Re: security

From: Super_Geek (RichardFalconer_at_thepostmaster.net)
Date: 07/11/03 

Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 14:28:00 +0100

joe wong <crazyjoe3838@hotmail.com> asks a question to do with PCs,
Super_Geek dives in and tries to help:
>dear sir;
> i.m new for the computer. and may i ask you a
>question about the computer. i had goes to the china room
># 1 to chat. and the ppl over there holdin the mic with
>out any ppl use the voice. and i had ask nice for the
>mic. and the girl there tell me get out the room. and i
>try to ask why. she said that is her room. she is the
>boss in the china room # 1. and i told her that this is a
>public chat room own by yahoo. not own by you. i have
>right to come in here. then she call me name. and racial.
>then i try to get the mic. then i think her group boot me
>out the room. then i logg back in to the same room again.
>then i got boot again.also they hack my computer. bomb me
>500 time a minute. and my computer not working at all.
>then i go in to the disk deferment. all i see is RED lind
>all over my computer.is about 45 % is red in my disk
>deferment. PLease tell me how to clean all that RED lind
>in my computer. and PLEASE tech me how to set up to avoid
>that happen again...also PLEASE tech me how to set the
>security in my computer.
> THANK YOU

Good grief. I see why they call you crazy-joe.
Firstly, some advise, if you're kicked out of a chat room, it's for a
reason. Don't go back in more than once, if at all.

Now Joe, what evidence do you have that *they* were the ones to hack you
PC? And what is bombing? Mail bombing?
If your computer is not working at all, how can you go into disk
de-fragmenter?. ('De-fermenting' is actually really difficult, and
involves catalysing the reverse reaction that makes wine, so one
presumes that's not what you meant.)

You must be using winXP if the de-fragmenter has blue and red lines. If
so, you have a pretty secure os. However, now that you have been hacked,
if you're sure you have, I'd strongly recommend that you re-install to
remove traces of the hack.
You will still need to de-fragment after you re-install. Just press
'start' on the program with those lines, and after some time they will
be all blue again.

To setup your machine so that you are not hacked is difficult, but there
are loads of tips in this newsgroup. Read the FAQ, particularly;
http://securityadmin.info/faq.htm#harden
http://securityadmin.info/faq.htm#trace
http://securityadmin.info/faq.htm#encryption

Get a firewall, anti-spyware and antivirus software:
http://www.lavasoft.de
http://www.zonelabs.com, www.agnitum.com, or www.sygate.com
http://www.microsoft.com/security/articles/firewall.asp (this explains
how you can better use the winXP firewall.)
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ (this scans your system for existing
viruses, then you can download a trial scanner from their website.)

Get a spam filter [K9] :
http://keir.net/k9.html

HTH! 

-- 
Super_Geek, 16
"How do I set a laser printer to stun?"
-My website is currently under construction, but I'll post a link here soon forFAQs.