Be safe (something everyone should read)

[Sicilian30]

Just thought I would post a few comments on what sources and buyers should be aware of. I have been hearing a lot of about Internet and security breaches happening all over. Not only security issues, but busts coming from Fed’s and DEA agents planting Trojan horses and password stealers on people’s computers.
For those of you who don’t know what these programs are, then I would not even consider buying or selling until you do.
First off, there are legit programs out there that can record your keystrokes, place in a text file and email that report or log to any given person. Yes, they make legit programs out there to do this. These programs are used by parents, bosses or anyone who wants to get info or find out what kind of chatting or business is being done on a computer.
Now just imagine: You think you are safe because you go to hushmail or some type of encrypted email service? No way. With these keyloggers even if you info it encrypted it is not protected from Trojan horses being run on your PC. Encription and security are only as good as the computer you are on in most cases.
How to counter act these types of programs.
Well being that most of these types of programs are not considered viruses, most virus scanners will not pick them up. Naturally cause they are simple programs.
Okay here is one way. First off, FIREWALLS. Yes, Firewalls. I would not even consider being on the Internet without one, much less buying, selling, chatting or even conversing online without this.
Well let me clarify that a little. Not just any firewall, but one that will allow you to monitor traffic in and out. Zone alarm is the best one I have seen. You can get a full blown FREE copy at: www.zonealarm.com. Don’t click on the professional version, choose the one that says “Free”. Yes, it is a fully fledged firewall.
The reason I recommend this one is simply due to the fact, when installed it will not allow anything out unless you tell it to. In other words, let’s say that a Trojan horse or password sniffer has been installed on your system. 99% of these types of programs use the Internet to send the log or email the file to the programmer. Zone Alarm monitors what goes out from your computer to the Internet. Therefore, it will spot a program trying to access the Internet, and ask you do you want to allow this program to access the Internet. If the program doesn’t look familiar or you don’t know what it is, then instruct Zone Alarm not to allow access to that specific program. Just as simple as that. Then of course, I would hope that any sane person would then go find out which program that is trying to gain access to the Internet. Then delete or allow it to access the Internet. Also if you are suspecting someone tapping into your system, you can shut down all Internet traffic with one button.
Zone Alarm will also keep hackers out of your system, hince that is what a firewall does. It can also spot certain viruses or in some cases, I have found that it let’s users know that they may have a virus, due to the fact, a strange program that they do not recognize is trying to access the Internet on their computers.
Also something nice to have are UPDATED, YES, UPDATED (being the keyword here) virus scanners. Keep them updated weekly. The reason I say this is, most Fed’s and DEA agents will try to send you what appears to be a legit program, and in fact it may be a password sniffer. I would think that most “Government” agencies would be smarter than that, but for the average computer person, they wouldn’t know the difference.
Also one last and final note, ask your suppliers or people you deal with or chat with, if they are using firewalls, and make sure their systems are virus free. Be smart, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientists or an MCSE (like me), to understand a lot about security and how to protect yourself. Fact is, most average people should know something about computers, and it might as well be how to protect yourself, against some prying eyes. Also if you are wondering where you can test your firewall, you can go to: http://www.dslreports.com/scan for a free port scan to see if your system is vulnerable for a possible hacker or worse.
Now understand something this will simply test your firewall program for hackers trying to come in, not anything going out of your system.
Most hackers like to use ports 3300-64,000 port numbers (the higher port numbers) to gain access to your computer. Remember, there are programs out there that can open up one of these ports, even though you have a firewall. Some hacking programs are designed to do that. So the security of having a firewall is misleading. However, if you have Zonealarm installed, and you see a program that you don’t recognize trying to gain access to the Internet, you have the control to stop it dead in it’s tracks.
This will also make you more knowledgeable about what programs you have on your computer that need or you want to access the Internet. As a general rule of thumb, I usually allow Browser (IE and Netscape of course), Email Programs such as Outlook and Outlook express, Eudora etc. virus scanners, Critical updates (by Microsoft) and that is about it. Not much more than that. You would not believe how many programs legit programs such as “Real Player, winamp and so forth want access to the Internet. For what? I don’t even allow these programs to access the Internet. Real Player and Win Amp don’t need to know what is on my computer. Same goes for any type of program installed to check for updates. Unless you want to be constantly bothered by updates, I just leave them alone. I usually say, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Be safe, be smart my friends.

