Newbie Girl With a Question.

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February 18th, 2005, 07:27 PM
BasementJaxx

Newbie Girl With a Question.

Hi all.. I found this site today and Registered, lol via the post with the register link 5465465465465565546554645 times!!

Name is Jaxx..

I'm a gamer & I have a question that hopefully someone can help me with.

I visit a forum for the game I play and am close to gaining admin status on the server, but when I was granted a higher access to the forum.. I realized that everyone's IP address is listed right next to the post. - Including mine. I also noticed that the two most computer savy admins have theirs hidden.. and ----- appears instead of the IP address.

Is there anything I can do about protecting my IP? A program, a tweak??? What can I do to hide my IP as much as possible, without compromising easy usage?

Any links, old posts or new thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

On a side note.. I was at a second hand store and ran across The Cybertheif and the Samurai for 25cents lol .. so Im on page 50... its interesting to me.. as I didnt realize all of this...
Anyone else read this?

A true newb,

Jaxx
February 18th, 2005, 08:00 PM
a morning chill

Welcome to the forums, Kelly :) Hope you enjoy your time with us.

In regards to your IP address showing, we need to cover a few peices of ground concerning the forums. First, are the IP's visible to normal users, or just the admins(or similar rank)? If the IP addresses of the poster are visible to ALL of the users, then that configuration needs to be changed so that only administrators can see that information. Why? Cuts down on possible mischief if someone ends up taking an argument they lost and turning it into a Denial of Service attack.

Now, in regards to protecting your IP address, the first thing that needs to be done is dispelling the myth of the "IP danger". All too often, and for far too long, it has been thought that having someone's IP address means you could have complete and total control over their computer. This is highly incorrect, so please understand that even if they do obtain your IP address, there is very little they can do with it. If you are still worried, look into properly securing your Operating system. Shut off programs you are not using, services you are not using, and turn off network protocols (like file and printer sharing (or SAMBA)) that are not in use. Disable things that you will not be using so that it leaves one less door for little kids to crawl through.

If you still find yourself a bit concerned, look into downloading and installing Kerio Firewall (assuming you are on windows, use iptable for linux). Can't think of the link right now, as I just woke up, but a quick google search should make it very easy for you. The firewall will protect outgoing and incoming traffic, keeping bad things out and bad things in.

If you need assistance in specific OS configuration or firewall usage, ask away. We will be more than happy to help!
February 18th, 2005, 08:09 PM
thehorse13

Quote:

so please understand that even if they do obtain your IP address, there is very little they can do with it.

Are you sure you don't want to rethink this statement?
February 18th, 2005, 08:13 PM
dinowuff

Horse you beat me to it! Bummer
February 18th, 2005, 08:21 PM
BasementJaxx

Thx for responding..
The Ip is only accessible for admin and people becoming admins (me)..so no the hundreds of people can't view it...

I know those folks are safe.. and no one really has a reason to invade my pc... but im kind of worried.. as ive been a victim of identity theft a few years back...this was before i knew what a firewall was.

Now I dont think I am doing any better now..

Right now I am running Mcafee security center... which has four compenents.. virus scan, personal firewall, privacy service and spamkiller. Now only three work for me ,...the privacy service wont install properly ...as it says I am missing a central.dll....whatever the hell that is...lol...its been this way for a few months and its on auto-update. I also have my windows firewall on ..whether that does anything really or not i donno.. and today I told my firewall to block the remote assistance feature of xp, i didnt understand it ,,..but I dont need it and it sounds like it leaves something open..

Is mcafee adequate..?

What can I really do to help protect my Ip, myself.

Anyway .. rant ..rant..

One more thing.. I use winmx to download.. is this a huge security risk?

Thanks again

Jaxx

Quote:

Originally posted here by a morning chill
Welcome to the forums, Kelly :) Hope you enjoy your time with us.

In regards to your IP address showing, we need to cover a few peices of ground concerning the forums. First, are the IP's visible to normal users, or just the admins(or similar rank)? If the IP addresses of the poster are visible to ALL of the users, then that configuration needs to be changed so that only administrators can see that information. Why? Cuts down on possible mischief if someone ends up taking an argument they lost and turning it into a Denial of Service attack.

