[CVALE] The Evil Empire and Xandros...Who is next?

[Jason Roysdon]

Gaijin,
   I bet there is a lot you don't know your browser is "leaking":
http://www.webprodevelopment.com/Web_Toys/What_Is_My_User_Agent/
http://id.ziew.info/
http://techpatterns.com/downloads/php_browser_detection.php

The last site knew my screen resolution:
Current Screen Resolution
1280 x 800 pixels

I'm 99% sure that your web browser is reporting it in the user agent
string when it talks to the webserver.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_agent

"A user agent is the client application used with a particular network
protocol; the phrase is most commonly used in reference to those which
access the World Wide Web. Web user agents range from web browsers to
search engine crawlers ("spiders"), as well as mobile phones, screen
readers and braille browsers used by people with disabilities. When
Internet users visit a web site, a text string is generally sent to
identify the user agent to the server. This forms part of the HTTP
request, prefixed with User-agent: or User-Agent: and typically includes
information such as the application name, version, host operating
system, and language. Bots, such as web crawlers, often also include a
URL and/or e-mail address so that the webmaster can contact the operator
of the bot."

Gaijin wrote:
> Robert Grunsky wrote:
>> wait gaijin, can you explain to me what you are talking about? I do not
>> understand what you are trying to say at all.
> 
> 	It's just me blowing my stack again.  Supposedly, I'm running two
> firewalls in WinXP, and have Java support turned off.  I'm blind and I run
> what's called "screen reading" software that reads things on the screen to
> me in a synthesized boice.  Recently, I applied for a G-Mail account with
> Google, and half-way through the application form, the text was asking what
> my screen reading software was saying or doing.  How did they know I was
> running a screen reader?  My only conclusion had to be that they looked
> inside my computer, probably through some Java command.  According to the
> screen reader docs, it automatically sends a bug report to the company if
> it crashes.  Nothing was said about it informing Google and/or similar
> sites that it's running on my system.  I don't mind anyone knowing that I'm
> blind.  I just question how Google knows.  Take a look at my mail headers 
> and you'll see I'm running AVG anti-virus, too.  Anyone wanna field the 
> reason why the general public needs to know which AV program I'm running? 
> I'm just noticing a trend by software and certain OS manufacturers, to help 
> divulge as much info about a person as is possible, or at least set up the 
> OS to be remotely controllable via Java.  Send a person an email, and you 
> can force the OS to spread a virus to everyone in their address book.  That 
> "feature" has been in Windows since '94, and still has yet to be fixed. 
> I'm positive it is still there on purpose.  There have been over five 
> different OS's, multiple software upgrades, and thousands of security 
> updates.  Not one of these has corrected the problem. <shrugs>
> 	Maybe I'm just paranoid.  Also seemed there were reports of having their 
> WinXP firewalls getting their firewalls turned off after a visit to the 
> Microsoft website.  It raised such a big stink that 3rd-party developers 
> started cranking out firewall software...another security issue.  Now I can 
> just visit Google and they can "appear" to see the software I'm running. 
> Maybe they ask everyone what their screen reader software is doing and 
> saying.  That must be it.
> 
> 		Michael
> 
> 
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-- 
Jason Roysdon
http://jason.roysdon.net/