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Java Forum / General / September 2007Java-based Newsgroups Access w/out Monthly Fee
Hi: Since I currently use Google Groups to post on Usenet newsgroups, I am vulnerable to impersonators. Someone has been impersonating me on Usenet and posting garbage. When I tried to inform people on NGs about my situation, the imposter began to make my multiple copies of my complaints changing some of the contents of my messages. There are 100s -- if not 1,000s -- of these posts that seem to be from me because this guy has forged my email address, IP address, profile, headers, and username. I am wondering if there are any Java-based softwares that will allow me to post to Newsgroups without having to pay a monthly or yearly fee. Hopefully it should be free. If I have to pay, it should be just once. Here is an example of a post impersonating me: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.queerasfolk.uk/msg/ef9f56119d7d1663?dmode= source&hl=en&output=gplain Here is an example of a post that was really by me: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.queerasfolk.uk/msg/bcfb0ea10cbc3d55?dmode= source&hl=en&output=gplain Thanks, Radium > Hi: > [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > Radium Radium, the jerk is using the names of hundreds if not thousands of other users in his crap-generating posts. You are the only one that seems to care. You need to learn to do what everyone else does - just ignore him. There's really no way to stop him. He's smart enough to know how to beat the system and if he's got nothing better to to with his time, he's going to keep making life a bitch for people on Usenet for as long as he feels like it. Maybe this is the only place in his life he feels like he has any power. When someone sees a post full of random works, with your name on, they won't think that you posted it. We all know it was posted by the spammer. The more you talk about him, the more fun he will have and the longer he will keep messing up Usenet. So please, just learn to ignore him and stop whining about him. And I sure hope this message I'm replying to is one of yours and not another one created by the jerk to make it look like your message. There are many places to get free Usenet access to the text groups other than Google. Your ISP probably provides you free access to Usenet with your account. But it makes no difference where you post from, the jerk can still forge your headers. It has nothing to do with Google. It's the simple fact that Usenet is an open system with no security where anyone can post anything they want - including forged messages of other users. If you can't accept this, you really shouldn't be using Usenet.  SignatureCurt Welch http://CurtWelch.Com/ curt@kcwc.com http://NewsReader.Com/ > Radium, the jerk is using the names of hundreds if not thousands of other > users in his crap-generating posts. You are the only one that seems to [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > longer he will keep messing up Usenet. So please, just learn to ignore him > and stop whining about him. It's weird because this is the first time I've really been impersonated. Prior to this case, there were other posters who impersonated me but anyone could easily check the headers and realize that it wasn't me posting the stuff. This time, however, I am dealing with an invincible-invisible type of forger. > And I sure hope this message I'm replying to is one of yours and not > another one created by the jerk to make it look like your message. Yes. This is the real me. > There are many places to get free Usenet access to the text groups other > than Google. Your ISP probably provides you free access to Usenet with [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > post anything they want - including forged messages of other users. If you > can't accept this, you really shouldn't be using Usenet. What really bothers me is that the people in the spammed newsgroups get upset at me because think that I am responsible for the garbage posts. Seeing the headers doesn't give them the truth that I am not the one posting such junk. My email address is filled with angry messages from people who think I am spamming their NGs. Equally-important is that if I post a serious message to those groups -- let's say a question about electronic devices to sci.electronic.basics because I am interested in electronics - the people in that NG are going to think I am still the spammer. My reputation would be ruined on Usenet and no one would take my messages seriously even if they were genuine, non-trolling, and non-spammish. I have a wide variety of interests in science but no own wants to answer my interesting questions because they think I am just trying to pester people into giving me a reaction. Most important is that I don't want to lose my internet connection because angry people [who think I am the culprit] complain to my ISP. Spamming is a form of net-abuse. Most -- if not all -- ISPs are required to disconnect