Now, in regards to protecting your IP address, the first thing that needs to be done is dispelling the myth of the "IP danger". All too often, and for far too long, it has been thought that having someone's IP address means you could have complete and total control over their computer. This is highly incorrect, so please understand that even if they do obtain your IP address, there is very little they can do with it. If you are still worried, look into properly securing your Operating system. Shut off programs you are not using, services you are not using, and turn off network protocols (like file and printer sharing (or SAMBA)) that are not in use. Disable things that you will not be using so that it leaves one less door for little kids to crawl through.

If you still find yourself a bit concerned, look into downloading and installing Kerio Firewall (assuming you are on windows, use iptable for linux). Can't think of the link right now, as I just woke up, but a quick google search should make it very easy for you. The firewall will protect outgoing and incoming traffic, keeping bad things out and bad things in.

If you need assistance in specific OS configuration or firewall usage, ask away. We will be more than happy to help!
February 18th, 2005, 08:29 PM
BasementJaxx

Quote:

Originally posted here by a morning chill
If you are still worried, look into properly securing your Operating system. Shut off programs you are not using, services you are not using, and turn off network protocols (like file and printer sharing (or SAMBA)) that are not in use. Disable things that you will not be using so that it leaves one less door for little kids to crawl through.

I know i sound like a moron..---- i would turn off network protocols if i knew where to find them..or really what you refer to.
February 18th, 2005, 08:36 PM
Tiger Shark

Quote:

This is highly incorrect, so please understand that even if they do obtain your IP address, there is very little they can do with it.

You know... You would really be surprised.....

I have found several people simply by finding their _fixed_ IP address...... Right down to home address.... After the home address you'd be even more surprised how much more info that can be found publicly that could be used to harass you by someone with malicious intent. The less people that know your fixed IP address the better. BTW, before you tell me that you can get it changed... You are right.... But you need to remember that the all knowing internet is like an elephant... It remembers everything you did under that IP, including published emails on lists etc. All that info about you is still out there.... which leads to the other information and, in time, to your new IP address......

No information given out is the standard to aim for..... Not, "ahhh, don't worry about it, it's harmless"..... 'cos it ain't....
February 18th, 2005, 08:42 PM
Outer_Heaven

[qoute]no one really has a reason to invade my pc[/quote]

Even if you don't have any personal information stored on it and only use it for gaming, there is still always plenty of reasons for someone to ivade your pc, that is unless you don't care about it at all. You might not have any information of value to anyone whatsoever, but there is always someone who might just want to crash it for the hell of it. They could invade it and use it to send virus' and other malware to other people's pc's. It's your discretion.

Do you have any anti-spyware or anti-adaware installed? If not, download spybot and ad-aware at the minimum, and scan regularly. I scan once a week at the least, and whenever I think there might be suspicious activity. Do you download the Windows security upadates, or check their website for recent updates, about, I don't know, every couple weeks or so? If not, do so.

Again, there is always plenty of reasons to invade your pc.
February 18th, 2005, 08:47 PM
Iron-Kurton

Kelly,

If you are really worried just about your IP address showing, maybe an option would be to go through a proxy -- it's basically the middle man in an internet connection. You tell the proxy where you want to go (which URL), the proxy gets it for you and makes it appear as if the proxy requested the page (hence, the proxy's IP shows up on your forums).

Now, where to get a *reliable, safe* proxy server (because, after all, all your data is going through them now)? I was hoping the generous AO community could help me out on this one. I don't know of any public ones off the top of my head nor even where to look for one because I haven't done this in years. The only one I still remember is www.anonymizer.com, but it could be soooo outdated.

Anyway, I hope this helps,

-ik
February 18th, 2005, 09:03 PM
BasementJaxx

I do have adaware. spydoctor and spybot search and destroy...I run them about once or twice a week... when i do a defrag and registry cleanups.. I update before I use them..
windows is on auto update..

I was meaning a specific reason for someone to invade me.. the general reasons apply to all newbs like me .. tis why im trying to learn.

