dmarker wrote:

What I am seeking is your opinions on what might be happening - I have my own ideas but I am not an in-depth security expert although I work in aspects of Internet security.

How can I put this delicately? One recurring thread in what you've described is use of your Microsoft-OS client computer on the calling end. You'll probably not be surprised that I'm not optimistic about ability to keep the bad guys out of Microsoft OSes, generally. I've run Microsoft OSes and kept the bad guys out, but it requires a great deal of care. Just installing pointy-clicky geegaws like Zone Alarm really doesn't help. (To be blunt, I can easily imagine your hard drives' installed software being subverted without your being aware of the how, why, when, or by whom.)

Removing that variable (Microsoft OSes) from the picture might not be a sufficient measure. E.g., the bad guys could be ensconced in routers and DNS servers your connections rely upon. However, you could try Karsten's suggestion of burning a Knoppix CD, and seeing if booting that instead of the Microsoft OS on the machine's hard drive makes some or all of those symptoms vanish. Give it a try, and see what happens. Take notes.

Rick Moen
rick@linuxmafia.com