On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:16:33 +1000 'Me Here'
wrote this on alt.comp.freeware:

>
>hummingbird wrote:
>> On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:23:03 +1000 'Me Here'
>> wrote this on alt.comp.freeware:
>>
>>> Tom wrote:
>>>> On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:45:20 -0400, C A Upsdell wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> If Windows, Ctrl Alt Delete to call up the task manager; select the
>>>>> browser; kill it.
>>>> Very inelegant.
>>>>
>>>> When you have a dozen tabs open, killing the browser, kills all the tabs.
>>>>
>>>> When you restart Firefox, it asks if you want to open all the old tabs,
>>>> but, of course, that will just open the quicksand site all over again.
>>>>
>>>> So, without editing the hosts file and shift reloading, you're forced to
>>>> say NO to reloading your old tabs ... and you lose them all.
>>>>
>>>> That's why you don't kill the browser session.
>>>>
>>>> Luckily we found a single-click way to solve the problem (type "start ->
>>>> run -> hosts, add the offending domain, and shift reload the browser). This
>>>> turns the quicksand URL into cement. Voila! Thanks to hummingbird!
>>
>>
>>> If you have other tabs open that you want to keep viewing, then yes,
>>> it's a good immediate, albeit 'temporary' solution to the problem. I
>>> say temporary because using a Hosts file isn't a good solution. Many
>>> malware sites scan and remove their listings from hosts files (and even
>>> locking it via the read-only attribute won't protect you). They do it
>>> by making you log into a benign site first (one that isn't blocked) and
>>> using that to remove their entry from your Hosts file before redirecting
>>> you and trapping your browser.
>>
>> Good point MH. I've never experienced that trick, especially since
>> I started safe hexing, but I am aware it can happen.
>>
>> These days, I seem to be safe with a hosts file to block unwanted
>> sites, plus a supplementary program or two (SpyWareBlaster etc).
>>
>>
>>> Even running free FireFox addons such as
>>> NoScript won't protect you unless you've been caught before and know not
>>> to allow the site access to Java or JS. You should really be running
>>> an IP blocking program like PeerGuardian or if that is too much hassle,
>>> do what I do and use OpenDNS. I'm sure there are other solutions, those
>>> two just spring to mind. My advice, if you don't want this happening
>>> again and you're the type that's likely to run across sites like these
>>> often, is to do a bit of research into blocking methods and choose the
>>> one that best suits your need.
>>
>>
>
>As I said, a hosts file is great, so long as you protect it otherwise it
>becomes pointless. Many programs out there now protect things like Home
>pages and hosts files simply because security companies are aware that
>they are easily hijacked with things like WSH or ActiveX (or even a
>crappy FF addon).

Yeah, I must think about protecting my own hosts file. I think
SpyWareBlaster offers this feature.

[rushes off to check]


--
"All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed,
and third, it is accepted as self-evident"
(Arthur Schopenhauer)