April News Today is:

FULLSPEED UPDATE

It's been about three weeks since we launched the FullSpeed Accelerator and the response has been incredible. The performance has been great and we've had countless users thank us for once again investing in new ways to improve our members' dial-up Internet experience.

Please remember that FullSpeed is completely free and is included in your $19.95 fee, along with all of the other FullNet premium services such as our free, world-class virus and spam protection for your email. For those who haven't tried out the new accelerator yet, I encourage you to go to http://www.fullnet.net/fullspeed for more information.

Also, for those that have been asking for a FullSpeed Accelerator client for the Macintosh operating system, we now have one available. You asked and we've provided it! Just go to the normal download page and select the Macintosh Client: http://www.fullnet.net/fullspeed/download/ .

Jason Ayers
VP of Operations
Jason@fullnet.net

NETWORKING FOR DUMMIES PART #3

I bought a 6 bedroom 4 bath house on 5 acres last September. My plan was to convert it to a sort of over-under duplex with 3 Bedrooms and 2 Baths for each. This past February I leased the downstairs to some students who all have cell phones and didn't want to go through the hassle or expense of getting a telephone line, so they asked me if I could share my DSL connection with one of their computers.

At home I had installed a Linksys WRT54G because my laptop is wireless B only while theirs is wireless G. This particular router is interoperable with both bands.

http://www.linksys.com/Products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=601

I was worried about the signal strength going between floors as the house is constructed very well but there wasn't any problem with signal strength. My problem began when I tried to set up wireless encryption*. You see it is possible in wireless to intercept or “sniff” the packets you are sending through the air. Therefore, it is wise to encrypt them between your computer and the router.

I set encryption up on my router and on my laptop and it worked well but I have been unable to set up encryption on my tenant's Dell computer. As a result I have stopped all encryption and will keep you posted on my progress.

* Short for Wired Equivalent Privacy , a security protocol for wireless local area networks (WLANs) defined in the 802.11b standard. WEP is designed to provide the same level of security as that of a wired LAN. LANs are inherently more secure than WLANs because LANs are somewhat protected by the physicalities of their structure, having some part or all of the network inside a building that can be protected from unauthorized access. WLANs, which are over radio waves, do not have the same physical structure and therefore are more vulnerable to tampering. WEP aims to provide security by encrypting data over radio waves so that it is protected as it is transmitted from one end point to another. However, it has been found that WEP is not as secure as once believed. WEP is used at the two lowest layers of the OSI model - the data link and physical layers; it therefore does not offer end-to-end security.

Definition provided by Webopedia, the only online dictionary and search engine you need for computer and Internet technology definitions. http://www.webopedia.com

Next month we will wrap up our series on Networking for Dummies.

Timothy J. Kilkenny
Founder & CEO
tim@fullnet.net

COMPUTER VIRUSES – WHAT ARE THEY & WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THEM?

A computer virus is a special type of computer program.  According to Dictionary.Com, a computer virus is a computer program that is designed to replicate itself. It may be benign or have a negative effect. Like any computer program, they can only affect the state of your computer while they are running.

If a virus can only affect your computer when it is running, then how does it get started?  Computer viruses often use deception to infect your computer.  By posing as a program or file that you want to open, they will trick you into running them.  This kind of virus is called a Trojan Horse.  Once you run a virus, its first goal is often to make sure that it will be able to run itself again without your consent.  Its next goal is often to spread: to infect as many other computers as it can.

Email Viruses do this by using your computer to distribute messages containing the virus as an email attachment.  They often harvest every email address from your contact list and your inbox and then move on to randomly generated email addresses.  It is important to realize that the From address in an email message can be faked!  Email viruses will often claim to come from an address that you might trust, such as admin or staff, or even your own email address.  Thankfully, FullNet's FREE FullFilter service will detect email viruses before they ever reach your computer.

One type of virus, the Worm, attempts to use your network or the Internet to attack other computers by exploiting bugs and security flaws in their software.  People all over the world discover unexpected security flaws that a malicious virus can abuse.  Once an individual finds these flaws and alerts the responsible companies, those companies can release security updates and patches that fix them.  For example, Microsoft provides a free service at http://www.WindowsUpdate.com that can scan your computer, provide a list of applicable updates, and even install them for you!

If you have never visited Microsoft's www.WindowsUpdate.com to download security patches, updates, and other bug fixes, doing so right away will help to protect your computer from a computer virus!  If you do not yet have the free FullFilter service, just send an email to support@fullnet.net and we can very easily get you set up with this world class protection for your email at no additional cost. Or don't hesitate to call one of our friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives, toll free at (877) 385-5832, we are here 24 hours a day 365 days a year to help.

Matt Wiltfong
Customer Service Representative
FullNet Communications, Inc.
support@fullnet.net

Hi!

My name is Pat Shurley. I've been at FullNet for over three years and am the Vice President of Finance. I am a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond and a certified public accountant. Prior to coming to FullNet, I worked for a number of years at two of Oklahoma's fastest growing public companies: Sonic Corporation and Advantage Marketing Systems. I enjoy the many challenges of helping FullNet grow and improve the services that it provides to all of its members. Feel free to contact me if I can help you with anything.

Pat Shurley
VP-Finance
pshurley@fullnet.net