abusive -- or supposedly abusive -- clients from the internet. Not doing so can make the ISP liable for the abuse so they react by turning off the internet connection. Given that the impersonator has forged my IP and header info, it's so easy for me to be punished for a wrong I did not commit. This is what really scares me. > people in that NG are going to think I am still the spammer. My > reputation would be ruined on Usenet and no one would take my messages > seriously even if they were genuine, non-trolling, and non-spammish. Reputation? You are not even using your real name, so how can you have one? > Given that the impersonator has forged my IP and header info, it's so > easy for me to be punished for a wrong I did not commit. This is what > really scares me. Uh, your ISP should be able to tell which ones are forged and which ones are yours. You can always use a PGP sig. I've seen this stop impersonators before. - Kurt > > Radium, the jerk is using the names of hundreds if not thousands of > > other users in his crap-generating posts. You are the only one that [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > that it wasn't me posting the stuff. This time, however, I am dealing > with an invincible-invisible type of forger. Yeah, it sure sucks. > > And I sure hope this message I'm replying to is one of yours and not > > another one created by the jerk to make it look like your message. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > the one posting such junk. My email address is filled with angry > messages from people who think I am spamming their NGs. Yeah, there's not much you can do. You can post a few messages in the same groups to let people know. Or you can just ignore it. Most of the guys that wrote you will probably figure it out on their own soon enough. I've been using the same email address since around 1992 and I think every spammer on the planet is used it to send spam at one time or another. > Equally-important is that if I post a serious message to those groups > -- let's say a question about electronic devices to > sci.electronic.basics because I am interested in electronics - the > people in that NG are going to think I am still the spammer. My > reputation would be ruined on Usenet and no one would take my messages > seriously even if they were genuine, non-trolling, and non-spammish. Most people will understand you are not the spammer when you post a serious question or take the time to actually help people. > I have a wide variety of interests in science but no own wants to > answer my interesting questions because they think I am just trying to > pester people into giving me a reaction. Well, there are plenty of places other than Usenet these days to chat with people about subjects you are interested in. > Most important is that I don't want to lose my Internet connection > because angry people [who think I am the culprit] complain to my ISP. Yeah, well, that can happen. It sucks, but all you can really do is try to explain it to them, and if they aren't willing to listen, move on with your life and get Internet access from some place else. > Spamming is a form of net-abuse. Most -- if not all -- ISPs are > required to disconnect abusive -- or supposedly abusive -- clients > from the internet. No, they aren't required to do that at all. They do it mostly just because it would cost them more money if they didn't. Some save money just by ignoring most abuse complaints. > Not doing so can make the ISP liable for the abuse > so they react by turning off the Internet connection. It all depends on what you want to call abuse. Flooding newsgroups with crap and forging names is not against any law. Usenet providers are not required to cut off a user doing that. I own and and have been running a Usenet business for over 10 years and have never seen a legal argument suggesting I should cut off a user for doing that. I cut off customers who abuse Usenet simply because I don't want to see Usenet abused. > Given that the impersonator has forged my IP and header info, it's so > easy for me to be punished for a wrong I did not commit. This is what > really scares me. Yeah that's true. However, the amount of "punishment" you will receive is relative to the crime. Anyone that attempts to punish you knows they are taking the risk of punishing the wrong person since nothing on Usenet is verified and everything can be forged. As such, they won't risk hurting you too bad. At most, all you can really expect to happen is to loose an ISP account or a Usenet account. There are plenty of options for most people to get Internet access these days. The best advice is to simply not get these cyber bullies mad at you. Just ignore them and pretend they aren't there. Let them do what they feel they need to do and just get on with your life. The more you post messages trying to make them stop, the more likely you are to encourage them to keep bothering you. If they won't go away and keep using your identity, then create a new identity. You can also set up your own