How Safe Is A PC?

[Monodactyl]

Did he actually tell you the number - so you could check - or just tell you that he'd got it?

[T.O.]

Hawke's probably the best person to answer that...

[sphinx]

A Hacker can get into anyone's computer, there is nothing you can do to prevent it.

However it takes a good deal of a Hacker's time, and (...please do not take this as any form of insult....:o) you could not really have anything on your computer that would be of interest to a professional Hacker. They are certainly not interested in people's private 'emails'., unless you are suspected of some sort of criminal activity :o:o...which I am sure that you are not!!! Even then it would be a large scale criminal activity to warrant the attentions of a Hacker.

There are lots of 'amateur' hackers, but they would need to have got the number that your computer gives out, which they could have got from a random search, but it is most unlikely.

You may have some 'spy ware' running on your computer. It is amazing how many people do have this.
There are programmes (free) that you can download to tell you which programmes that you use are running 'Spyware'.

Some of the major search engines are technically 'Hackers' lol :D

I would say that you should remove all personal stuff from your computer, onto discs, and store them away.
(Although it is not actually possible to ever really 'remove' something) lol, but it would make anything very difficult indeed to get at, if deleted (after you had copied it, or printed it), by an outsider.

[john barnes]

Clare / I have done 5 years at tech school dealing with computers, and i know some of the young lads there do a thing called pinging your internet address looking for loopholes in your system whilst not illegal it is frowned upon by any responsible server if they are found out. you can get a computers address by this method but the perpetrator would not be able to to do find out any really significant info about you with your safe guards applied the Nortons would have picked up any trojan,it may be case of trying to do it but actually getting in there is a different kettle of fish , from JMB

[HawkeVIPER]

Originally posted by Clare
On my PC, I have a firewall ~ the version of Zonealarm Pro and one of most secure supposedly???? and to help protect against malicious *hackers*......I also have a version of Anti Nortons Virus Protection to protect against any viruses that may come my way.


Get Sygate Personal Firewall Pro


A couple of days I was referred a URL where I could go and do a *full PC Security check, in order that I could see whether there were any loopholes in my system that a would be hacker would find, to snoop around my PC ~ the result came back that I was safe and that my computer had chosen not to give away any info........


Were you referred to this url before or after being 'hacked'? and who referred you?


How come then, that not so long back ~ somebody gained entry to my PC and took my PC's *unique identifier number* .........I know that this person did this, because he told me that he did :o:o:o


Your UIN (MAC address) is freely available, with or without firewall.


Any PC experts out there who has any clue as to how this person may have gained entry to PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL information, ie: my computers Identifier No????


An ex is a hasbeen a spurt is a drip under pressure.
Want me to go into details as to how i could do it?


............and are there any other ways of checking whether there may be a loophole in my system and further precautions I can take to protect myself against snoopers???????

Thanx!!


There is always a loophole, it just may not have been discovered yet, and/or in the example of Apache, it has been kept quiet by the people who found it. If you found a pot of gold, would you go telling everyone and give it away?

Ways to protect yourself:

Unplug your computer from the phone line.

My saying (and its true) - The only box that's unhackable is the one that's unplugged.

HV

[HawkeVIPER]

Get Sygate Personal Firewall Pro

I take it that this firewall provides more security than Zonealarm then. Thanks, I will check it out. :)


Certainly does, its much more efficient too.


Were you referred to this url before or after being 'hacked'? and who referred you?

After. Not sure what difference it makes who referred me Hawke, but twas an online friend :D


ok, because some sites are designed just to get the info to hack you.


Your UIN (MAC address) is freely available, with or without firewall.

But would they have still had to have hacked my computer to obtain this number tho ~ or can it be obtained from elsewhere??


no, sending a file to you with a messenger program would do the trick.


An ex is a hasbeen a spurt is a drip under pressure.
Want me to go into details as to how i could do it?

LOL ~ Yeah ok then :D:D


its an inside joke, basically, we don't like being called experts.


There is always a loophole, it just may not have been discovered yet, and/or in the example of Apache, it has been kept quiet by the people who found it.

Was it you who found it then, the one in Apache I mean?? :D


Nope


If you found a pot of gold, would you go telling everyone and give it away?

S'pose not


exactly



Ways to protect yourself:

Unplug your computer from the phone line.

My saying (and its true) - The only box that's unhackable is the one that's unplugged.

LOL ~ tut, tut, tut...... :D


I'm being serious

HV

[LinuxPenguin]

Well my tips are: Using delphi, a trojan could have been embedded in that link! I work on things like these, it is possible. I can even embed programs in a screen saver! When people discover nasty tricks like these, even a good firewall and virus scanner won't protect.

My Catchphrase:

To root out a hacker, you must think like a hacker!

A Good Programming background helps in this!

[Memnoch]

In post 50703, Karl said:
Just to assist anyone else who may also be wondering about checking there systems, here is my advice.

Go here for a free online scan :

http://security2.norton.com/us/home.asp?j=1&venid=sym&langid=us&plfid=20&pkj=IHBEXIBVEMBQAUWZKTK

Then click "Scan for Viruses"

or here for a free online scan :
http://housecall.antivirus.com/
Click the "Scan without registering" link.

Then go to
https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Click the two tests :
"Test my Shields" and "Probe my ports"
and see if you have any open ports and if you do you should get some links from there that will help you protect yourself from having your computer at risk whilst using the Internet.

As long as the tests show that you have either closed or stealth to all you should be safe and of course no viruses at all on your system too as they can be used to gain access or send information via a virus compromised computer.

Most intrusions come from a rogue virus allowing access via a trojan so practice "safe hex" and all should be well. :)


Interesting: The Symantec scan says my firewall (ZA free version) is improperly configured and that I am vulnerable, but the Shields Up scan says I am invisible?