" by including a hyperlink or reference to website (www.tamingthebeast.net) & send me an email letting me know. The article must be reproduced in it's entirety & this copyright statement must be included. Thanks. Visit www.tamingthebeast.net to view other great articles FREE for reproduction!

I screw up my face...this is hard work, y'know..."OK, that's it...waddya think, huh?"

"Aren't you forgetting something, dear?" Now it's my turn to chew my lip, "OK...no more guessin' games...shoot!"

"Well, dear heart, what about all those other hundreds of millions of web pages that are just up there as freebies?" And, she waves her hand vaguely inna air, as though pointing to "up". OK, fine, thinks I, people have been publishing all sorts of web pages for years, technical, personal, informational, educational, etc etc...so that's web, right?...information online...accessible, available, open, free...so what's she driving at...?

"Sooooo....yer sayin' then, that..." I tried to sound like I knew answer as I peered at her, over my tented fingertips...

"Look...," Sherry leaned forward and practically speared my knee with her pointed finger,"when was last time you went to K-mart, Coles, Wal-Mart or whatever, and found your neighbor sitting there trying to show you his personal photos, or interest you in his fly-fishing hobby, or sprout on about some other topic...albeit interesting?" I rubbed my knee, looking for blood.

"Huh...that's stoopid, y'know it...the real world doesn't work like that!" I moved my legs outta way as I said that. ;-((

"Exactly! Yet, if he was there, he'd be taking up real-estate...at a price. At a very hefty price, I might add! Riiight?" I nod slowly...but I hadda agree, it made sense. I opened my mouth again, but she was off t'the races now...

"And...if he wasn't paying anything for pleasure of sitting there, just how long would it take for management to ask him politely to leave? Go to some other store that will allow a free lunch, or go to a warehouse where they hold flea-markets, hmmm?"

I frowned at that, "Now, jest a minute, that's bricks-and-mortars world, real concrete y'know...not some electronic sparkles on a hard drive somewhere!" Sherry shakes her head, "So, when did hard drives suddenly become free, eh? Or computers? Or land lines, microwave transmitters, operating systems, programmers...you want me to go on?" I look at her, very hard now.

"So, yer sayin' then that free lunch is over? Everybody pays?"

"You got it!" She goes on, "Look, three years ago, pay-per-click was unheard of...now look at GoTo and a lot of others!" Now, just so that I got it, real clear-like, "So, you reckon that anybody - business and personal - with a web page will soon hafta pay for pleasure of inclusion in a directory or SE?"

Sherry nods and shrugs, "Maybe not directly for starters, and there'll be different fee structures...and, there may be some institutions that still continue to offer free services - some of smaller players, I guess - but in business, you get what you pay for...every time. And search engines are in business of 'selling' search results, make no mistake!"

She spins her chair back to her desk, "One way or another, search engines have got to make whole schmozzle work better...and make a profit." And as click of mouse continues, "So've we!"

The party's over...now we gotta get serious, I guess...sheesh, and I was havin' soooo much fun, too!

I couldn't resist a closing shot, "Sooooo, I reckon Doomsday Bomb for some of SE Dotcoms ain't gonna happen after all, huh...huh?"

Without missing a click, "More like a Boomsday a-comin' for SEs, dear heart...more like a Boomsday!"