Quote:

Originally posted here by Outer_Heaven
[qoute]no one really has a reason to invade my pc

Even if you don't have any personal information stored on it and only use it for gaming, there is still always plenty of reasons for someone to ivade your pc, that is unless you don't care about it at all. You might not have any information of value to anyone whatsoever, but there is always someone who might just want to crash it for the hell of it. They could invade it and use it to send virus' and other malware to other people's pc's. It's your discretion.

Do you have any anti-spyware or anti-adaware installed? If not, download spybot and ad-aware at the minimum, and scan regularly. I scan once a week at the least, and whenever I think there might be suspicious activity. Do you download the Windows security upadates, or check their website for recent updates, about, I don't know, every couple weeks or so? If not, do so.

Again, there is always plenty of reasons to invade your pc. [/QUOTE]
February 18th, 2005, 11:19 PM
Tiger Shark

Kelly:

[Security 101] I don't need to know your real name and I certainly don't need to know your email address to be able to converse with you through AO. It's those "silly" little "details" that compromise your personal security which, of all the kinds of security required out there, is the most basic..... Don't tell anyone on the internet who you are unless you are prepared to deal with them face to face or go to "battle" in the virtual world on a non-gaming, (read: malicious), basis.
[/Security 101]

My post above refers to the potential for abuse of your IP address...... Fortunately the admins of the forums are smart enough to withhold that from common users.... It might still be a good idea to use a proxy to visit the forums.... Not to play the game... It would slow you down too much.... ;)

As to your current practices on your computer.... I wish the entire base of users of the internet were as smart as you.... Well done... Keep it up and tighten it up wherever you can.....

As to your wish to learn..... Start at the very beginning - or at the point where your current knowledge becomes "fuzzy" - and learn _how_ a network and therefore the internet works.... It's the most valuable set of knowledge you can glean... after that, it's all "details" and many of the other "issues" you will be faced with daily can be thought through with that knowledge....
February 18th, 2005, 11:59 PM
foxyloxley

You have Windows firewall AND macafee's ?
This is a potential conflict, and you would be better to disable the Windows one [assuming you have XP + SP2 ?]

You don't mention any IDS [Intrusion Detection System] check the following link, the author is one of ours :) http://netsecurity.about.com/cs/hack...a/aa030504.htm

Then you could use Google to search for and utilise one.

As for your first post ...................
And to add what Tiger is FAR too polite to mention :D

Edit / delete your EMail from the post, also remove the reference to your RL [Real Life] name.

You appear to be following all the other check points, so just use common sense out there.
If you met someone on the street for the first time, would you tell THEM your NAME and ADDRESS .................

I would hope the answer would be NO !!
So, why have you done it here ?

Take care, surf safe. Pax
February 19th, 2005, 02:36 AM
TheSpecialist

Quote:

someone to invade your pc, that is unless you don't care about it at all. You might not have any information of value to anyone whatsoever, but there is always someone who might just want to crash it for the hell of it.

There is no "someone"... intrusions are automated and forgotten about. People only reap the rewards. It would be very rare to actually see a human being involved in an intrusion. Go get smacked with a clue.
February 19th, 2005, 03:43 AM
Outer_Heaven

Quote:

I do have adaware. spydoctor and spybot search and destroy...I run them about once or twice a week... when i do a defrag and registry cleanups.. I update before I use them..
windows is on auto update..

I was meaning a specific reason for someone to invade me.. the general reasons apply to all newbs like me .. tis why im trying to learn.

I wasn't trying to insult your intelligence, forgive me, but seeing how you kept stating that you are a newb, I just wasn't sure how up to speed you were, or were not. And yes, the general reasons do apply to all newbs, that is why I suggested what I did.

But all I was trying to say was, someone doesn't have to be targetting you specifically, but because the pc you use for gaming is online, there is always something looking for vulnerabilities. But you know this.

But anyway, as for your getting "missing central.dll," I searced it on google, and it isn't something that you are missing. All the hits pointed back to McAfees, and while I couldn't gather a specific answer for you, it is apparently a problem that has been going on for years with their AV software. I saw two things, one said that it is a flaw McAfees offers to fix the problem only to paid subscribers. The other was it was a flaw in McAfees that they haven't found a solution for.

