Like all things digital, the network of computers that make up the Internet functions by numbers. Most people, however, do much better with names. So a clever scheme called the Domain Name System (DNS) was devised whereby humans could use words to designate websites or regions of cyberspace. These translate into IP numbers for the machines so everyone can be happy.  

Vacation time often means a chance to get out, see the world, or just relax far away from the cares of home and office. Yet most people today don't really want to be completely cut off, even on a much-deserved holiday. Southwest Cyberport offers several different ways for travelers to keep in touch via both email and dial-up access.

Statewide
We serve both the Los Alamos/Santa Fe and Albuquerque metro areas with different local highspeed and analog dial-up numbers.

• Albuquerque (56K): 938-1410, 998-5999

• Los Alamos/Santa Fe (56K): 438-0193

The FBI has issued a warning about zombie attacks. No, not the kind that crave your brains to eat, these zombies want to eat your PC and turn it into a zombie to attack other computers.

Zombies, also called bots, are hijacked computers. It’s usually done through trickery. Infection occurs when the user opens an email attachment with a virus or visits a booby-trapped webpage. The virus quickly takes over the computer, using it to steal personal information, wipe out files, send out spam, spread spyware, or even stash illegal content. Tens of thousands of computers can be on a single botnet, and the managers of such illicit systems will even sell access to other managers.

Chances are extremely high that like most users, you’ve received lots of unsolicited emails offering great deals on (probably fake) pharmaceutical drugs, stock “tips” (hawking worthless investments), and pleas from Nigerian bankers offering to “share their riches”. Called “spam”, these annoyances now make up more than 90% of all email, and it’s an ongoing fight to block them. SWCP's server-side spam filters, accessible from our homepage at http://www.swcp.com, can be a big help.