[Sicilian30]

bump

[EXCESS]

Good post!

[Sicilian30]

Bump again, just wanted folks to be able to read...

[Dr. Derek]

goes back to the top good post S30

[Sicilian30]

Thanks Dr. This board is full of knowledge and I would like to think this is something that folks need to know more about, just like everything else discussed on this board..

[sav22]

Excellent post bro...I'm not gonna wait for it to go down the ladder...we'll just keep it up here at the top.

[JP1570]

Bump, great post bro

[Wimmpy]

Great post! Been using Zone Alarm for over a year. Great program and good suggestion.

[arthurb999]

Zone Alarm is the bomb. I've been using it for a while now.

[Big Rush]

excellent post

[Aragorn]

Excellent.

Aragorn

[Jack87]

This is a great post brother.... You don't even know how much this helps... thanks

[symatech]

thanks bro

[jamotech]

Great post brother, good to know we have some cpu whiz's on the board looking out for us. Bump. This should be at the top with the importants.

[Sicilian30]

Aigth guys just got some new info on what the Feds are doing now. Feds can now wiretap you PC modem or DSL line and using something they call, "the Magic BOx", they can record your keystrokes without software. I am still looking into how this things works and hopefully some smart hacker will develop a tool to counter act it. But so far there is nothing that can detect it YET! So again, there is no safe!!!!

[jamotech]

you said dsl and modem, is cable broadband safe(safer?)/

[Sicilian30]

Well Jamotech, I am sure they can place a wiretape on your cable line, not 100% sure if they are, but believe me when I tell you the FBI knows more than then most give them credit for. Especially with the terrorism going on, the FBI is really cracking down on Internet crimes and activities.
The FBI knows and realized that the Internet was how the terrorists groups would communicate with members all over the world. The FBI and other agencies aren't taken any chances. Can't say I blame them, I mean for safety unfortunately, there is a price. We can thank the terrorists groups for this added Internet snooping the FBI is doing now. Sucks but that is the way it is.

[jamotech]

hey Siciian30, I tried using zone alarm and it made my browser run like 10x slower? Is it because I already another firewall setup so everything is trying to go through? I have a gateway w/ celeron processor and 256k memory so I dont think the program is too much for the cpu, do you have ny suggestions? I already uninstalled it and am going to try and reinstall it and see what happens.

[arthurb999]

Probably a program conflict because your running more than one firewall. Just pick one.

[Sicilian30]

Yes bro, if you are running behind two firewalls that could be the problem. Also the Klez virus and other worms can slow an internet connection down tremendously. there is no need to run two firewalls at the same time. Your system is fine and Zonealarm doesn't take that much power to run. I think the problems lies in running two firewalls, virus etc.

[Tobey]

Thanks brother,
I'm checking into it as soon as I finish typing in this thread.
Tobey

[jamotech]

I turned off the other firewall and it was definately better, but I think everything runs a little smoother with the original firewall so Ill stick with that. I thought the web site that checked your cpu vuneralability was pretty neat! It says my computer is a hard target, does it give a better rating? Good info Sicilian30!

[usualsuspect]

bump

Great post!

[LORDBLiTZ]

I was worried about this kinda shit before.I have friend who is a cop and he works in the cyber crimes unit.He said SOFTWARE firewalls cant stop shit.All software has back doors and bugs.He said if ur on cable or dsl its as easy as putting in the ** address of the computer and he can look at whatever he wants including the isp mail server.Dial up is a bit safer because you get a new ** each time you dial up.He said the best firewall is to use a router.A router is a hardware firewall and can't be bypassed.The bottom line he said,if mail is coming or going he can look at it no matter what.So if you have a BIG BUSINESS,get a laptop,pre paid cell phone and use a free dial up isp so you wont have to use ur real info.