There were other links to downloads offering to "fix missing dll errors" though. I checked one out, and you had to type in the problem, so I typed in the error you stated you had, and it brought me to the installshield to download the application. I didn't go any farther than that and canceled out. The other link I checked offered a free trial to fix dll errors, but saw "free trial" and didn't go any further.

Again, I couldn't find any specifics to the cause of the problem only that it is a flaw in McAfees AV that has been going on for years. Here is the google link I got to "missing a central.dll":

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...ll&btnG=Search

The links to the sites that offer to fix dll errors are located on the right side of the page

And here is the link to the webpage that provided the most information of the ones I checked. There were a few other links that seemed to address the problem more specifcly, but they were in french, spanish, and german. The other links in English I checked out, most hardly went into depth at all. But on this link, they talk more specifically about missing central.dll about 12 posts down:

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/archi...hp/t-1183.html

Hope this helps, and again, I wasn't trying to insult your intelligence at all
February 19th, 2005, 03:49 AM
Outer_Heaven

Quote:

There is no "someone"... intrusions are automated and forgotten about

But "someone" had to design those automated intrusions in order to forget about them
February 19th, 2005, 05:13 AM
morganlefay

BasementJaxx ....a word of advice...

You have received excellent advice from AO senior members....Tiger Shark, The Horse, Foxyloxy...these guys know thier stuff....

take heed ;)

no one needs to know your personal info here..or anywhere on the net, forums..gaming sites

and anyone can say they are somebody..they really aren't....you can be anyone you want to be on the net....

[QUOTE]If you met someone on the street for the first time, would you tell THEM your NAME and ADDRESS

Personally...trust is earned

just my .02 cdn

MLF
February 19th, 2005, 05:40 AM
BasementJaxx

Hi again all...

Well you found more on the Dll in your five minutes then i did in a few days of searching..
I gave up on trying to figure it out..
It asked for a file.. I directed it to the file like it wanted and boom* same thing over and over...

So as far as stating my first name.......it wasnt my last... I didnt realize that was bad, nor posting my email address..not home... lord no.. was bad either.

I did edit my post because it seemed like most of you guys strongly see something wrong with posting a first name and email addy.. I guess I'm not understand the inherit problem with it .. but if it is...so be it!I shall listen.

Anywho... no it wasnt an insult to my intelligence.. LMAO i have no COMPUTER intelligence..I do those things because my friend who runs some servers told me to download all those programs... I would ask her these questions.. but she kinda talks down to me in some sort of superiority thing..so I figured why not try and find a safe public forum to ask people...
I just want to protect my pc...
So far Ive heard proxy ..which I will reseach and see if it something I could actually manage to do.. my only concern is my gaming.. How do you go from a proxy surfing connection to a non proxy gaming connection.. ? :hippy:
I dont know enough to know if my mcafee is sufficient?? That was one main question I had..
Do I have a virus?? No .. but that doesnt mean that Im safe?

The other was the IP ..

Is there anything I can do to truly mask or hide my IP ?

I will check back in the morning to see if anyone has posted... thx to those who have taken their time to post on this.
February 19th, 2005, 10:11 AM
ikalo

The thing about internet is that you can't hide your IP from it. You can only try to hide it from other internet users.

Ictualy there is one way to completely hide your IP. Pull the cable out of wall (or whatever media you use for internet connection). The drawback is that you can't go online then.

Maybie you probably know that your IP is used to indetify your computer on the network. That is the only way that you can receive any data from the net.

From my humble experience, if someone is realy willing to find your IP, he/she will do it. It is only matter of time. So, your best chance is that you are always prepared. And as my signature says "Make your knowledge your deadliest weapon"

If this post looks fussy, it is because I'm in the office and telephones are ringing all the time.
Sorry
February 19th, 2005, 10:44 AM
TheSpecialist

Quote:

Pull the cable out of wall (or whatever media you use for internet connection).

Thats awsome... cool... awsome... cool... hardy har har har, Fother Mucker! Go ahead and do that like ummmmm, now.

