Applications in avatars - is there a security issue?

[Cornish Steve]

I must admit that I find it a little unnerving that a fellow member's avatar presents me with my IP address, my ISP name, my operating system, and information about my browser. Presumably, he is running a program from within his avatar that analyses my Internet session (which is quite clever).

If that's the case, what's to stop some rogue or other from uploading an application to his avatar that installs a virus on my computer? Should I be worried about this?

[TWD-Tony]

I have never heard of a virus spread by an avatar... There was a case this year of a virus spread via a jpg image - but AFAIK you have to open the image via email (not through a web browser) and if you are upto date on security patches in Windows (Linux wasn't effected) then you are okay...

This avatar is used a lot across the internet, it's nothing new and nothing to worry about... :wink:

[KM-Tiger]

Presumably, he is running a program from within his avatar that analyses my Internet session.
Steve,

I assure you nothing sinister is intended. The program actually runs on the server at danasoft.com, you can see their privacy statement here:-

http://www.danasoft.com/privacy.php

see the section headed Signature Graphic.

The information you see is no more than you present to every website you visit. I can't see it BTW, I only see my own IP etc.

Does make you think though? I will remove the avatar if requested.

[Cornish Steve]

Presumably, he is running a program from within his avatar that analyses my Internet session.
Steve,

I assure you nothing sinister is intended. The program actually runs on the server at danasoft.com, you can see their privacy statement here:-

http://www.danasoft.com/privacy.php

see the section headed Signature Graphic.

The information you see is no more than you present to every website you visit. I can't see it BTW, I only see my own IP etc.

Does make you think though? I will remove the avatar if requested.

I think it's very clever. I'm just worried that others could use the same mechanism for less than laudable purposes.

[TWD-Tony]

As mentioned above - you can only see YOUR information (just as I can only see mine) and the information given is only the same as the information available through website logs etc...

The only way to keep your information hidden is to either use a proxy service or don't use the Internet! :lol:

The information passed between you and a website HAS to be there (you cannot disable it) because if you did - the webserver would have no idea where to send the page to!

Tony