Map Life Facts - why change proxy settings

BillH · Post by **BillH** » 19 Dec 2011 23:58

I tried to run Map Life Facts and my firewall threw up the following warning.

Why is the plugin trying to change my proxy settings?

Thanks,

Bill

ID:5670

Post by **tatewise** » 20 Dec 2011 00:18

This scenario does occur on some PC with non-Windows Firewalls.
It happened for me on a Windows XP PC with Comodo Firewall like yours.

It is not so much the Plugin itself, but the HTML Application (Map Life Facts.hta) that it uses to couple Google Maps Geocoder, via the PC filing system, to the Plugin.
It is quite safe to allow the request.

Did you get a message from the Plugin saying:
'Geocoder is not running. Run plugin once without Firewall and try again.'

Perhaps there needs to be more help/warning messages for this situation.

BillH · Post by **BillH** » 20 Dec 2011 00:28

Mike,

I did not get that message, but then again I didn't let the hta change the registry settings.

I figured it would be safe as I trust you and Jane not to write plugins or use things that are dangerous.

I was just wondering what was being changed in the registry settings before letting them get changed.

I just now started it up again and got a slightly different one saying that the registry entry for 'ProxyEnable' was going to be changed.

This hta isn't going to enable some kind of proxy server is it?

I guess I'm really just curious about what is going to be changed before I allow it to be changed. Maybe you could through up a window that says what will be changed and allow people to decide whether or not to proceed?

Bill

Post by **tatewise** » 20 Dec 2011 00:45

I will look into it in a bit more detail later, but I guess the .hta needs a proxy server to communicate with Google Maps to use its Geocoder Services on the Internet.

Post by **tatewise** » 20 Dec 2011 21:14

I have inspected the Registry for all four PC on which I test Map Life Facts, and none have any mention of Internet Settings ProxyServer, and PrioxyEnable is its default value of zero.

However, the Windows XP PC with Comodo Firewall has Registry entries for Comodo to Allow those settings to be changed by Map Life Facts.hta!!!
If I cancel those 'Allows' in Comodo, and run Map Life Facts, then Comodo raises warnings again, but if I Allow them all then the Plugin runs OK thereafter.
Very strange!

BillH · Post by **BillH** » 20 Dec 2011 21:19

Thanks for looking into the registry settings.

I went ahead and allowed all the access requests through Comodo. I know you are to be trusted and I guess I can trust Google. [smile]

I am still having the script problem that I mentioned in my other post though.

Thanks,

Bill

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