Quote:

From my humble experience, if someone is realy willing to find your IP, he/she will do it. It is only matter of time. So, your best chance is that you are always prepared. And as my signature says "Make your knowledge your deadliest weapon"

No one really gives a **** about you, him, or an internet protocol to start with so I really don't see a problem. The great comical irony of this thread is here is a supposedly identity theft victim turned paraniod internet user... who goes under the cover of a "little newbie girl" but its NOT made very obvious... I mean, a thread title is just a title. And either way a man or woman in a dress isn't going to draw any attention, right?
February 19th, 2005, 11:26 AM
ikalo

???

Someone had a rough night. Did anyone noticed irony in my words when I mentioned pulling the cable.

Specialist, if you know better way to isolate your computer, share it with the whole world. Please.
February 19th, 2005, 12:17 PM
BasementJaxx

Quote:

Originally posted here by TheSpecialist
Thats awsome... cool... awsome... cool... hardy har har har, Fother Mucker! Go ahead and do that like ummmmm, now.

No one really gives a **** about you, him, or an internet protocol to start with so I really don't see a problem. The great comical irony of this thread is here is a supposedly identity theft victim turned paraniod internet user... who goes under the cover of a "little newbie girl" but its NOT made very obvious... I mean, a thread title is just a title. And either way a man or woman in a dress isn't going to draw any attention, right?

The fact that you take the time to post this typed garbage is a true testiment that you put on your thong the wrong way this morning and have no class!!! who cares what you have to spam.. ive been pm'd from some pretty helpful people.. yes i am a chic, yes i did have identity theft and your attitude is subpar to a third grader on ridilin. grow up!!

So this forum just allows flamers?
February 19th, 2005, 12:20 PM
BasementJaxx

I dont really understand why you people are posting with nothing really to add to the topic but a bad attitudes and bad satire.

Quote:

Originally posted here by ikalo
The thing about internet is that you can't hide your IP from it. You can only try to hide it from other internet users.

Ictualy there is one way to completely hide your IP. Pull the cable out of wall (or whatever media you use for internet connection). The drawback is that you can't go online then.

Maybie you probably know that your IP is used to indetify your computer on the network. That is the only way that you can receive any data from the net.

From my humble experience, if someone is realy willing to find your IP, he/she will do it. It is only matter of time. So, your best chance is that you are always prepared. And as my signature says "Make your knowledge your deadliest weapon"

If this post looks fussy, it is because I'm in the office and telephones are ringing all the time.
Sorry
February 19th, 2005, 12:47 PM
ikalo

Jaxx
My intentions are not starting flamewar or confusing people.
Like I already said in my first post, phones were runing wild this morning. Once again I'm sorry if my post sounded fussy.

I'll try to put some more meaning to my words next time.

Now something useful

If you want to test your firewall there is one nice online tester. It is called "shields up" and it can be found on https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
mr Gibson has some other nice tools used to shutdown things your don't need in your windows.
February 19th, 2005, 01:03 PM
MorinDCNWS

Hi all!

I think there are a lot of people who have no reason to try to break into a system etc. but they do because
just for fun or just to know they can do it.
First of all if you want to secure your system you check your ports to see what is open and why it is opened.
I suggest to close all services you do not need. In windows xp you can see a list of running services.
Check what you need and only enable those services. I had many problems with worms when I was using
windows. It was abusing when the machine always rebooted 'cuz of the vulnerability of the RPC daemon
so I changed the error handling method (?) to not to reboot when an RPC failure occurs.
So, in a nutshell check your windows configuration, modify it to suit your needs and only after that install
antivirus stuff / firewall(s).
I think it isn't a bad idea to install a sniffer and check what kind of data you send and get from the outside
and then set up your firewall.
I think there's no need to use a huge hard to configure firewall...

In connection with the forum stuff:

If you don't want others to see your ip address use a proxy.
February 19th, 2005, 01:51 PM
MrLinus

Quote:

If you don't want others to see your ip address use a proxy.

Proxies can only "mask" your IP so to speak. There is always a way to trace someone if the person or organization that wants to do the trace has the time, resources and money to do so. So, using a proxy for personal privacy of day-to-day surfing should be sufficient for the average joe or average jane. I know someone said that Anonymizer was old but I've used it recently (last year?) and it wasn't that bad. Public proxies might be difficult for gaming but Anonymizer might be a little more flexible and the cost isn't that high ($40/yr ?) .