BTW...The police have to inform you before they can do shit

[Tayman]

I was worried about this kinda shit before.I have friend who is a cop and he works in the cyber crimes unit.He said SOFTWARE firewalls cant stop shit.All software has back doors and bugs.He said if ur on cable or dsl its as easy as putting in the ** address of the computer and he can look at whatever he wants including the isp mail server.Dial up is a bit safer because you get a new ** each time you dial up.He said the best firewall is to use a router.A router is a hardware firewall and can't be bypassed.The bottom line he said,if mail is coming or going he can look at it no matter what.So if you have a BIG BUSINESS,get a laptop,pre paid cell phone and use a free dial up isp so you wont have to use ur real info.

BTW...The police have to inform you before they can do shit

I was just about to say the same thing.

Software firewalls won't do anything as long as someone can intercept the communication between you and another computer. I read another thread in this forum that pretty much proves that the FBI doesn't have to tell you shit...

I wouldn't be surprised if the FBI has a full list of IPs that visit this site, with the most frequent vistors at the top of the list..... Something to think about...

[arthurb999]

I wouldn't be surprised if the FBI has a full list of IPs that visit this site, with the most frequent vistors at the top of the list..... Something to think about...

Maybe this comment will slow down some of the post whores we have...

[Muscleone]

Just thought I would post a few comments on what sources and buyers should be aware of. I have been hearing a lot of about Internet and security breaches happening all over. Not only security issues, but busts coming from Fed’s and DEA agents planting Trojan horses and password stealers on people’s computers.
For those of you who don’t know what these programs are, then I would not even consider buying or selling until you do.
First off, there are legit programs out there that can record your keystrokes, place in a text file and email that report or log to any given person. Yes, they make legit programs out there to do this. These programs are used by parents, bosses or anyone who wants to get info or find out what kind of chatting or business is being done on a computer.
Now just imagine: You think you are safe because you go to hushmail or some type of encrypted email service? No way. With these keyloggers even if you info it encrypted it is not protected from Trojan horses being run on your PC. Encription and security are only as good as the computer you are on in most cases.
How to counter act these types of programs.
Well being that most of these types of programs are not considered viruses, most virus scanners will not pick them up. Naturally cause they are simple programs.
Okay here is one way. First off, FIREWALLS. Yes, Firewalls. I would not even consider being on the Internet without one, much less buying, selling, chatting or even conversing online without this.
Well let me clarify that a little. Not just any firewall, but one that will allow you to monitor traffic in and out. Zone alarm is the best one I have seen. You can get a full blown FREE copy at: www.zonealarm.com. Don’t click on the professional version, choose the one that says “Free”. Yes, it is a fully fledged firewall.
The reason I recommend this one is simply due to the fact, when installed it will not allow anything out unless you tell it to. In other words, let’s say that a Trojan horse or password sniffer has been installed on your system. 99% of these types of programs use the Internet to send the log or email the file to the programmer. Zone Alarm monitors what goes out from your computer to the Internet. Therefore, it will spot a program trying to access the Internet, and ask you do you want to allow this program to access the Internet. If the program doesn’t look familiar or you don’t know what it is, then instruct Zone Alarm not to allow access to that specific program. Just as simple as that. Then of course, I would hope that any sane person would then go find out which program that is trying to gain access to the Internet. Then delete or allow it to access the Internet. Also if you are suspecting someone tapping into your system, you can shut down all Internet traffic with one button.
Zone Alarm will also keep hackers out of your system, hince that is what a firewall does. It can also spot certain viruses or in some cases, I have found that it let’s users know that they may have a virus, due to the fact, a strange program that they do not recognize is trying to access the Internet on their computers.
Also something nice to have are UPDATED, YES, UPDATED (being the keyword here) virus scanners. Keep them updated weekly. The reason I say this is, most Fed’s and DEA agents will try to send you what appears to be a legit program, and in fact it may be a password sniffer. I would think that most “Government” agencies would be smarter than that, but for the average computer person, they wouldn’t know the difference.
Also one last and final note, ask your suppliers or people you deal with or chat with, if they are using firewalls, and make sure their systems are virus free. Be smart, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientists or an MCSE (like me), to understand a lot about security and how to protect yourself. Fact is, most average people should know something about computers, and it might as well be how to protect yourself, against some prying eyes. Also if you are wondering where you can test your firewall, you can go to: http://www.dslreports.com/scan for a free port scan to see if your system is vulnerable for a possible hacker or worse.
Now understand something this will simply test your firewall program for hackers trying to come in, not anything going out of your system.
Most hackers like to use ports 3300-64,000 port numbers (the higher port numbers) to gain access to your computer. Remember, there are programs out there that can open up one of these ports, even though you have a firewall. Some hacking programs are designed to do that. So the security of having a firewall is misleading. However, if you have Zonealarm installed, and you see a program that you don’t recognize trying to gain access to the Internet, you have the control to stop it dead in it’s tracks.
This will also make you more knowledgeable about what programs you have on your computer that need or you want to access the Internet. As a general rule of thumb, I usually allow Browser (IE and Netscape of course), Email Programs such as Outlook and Outlook express, Eudora etc. virus scanners, Critical updates (by Microsoft) and that is about it. Not much more than that. You would not believe how many programs legit programs such as “Real Player, winamp and so forth want access to the Internet. For what? I don’t even allow these programs to access the Internet. Real Player and Win Amp don’t need to know what is on my computer. Same goes for any type of program installed to check for updates. Unless you want to be constantly bothered by updates, I just leave them alone. I usually say, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Be safe, be smart my friends.

