This is a fantastic idea and shows that they are actually trying to care about the customers.   It seems like you hear about new bot nets every day.   Given Comcast's size, I would imagine that this new feature will impact world wide?

Thank you for the information. I am relatively new to this site and have not seen this information before. I will check these and see what I can find out.

Best regards,

Jim 

We talk about this stuff until we’re blue (or red) in the face here on InterEvol jnieusma, so, you could search here on InterEvol for “bots” to start with; here’s a InterEvol tutorial that they did a while back on bots.  Also, Jart Armin, Gideon Lenkey and Ira have good info on these. See my rant on keeping your system clean here; IMusHO (in my utterly so humble opinion), while botnets are bad, it doesn’t mean that they have corralled ALL Windows PCs into a botnet, just because of the Windows OS (if that’s the case). Basically, if you DTRT (Do the Right Thing), and it ain’t that hard, you can stay out of trouble. Good info here also: http://pcworld.about.com/od/hackers/How-do-I-tell-if-my-computer-i.htm 

If you suspect your PC may be acting fonkee, funkey, funky or funny (not like funny Ha ha, more funny, WHAT THEE F^%$ is happening here?; or where did all my freakin E-mail disappear off too?; or why does a "t" appear everytime I type an "r"; or the best one...where’s all my $$$ in my bank account! Great googly moogly!), in addition to your GOOD antivirus program they you are currently using, install & scan with assorted, various, complementary, NEEDED anti-malware tools like: 

• A2 (A-squared Anti-malware)
• TrendMicro’s: RUBotted.
• TrendMicro’s Rootkitbuster
• F-Secure Blacklight
• Sophos Anti Root Kit
• SpyBot Search & Destroy
• MalwareBytes

it seems like everybody is always on the defensive about internet securtiy i wish somebody would go on the offensive and take on these "bad" guys.  We have the technology to be on the defensive why can't we use to that knowledge and go on the offensive.

I agree that ISPs should be stepping up and adding to the security overall, but the users are the weakest link.  We pay for their service, let them provide some. If commercially available security software is not good enough and the user is not a professional programmer, how do we protect ourselves? I have Comcast that’s plus, I use Norton, another plus, I operate in Vista, apparently a plus. How can I tell if my pc has been shanghaied into a botnet? 

Let’s hope the ISPs with this new step forward by Comcast aren’t as bad some of the anti-malware software companies with their security related…ahem…”customer service” or “quality” let’s call it?

Wrong? Me? Not this time Ira, about the residual effects of some antivirus anyway. Nothing personal against McAfee or John McAfee, especially because he’s lost of lot of his wealth , (from investing heavily in real estate it appears...or maybe it's because his software is crap, or has become crap?), and not to drift too far off point (ah, too late for that)…McAfee versions from 4.5, Security Center versions, and the Enterprise 8.0 have all given me fits; and have been pretty bad, …at times…, with removing themselves “cleanly.” Norton has this issue as well with various products, leaving behind its residue, LiveUpdate garbage, Windows services etc. And again, if any software company has a removal tool for their software (Like McAfee & Norton do [there was one for Novell’s GroupWise as well]), then either they’re making it difficult to uninstall on purpose or their programmers ess-U-see-k.

DHCIR, now you can tell people that you've been wrong "twice or three times before" instead of once or twice.

I don't think someone of your stature, Ira, has been in the "trenches" enuff (maybe I'm wrong...been wrong once or twice B4) like me (sure everyone has an opinion after "touching" McAfee), but...after touching literally thousands of machines in my short 11 yr I.T. cah-rear...McAfee/Norton et al., sucks with its "residual effects." But just...A LOT! 

AV, ALL AV/Anti-malware etc, needs to get MUCH, MUCH better!

...preach the Gospel robbie....it's really easier than everyone thinks (ahem, of course then, we ARE dealing with human beings. Guess that's why Microsoft is scratching their heads ?  Like, Uh, what DON'T THEY understand?).

This limited attempt to stop the 'bad guys' at the border brings to mind an idea I've had before - why can't we organize some 'good guys' to go on the offensive?  Almost all security talk is about defensive measures.  Sure it's hard to know where these attacks are coming from, but it's not impossible.  The current situation seems like a battle where arrows are raining down on the good guys and the best they can hope for is that they are behind a big enough wall with a big enough shield but they do nothing.  Where's the calvary?  Send out the chariots!  Take the hill and put a grenade into the pillbox that's had you pinned down.  It's the only way to make the attacks stop.  Sure they will pop up somewhere else, but that just means another mission.  We need to organize some team to go on the offensive and give them sufficient legal and financial footing to do the job.  Is this a government function?  Do we need a corporate consortium?  Any volunteers?  Just an idea - what do you think?