BasementJaxx,

There has been quite a bit of good info provided to you. There has been a couple of flames. It does happen and if it goes too far, please use the Report feature (found on every post). Alternatively, you can use the Ignore User option to weed out those that annoy you too much. If you really feel that you want to complain send a PM to myself or Negative (we're the board wide moderators) and we'll see what we can do.

That said, the issue with putting up your personal info is that it falls under what might be termed as "information leakage". Given your comment such as this:

Quote:

The Ip is only accessible for admin and people becoming admins (me)..so no the hundreds of people can't view it...

I know those folks are safe.. and no one really has a reason to invade my pc... but im kind of worried.. as ive been a victim of identity theft a few years back...

It actually might be worthwhile to be careful as to what info you provide that includes your real name and email address. Putting up too much info about yourself can be risky and can open you up to attack. The choice is still ultimately your own and you have to be comfortable with what you choose.

Additionally, you have identified a very important reason why someone would want to compromise it: it's used for admin. So it should be, IMO, hardened and protected a little more. Hundreds can view it. The issue is does it have something worth viewing. Some of the attacks being done recently are based simply on the fact that a machine has a vulnerability. You asked in one of your posts for a specific reason why someone would attack you. Here's one: because you are online and have a machine that might have something 1) good 2) useful in an attack 3) useful to store something for later use 4) just because.

As for McAfee, I personal do not like it (or other all-in-one options). The biggest reason is that if a flaw or vulnerability is found in one aspect of it, the whole thing could be suspect (call me paranoid -- I just don't trust it). Personally, I like different tools and I like the words "don't pay" or "free". So instead of an all-in-one from Norton's or McAfee I use AVG (from Grisoft.com) for AV and Sygate as a firewall tool. I also use Secway (from Secway.fr) as an MSN encryption tool (pretty nifty IMO).

As for WinMX, anytime you do something that connects you to the internet you are opening yourself up to risk. You might be opening yourself up higher with WinMX and downloading of "software" that might be infected. The reality is that the more you do online, the higher your risk is to be compromised or attacked. It doesn't mean you will be, just that that odds are higher.

HTH.

If you have other questions, ask away. :D
February 19th, 2005, 02:39 PM
Egaladeist

BasementJaxx,

Don't mind The Specialist...he's an ass and provides comedy relief for the site...nobody takes him seriously. But even an ass is right once in awhile.

Under normal circumstances a question such as yours would not have received 3 pages of replies, I can only assume that on this one point only the Specialist is right. If you had not revealed your gender or had another handle you probably would not be getting the response you have.
I'm sure you can understand that ( eg. downtrodden...hi, I'm a newbie...would not solicit the same reponse...or the resulting PM's you mentioned...and this is clear if you take a look around the forums at similiar questions and their replies)...in the newbie section...having the most replies and views in a post not even 24 hours old is unusual.

And I'm not saying it was intentional on your part at all...it's just human nature.

I hope your stay at AO is a good one ... and like I said, don't mind the Specialist, he's comedy relief.

Eg :)
February 19th, 2005, 09:37 PM
TheSpecialist

Quote:

the Specialist is right. If you had not revealed your gender or had another handle you probably would not be getting the response you have.

Now hang on a minute. All im saying is here is someone who claims to want a bit of privacy, supposedly has had their identity stolen, but then goes off and makes a thread with a title like that. Now it doesn't take a smart person to point out these self contradictions and say, look I think your kind of a bad liar or something.

Quote:

he's an ass and provides comedy relief for the site...

Whats really funny is that I don't see it that way.
February 19th, 2005, 10:08 PM
Egaladeist

I was only responding to this one statement you made....

Quote:

And either way a man or woman in a dress isn't going to draw any attention, right?

I assumed you were being your usual sarcastic self and addressing the fact she brought up her gender in order to draw attention to herself...that's what the quote looks like.

If that's not what you meant then my answer can easily stand on it's own merits.

As for the other thing you brought up...I doubt many would disagree with me...I've read many of your posts and I enjoy them...as comedy...because there's not much substance beyond that.
February 19th, 2005, 11:16 PM
BasementJaxx

Thx Msmittens. I am going to ask around my gaming community for those that are using proxies and see what would be the best choice.