Thanks! I downloaded it and feel much better!!!

[chicamahomico]

I was worried about this kinda **** before.I have friend who is a cop and he works in the cyber crimes unit.He said SOFTWARE firewalls cant stop ****.All software has back doors and bugs.He said if ur on cable or dsl its as easy as putting in the ** address of the computer and he can look at whatever he wants including the isp mail server.Dial up is a bit safer because you get a new ** each time you dial up.He said the best firewall is to use a router.A router is a hardware firewall and can't be bypassed.The bottom line he said,if mail is coming or going he can look at it no matter what.So if you have a BIG BUSINESS,get a laptop,pre paid cell phone and use a free dial up isp so you wont have to use ur real info.

BTW...The police have to inform you before they can do ****

Simple encryption will solve the problem of incoming/outgoing text streams( which are sent and recived in ascii format ) being decypherable to the naked eye. 128-bit encryption is free and widely available and is relatively crackproof unless the FBI, NSA, or some math nerd wants a crack at you.

[CarbonCopy]

I was worried about this kinda **** before.I have friend who is a cop and he works in the cyber crimes unit.He said SOFTWARE firewalls cant stop ****.All software has back doors and bugs.He said if ur on cable or dsl its as easy as putting in the ** address of the computer and he can look at whatever he wants including the isp mail server.Dial up is a bit safer because you get a new ** each time you dial up.He said the best firewall is to use a router.A router is a hardware firewall and can't be bypassed.The bottom line he said,if mail is coming or going he can look at it no matter what.So if you have a BIG BUSINESS,get a laptop,pre paid cell phone and use a free dial up isp so you wont have to use ur real info.

BTW...The police have to inform you before they can do ****

Any type of firewall, software, or hardware is only truly effective if the person setting them up knows what they are doing. Hardware based firewalls are better then software based, but I've seen hardware based firewalls so poorly configured that you might as well be connected directly to the internet. A router and a firewall are two different things. A router, routes traffic, and exchanges routing information with other routers. Routers will also determine the best path for network traffic between any two hosts. There are different types of firewalls, but the most common type is one that preforms packet filtering. Packet filtering firewalls look at each packet entering or leaving the network and accepts or rejects it based on rules which you define. Your friend is wrong.. hardware firewalls can be bypassed. And dialup isn't more secure then cable or dsl, because all the same rules in the world of data still apply. Your friend can look at all the mail he wants, but if he has no idea where it really came from or who sent it, it won't do him much good. Email is one of the hardest things to track (think spam), because it is so easy to spoof where you are sending to and from. Bottom line is, use encryption if you are running a "business".

Peace,

CC