On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:05:10 +1000 'Me Here'
wrote this on alt.comp.freeware:

>hummingbird wrote:
>> 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]
>>
>>
>
>Yes it does, I use it myself. Even if you use the stock Hosts file
>(with no entries other than 127.0.0.1), you should still lock it down
>because malwares sites have been known to add security site IP's to
>block them in it in an effort to remain undetected (some people don't
>run antivirus software locally but prefer to run "online" scans).

Thanks MH, I'll ponder that.


--
"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)