& im oh so grateful tht this forum uses this ignore option....one click and poof he's gone..its perfect! I didnt realize that option was there , or i woulda clicked it rather than replied...it just crap when someone wants help and gets berated by the people who could help.. but most of you have been very nice & helpful...so again thx

Im finding out more and more everyday that mcafee isnt going to work for me,pieces of the suite are missing..so im voyaging into learning what will work...and going to get some differnt opinions. I dont mind paying.. but what i do mind is paying for products that dont work.. I think mcafee has done themselves a huge dis-service with this new suite. I surely wont be buying their products again. Even their stingers dont work! thats pretty bad.

I didnt realize until yesterday someone from this forum wrote to me and told me that firewalls should mask my ip address... which hmmmm..didnt know tht..

mittens..you are very correct that there is inherit level of risk involved with security and being an admin, its a very well known server.
but mostly my overall sense of assurance...

Winmx is one of my favorite programs that i use to get just songs and the simpsons..

I do have a question regarding file sharing, two computers and one internet connection.

If I use one pc for nothing other than storage and downloading and the other pc for everything else.. and use a router .. is there a risk for contamination from one pc to the other?
Assuming they are networked in NO way and connected just by the router..
It may seem silly to you all but I genuinely dont know and its something ive been seriously thinking of doing for ease of downloading and gaming??

Jaxx

Quote:

Originally posted here by MsMittens
Proxies can only "mask" your IP so to speak. There is always a way to trace someone if the person or organization that wants to do the trace has the time, resources and money to do so. So, using a proxy for personal privacy of day-to-day surfing should be sufficient for the average joe or average jane. I know someone said that Anonymizer was old but I've used it recently (last year?) and it wasn't that bad. Public proxies might be difficult for gaming but Anonymizer might be a little more flexible and the cost isn't that high ($40/yr ?) .

BasementJaxx,

There has been quite a bit of good info provided to you. There has been a couple of flames. It does happen and if it goes too far, please use the Report feature (found on every post). Alternatively, you can use the Ignore User option to weed out those that annoy you too much. If you really feel that you want to complain send a PM to myself or Negative (we're the board wide moderators) and we'll see what we can do.

That said, the issue with putting up your personal info is that it falls under what might be termed as "information leakage". Given your comment such as this:

It actually might be worthwhile to be careful as to what info you provide that includes your real name and email address. Putting up too much info about yourself can be risky and can open you up to attack. The choice is still ultimately your own and you have to be comfortable with what you choose.

Additionally, you have identified a very important reason why someone would want to compromise it: it's used for admin. So it should be, IMO, hardened and protected a little more. Hundreds can view it. The issue is does it have something worth viewing. Some of the attacks being done recently are based simply on the fact that a machine has a vulnerability. You asked in one of your posts for a specific reason why someone would attack you. Here's one: because you are online and have a machine that might have something 1) good 2) useful in an attack 3) useful to store something for later use 4) just because.

As for McAfee, I personal do not like it (or other all-in-one options). The biggest reason is that if a flaw or vulnerability is found in one aspect of it, the whole thing could be suspect (call me paranoid -- I just don't trust it). Personally, I like different tools and I like the words "don't pay" or "free". So instead of an all-in-one from Norton's or McAfee I use AVG (from Grisoft.com) for AV and Sygate as a firewall tool. I also use Secway (from Secway.fr) as an MSN encryption tool (pretty nifty IMO).

As for WinMX, anytime you do something that connects you to the internet you are opening yourself up to risk. You might be opening yourself up higher with WinMX and downloading of "software" that might be infected. The reality is that the more you do online, the higher your risk is to be compromised or attacked. It doesn't mean you will be, just that that odds are higher.

HTH.

If you have other questions, ask away. :D
February 19th, 2005, 11:25 PM
Tiger Shark

I really hate to get back into this conversation because Jaxx is becoming a little "put off" by the responses....

Jaxx: If you filter the rubbish you will find a few people here with the good sense and intention to help you... The remainder are some of the dross that turns up in any publicly available forum. As long as you can learn to see the good from the bad out here in the virtual world you will be fine.

