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An unprotected Windows computer connected to the Internet is in danger of being broken into by outside intruders who continuously scan the Internet for security holes. Many computers use a firewall for protection. Unfortunately, firewalls can be bypassed by clever attackers. The Imaginary Web Server (IWS) makes the attackers think that they have found a web server which is no longer active.
When they come to your computer, the server will give them an error message and send them to http://some.imaginaryplace.com - some imaginary place on the web. Now, don''t worry, you will not be sending them to some unsuspecting web site! Whiz Kid Technomagic has secured the imaginaryplace.com domain and delegated the some.imaginaryplace.com subdomain, so they will, indeed, find the ''new'' location of ''your'' web site. They will go there and leave your computer in peace. Meanwhile, your computer remains perfectly safe from these attackers. No matter what file they try to access on your computer, no matter what command they try to execute on your computer, your IWS always reacts the same way. It never lets them access the inside of your computer but always sends them off. Some attackers try a different approach. Instead of trying to get to your files, they try to upload files to your system. Often these are scripts or programs they want to run on your computer. The Imaginary Web Server will, again, tell them there no longer is anywhere to upload files on your system and will send them away.
Some attackers try to upload huge files, just to keep your system busy and to slow down your Internet access. The IWS shuts the door on them. Other attackers try to sneak in a hidden web server on your system and let that server cooperate with the attackers. But only one web server can exist on your computer. With IWS running, they cannot run. And if they start running first, IWS will tell you that another web server is already running, so you can find it and disable it. |
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