Lame newbie tutorial on comp protection
As I said before, I heard that banned members have their threads deleted do I decided to repost this under my new account. Hope it helps some extra people. :)
First, are you running any services? I usually run an ftp server, it leaves me open to ftp exploits. Running any services, offering shells, IRC serving, anything like that makes you open up ports, which leaves you open to exploits. So if you want maximum security close everything down, or at least make sure you secure it.
Second, get a firewall. So many people on communities like IRC don't have firewalls, which is why there are so many warscripts, they are so easy to make! Get one, get a free on if you need to, and zonealarm is good, but if you can get zonealarm pro, do it. It has more options and more protection. Also, every once in a while go through you firewall logs, check for traffic that keeps repeating, maybe some kind of ping to port 139 or something like that. If you do, get the ip which should also be in the logs, do a whois lookup and try complaining to their ISP. If you do not know where to complain to (often [email protected]) try going to their website., or posting here. Also try to keep your firewall always on, it helps.
Third, don't let people know who you are. Most people don't consider anonymity very important, but I am not most people, I think it is important. Try finding a proxy server, (Proxy server = Server that lets you access the net/IRC/e-mail through it, and thereby hides your IP address fromt he computer you connecting to) they can help keep people from knowing your IP address. This is particularly important on IRC where people can find out your IP address with a couple of clicks or a quick 2 second whois lookup. IRC proxies are called BNC or bouncers. If you can't find one, I may offer you access to my BNC.
Fourth, run good antivirus software. Some internet newbies think viruses are everywhere, some think that they are rare. It is a grey area, it depends on where you like to surf. If you like going to those hacker sites, or downloading the newest subseven gold, well then you need antivirus software more than others. I like to download off of IRC where you can't really trust people, I usually run norton antivirus one every new file I download, I can't keep that program running to always scan my files, because it hogs too many system resources, but my computer is lame and 6 years old. Chances are YOU CAN! So do it, get an antivirus program.
Fifth, if you are the kind of person who gets 20 e-mails a day promising free pron, fast diplomas, or free money. Well, then check for one of the few services out there that will filter out your spam for you, they can save you tons of headaches. I did not login to my hotmail for 6 days, turned out spam had clogged it and as a result my account was wiped. Trust me those free spam services can be a lifesaver. Just never ever ever reply to spam, it tells them that they hit gold, and that in their e-mailing of random letters and numbers they hit a real e-mail and more spam is sure to follow.
Hope all this helped out some newbies. I will try to do some more indepth stuff, just don't have the time for it. Bye all.
And BTW I call it lame just because it is for newbies (no offense to noobs!!) and so it is probably considered lame by more advanced computer users. I don't in particular think it is lame, but I would rather put it in the subject line then read a reply that calls it lame.
And thanks jethro.
