Breaking into Computers Without Permission

[ALHOLK]

Hi!

 

If I recall correctly the internal MS name WindowsNT was Cairo.

 

regards

 

ALHOLK

[Guest]

Being clueless to the possible methods someone can use to gain access to files on my laptop via the internet and possibly read them I use ZoneAlarm and the firewall that comes with XP.

 

I also use the file encryption that ships with XP Pro as well as what I think is a solid third party encryption program which encrypts the swapfile as well.

 

I'm not overly concerned about the potential problems a hacker can cause to my system, my goal is to protect personal/private info. I wonder how vulnerable my files are?

[Guest]

Cairo was the internal name for the successor to NT4, what eventually became Windows 2000.

[danish30]

Hi adikgede,

 

Exactly, most of these hacker individuals are looking for status and fame among the people they associate with, no status is gained from hacking into a private pc with broadband on a static IP. They want servers and large networks, but many of them come with a motivation equal to cleaning Sukhumvit road with a toothbrush just to find those little system holes. Of course there is another kind, who will try to make money from the information they gain, but those are mostly done from the inside. For the average user I think the biggest menace comes from a hacker-wanna-be who watched the Matrix too many times, downloaded some faq's on various security holes, got some software to assist him and decides he wants to start his new career now. For him anything will be good enough as long as it's not too secure.

 

Some general info for everyone regarding viruses.

 

I think there is a line between hacking and viruses, although somewhat blurry line since some viruses contains spy ware and a hacker might plant a virus in your system or the virus might try to hack into your system. Earlier most viruses were spread together with pirate software, som nam na. But today most arrives via the internet, emails, downloads or components installed while surfing. I think the only way to stay somewhat secure from viruses is to keep your system updated with the latest patches, use a virus scanner that scans on download, before open, scans attachments, and scans web scripts and components, but such a virus scanner is almost useless unless you update the virus definition regularly (as in weekly). Besides using the virus scanner and updates, I think considering what you download and where you visit on the internet together with caution on email attachments will help tighten your security considerably.

 

Best regards,

 

Danish30

[solar]

I'm not overly concerned about the potential problems a hacker can cause to my system, my goal is to protect personal/private info

---

 

Probably the biggest risk to personal info is a trojan. It might be worth downloading this free utility.

 

http://www.webattack.com/get/netmon.shtml

 

This will display connections to other servers as you use the internet. After using it for a while, it should be possible to recognise the standard connections\ports that your computer uses and if a trojan should 'phone home' then its connection will be displayed.

 

I also use a trojan scanner from http://tds.diamondcs.com.au/index.php?page=home, though its not a particularly intuitive program and will require a bit of effort to get it setup.