Specialist:

Quote:

Whats really funny is that I don't see it that way.

This is entirely your problem.... You don't get it .... By the way.... You still didn't answer my question from, what, two weeks ago, What was the highest level IT job you ever held and how long did you hold it for? Answer please.... Don't worry about embarrassing yourself.... you do it daily.....

Egal: Jeez.... You have to learn that posting a "[ quote]", (remove the space), requires a "/" in the tag close, ie "[ /quote]".... You are doing it all over the board and it is becoming annoying... ;)

Jaxx.. You responded in between....Your setup should be fine.... Trust Ms. M. before you trust anyone else.... Just keep your personal information to yourself..... No-one out here needs it.... Just be Jaxx..... From Jacksonville by any chance? A guess.... ;)
February 19th, 2005, 11:35 PM
MrLinus

Quote:

I didnt realize until yesterday someone from this forum wrote to me and told me that firewalls should mask my ip address... which hmmmm..didnt know tht..

It will not mask your IP. Your IP will be visible. It will, however, will block/hide ports on your machine and may block pings but not fully hide it. An important difference.

Quote:

Winmx is one of my favorite programs that i use to get just songs and the simpsons..

I do have a question regarding file sharing, two computers and one internet connection.

If I use one pc for nothing other than storage and downloading and the other pc for everything else.. and use a router .. is there a risk for contamination from one pc to the other?
Assuming they are networked in NO way and connected just by the router..
It may seem silly to you all but I genuinely dont know and its something ive been seriously thinking of doing for ease of downloading and gaming??

Theorectically, there should be no issue and minimal risk. That said, if one gets infected with a worm and the worm attempts to propogate to other machines on the network, the other machine may get infected. Ideally, you should have virus/firewall on each machine as extra precautions.
February 20th, 2005, 12:34 AM
Egaladeist

Hi Tiger Shark,

Quote:

Egal: Jeez.... You have to learn that posting a "[ quote]", (remove the space), requires a "/" in the tag close, ie "[ /quote]".... You are doing it all over the board and it is becoming annoying...

Whatever do you mean ?! :D

P.S. Thanks ! ;)
February 20th, 2005, 12:39 AM
BasementJaxx

Yes that is an important difference.!!! That is something i was confused on...
Now I will read through this site and see what i can learn.
Im interested to see what these tutorials are!

Quote:

Originally posted here by MsMittens
It will not mask your IP. Your IP will be visible. It will, however, will block/hide ports on your machine and may block pings but not fully hide it. An important difference.

Theoretically, there should be no issue and minimal risk. That said, if one gets infected with a worm and the worm attempts to propogate to other machines on the network, the other machine may get infected. Ideally, you should have virus/firewall on each machine as extra precautions.
February 20th, 2005, 12:58 AM
Spyrus

You have been given great advice and blah blah a million ppl can tell you that but why the sudden urge for security? I understand the whole identity theft thing but all these admins that were on the board have always been able to see your IP address to this point and you didnt realize it or worry about it.

Please dont take any of this the wrong way... I strongly urge you to run proxies, firewalls, and take security precautions to protect your personal information. I think it is really important that you pay attention to it if you do a lot of online gaming, you will run across a lot of ppl who will lose in whatever one-on-one game you may play and then seek vengence to make themselves feel better. While you can install and put in place a million different security levels it is EXTREMELY important that you pay just as close of attention to phishing attempts and to social engineering put forth by you alone and when ppl ask you questions.
February 20th, 2005, 01:43 AM
BasementJaxx

Well the identity theft took place on ebay which at this point has happened to thousands of people...it getting out of hand.. since then.. I got a new harddrive and loaded new XP OS on it..and have gotten all thesse spyware tools and registry programs from friends to use.. but when i was granted forum mod rights, as admins normally do... and i saw my ip there, and others not there..it made me curious as to how they did that..which i today found out is through a VNC program, and nothing fancy. On top of that i mentioned the book i am reading , i think identity theft victim or not, you step back and say wow... am i safe.. and so i googled somethings and found this forum to post some questions..
A learning lesson.