web site to establish your true identify and use that as a way of explaining who you really are and the problems you have had with this form of identify thief. The more time you spend establishing yourself as someone who cares and tries to help others, and tries to make the net a better place for everyone, the less people will believe any crap messages created by a forger. SignatureCurt Welch http://CurtWelch.Com/ curt@kcwc.com http://NewsReader.Com/ >> Here is an example of a post impersonating me: See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/pgp.html so you can sign your posts in a way that makes in impossible for others to forge, if readers take the time to run the pos though a PGP signature checker. SignatureRoedy Green Canadian Mind Products The Java Glossary http://mindprod.com ... >Since I currently use Google Groups to post on Usenet newsgroups, I am >vulnerable to impersonators. Since this is your first (off-topic, BTW) post* to comp.lang.java.programmer, I am wonderring why you expect us to care. * OK - you or your impersonator <http://groups.google.com/groups/search?q=programmer&enc_author=kQBjvBQAAAAze6xpo Fjs3__AIncF7m6AOPANdqfI6prRsqjc7uCt1A Perhaps you meant to tell the c.l.javascript** folks, but you will probably find they will care about as much as the folks here. ** That identity shows a number of posts to c.l.js. SignatureAndrew Thompson http://www.athompson.info/andrew/ On Sep 9, 4:00 am, gluceg...@excite.com wrote: > Hi: > > Since I currently use Google Groups to post on Usenet newsgroups, I am > vulnerable to impersonators. No, it is not Google Groups making you vulnerable. Google Groups is responsible for a lot of bad things, but not this. It is the Usenet protocol NNTP which does not guard anyone from faking almost anything in a posting header, except parts of the path entry. > Someone has been impersonating me on > Usenet and posting garbage. Well, the writing was on the wall. No, not for you, but that such vandalism in general was about to start. Just two weeks ago someone calling himself Almond (aka Gennady Kalmykov, Jimi, Nukleus, Librarian, Bloxy's, jc, Acharya Veeren, NewsMaestro) spammed many newsgroups to advertised a tool to do such vandalism. If you google for some of the above names (particular Nukleus, Librarian, Bloxy's) you'll find that the spammer has quite a Usenet history. The tool looked remarkably like HipCrime's News Agent. News Agent is a tool for massive Usenet flodding. If "HipCrime" doesn't ring a bell then Google the name, too. Its a legendary Usenet abuser often called DipCrime, dipslime, dipshit, or dippy by those who don't love him very much. > When I tried to inform people on NGs about > my situation, the imposter began to make my multiple copies of my > complaints changing some of the contents of my messages. If I remember correctly this is a build-in feature of NewsAgent. It takes postings from the newsgroup, extracts the header and uses that information to create nonsense postings with the same subject, from and other header information. > There are > 100s -- if not 1,000s -- of these posts that seem to be from me > because this guy has forged my email address, IP address, profile, > headers, and username. Sounds like the above tool. > I am wondering if there are any Java-based softwares that will allow > me to post to Newsgroups without having to pay a monthly or yearly > fee. That has noting to do with Java. In fact, many of the better newsreaders are in not written in Java. What you first of all need is access to a news server. Your own ISP, RoadRunner, runs news- server.socal.rr.com Access should be part of your normal ISP contract. Then you grap one of the many newsreaders available on the net, install it, and configure it to access news-server.socal.rr.com All this has nothing to do with Java. > Here is an example of a post impersonating me: Discuss such postings to news.admin.net-abuse.usenet unless the people there aren't tired of HipCrime discussions. It has nothing to do with Java. >I am wondering if there are any Java-based softwares that will allow >me to post to Newsgroups without having to pay a monthly or yearly >fee. Hopefully it should be free. If I have to pay, it should be just >once. you can acces with google using a web interface free. The Forte Agent people offer a server for something in the order of $2 a month. See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/forteagent.html My IAP, Telus, bundles newsgroup server access with my high speed DSL Internet access.. It is of variable quality. Every time it gets so awful I start looking for a replacement, it reforms. Check with your IAP. It may have a news server you can use free. try pinging "news". SignatureRoedy Green Canadian Mind Products The Java Glossary http://mindprod.com Free MagazinesGet these publications absolutely FREE for up to 12 months. There are no hidden fees and no obligation. Simply choose a title, complete the application form and submit it. Read more ...
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