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How many times has your accounts or websites been broken into, hacked, cracked and all that?
hacked
- Thread starter Demon_Skeith
- Start date
I've never run my own website, so fortunately I don't have to deal with that sort of headache. However, many sites that I frequent have had some security panics.
The most common is the DDOS attack, which I don't know much about but it's like somebody makes the programming of a website think that there are more people visiting than actually are visiting. This isn't actual hacking, but a pre-run program to annoy, irritate, and even devastate the targets conveniently. Usually the website can't be visited anymore, and when it can be visited at last then it's like most of the data before the DDOS attack was wiped clean because an archived version of the site or something had to be uploaded instead.
Solution: One blog solved this by changing the hosting to Blogger, which apparently has a massive firewall? I have no idea how to prevent this for discussion forums, though.
On a virtual pet website that I used to frequent, I made a typo in the URL bar and didn't notice until I input the password. The misspelled URL took me to a website that was purposely designed to resemble the original, get people to log in, and in doing so get the login information and hack into the member account. A more subtle version of this is a "cookie grabber" script, which means that any website can have it in their programming that if you visit that site, and you are logged into your e-mail in another window, then that website will read your e-mail password.
Solution: Log out of every account that you want to keep secure, and clear your history, before visiting any unfamiliar and probably unreliable webpage or website. If you have done this while logged in, then clear history and change your password. Clearing cookies or logging out won't help anymore, because the program has already grabbed your password.
Unfortunately, I also surf the net on my phone. A friend of mine did so, had her phone stolen, her phone had internet access and a memory to stay logged into her e-mail address. The thief proceeded to send e-mails to everyone on her list saying that she was stranded in another country and needed somebody to wire her some cash, which of course was a lie and a scam on the "hacker"'s part.
Solution: Prevention is better than a cure. While you still have your phone, find out your IMEI or MEID number. Usually, this can be done by inputting *#06# in the keypad. You'll get a long string of numbers that should be copied out and kept somewhere safer than you would ever leave your phone. If you're really cool, you'll find a way to memorize it. If your phone should ever get stolen and you're concerned about personal information on it, then you can contact your phone's service provider (landline, borrowed a friend's phone, whatever) and request that they lock your phone based on the IMEI number that you provide them. This is standard protocol in South Africa, especially, where stolen phones are often used as burners to conduct illegal activities. If your service provider can't lock it, then maybe the police can make them if you report the theft. Note that if it turns out that you merely misplaced your phone, well..sorry, but you'll never be able to use it again, even if you changed the sim card or memory card. The device died to save you.
Of course, there the basic password sophistication rule: use a mix of numbers and letters, and maybe special symbols, and change your password often. There is a piece of technology out there that tries to log in by inputting entries from the dictionary, so dictionary words aren't safe. Make sure that you are logged out if you are accessing any account on a computer network, and are done with surfing.
All that said, easy-to-guess passwords, security flukes and such above are irritating, but more likely to be matters of misfortune than personal attacks. You'd have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and caught the wrong sort of attention, so a little more general knowledge and commonsense precautions should keep you safe. If, however, somebody with hacking skills really wanted to target you, for whatever reason, then it's going to happen no matter how much paranoid precaution you take. Still, I hope that these tips can help readers somewhat in avoiding more general dangers and having more peace of mind online!
The most common is the DDOS attack, which I don't know much about but it's like somebody makes the programming of a website think that there are more people visiting than actually are visiting. This isn't actual hacking, but a pre-run program to annoy, irritate, and even devastate the targets conveniently. Usually the website can't be visited anymore, and when it can be visited at last then it's like most of the data before the DDOS attack was wiped clean because an archived version of the site or something had to be uploaded instead.
Solution: One blog solved this by changing the hosting to Blogger, which apparently has a massive firewall? I have no idea how to prevent this for discussion forums, though.
On a virtual pet website that I used to frequent, I made a typo in the URL bar and didn't notice until I input the password. The misspelled URL took me to a website that was purposely designed to resemble the original, get people to log in, and in doing so get the login information and hack into the member account. A more subtle version of this is a "cookie grabber" script, which means that any website can have it in their programming that if you visit that site, and you are logged into your e-mail in another window, then that website will read your e-mail password.
Solution: Log out of every account that you want to keep secure, and clear your history, before visiting any unfamiliar and probably unreliable webpage or website. If you have done this while logged in, then clear history and change your password. Clearing cookies or logging out won't help anymore, because the program has already grabbed your password.
Unfortunately, I also surf the net on my phone. A friend of mine did so, had her phone stolen, her phone had internet access and a memory to stay logged into her e-mail address. The thief proceeded to send e-mails to everyone on her list saying that she was stranded in another country and needed somebody to wire her some cash, which of course was a lie and a scam on the "hacker"'s part.
Solution: Prevention is better than a cure. While you still have your phone, find out your IMEI or MEID number. Usually, this can be done by inputting *#06# in the keypad. You'll get a long string of numbers that should be copied out and kept somewhere safer than you would ever leave your phone. If you're really cool, you'll find a way to memorize it. If your phone should ever get stolen and you're concerned about personal information on it, then you can contact your phone's service provider (landline, borrowed a friend's phone, whatever) and request that they lock your phone based on the IMEI number that you provide them. This is standard protocol in South Africa, especially, where stolen phones are often used as burners to conduct illegal activities. If your service provider can't lock it, then maybe the police can make them if you report the theft. Note that if it turns out that you merely misplaced your phone, well..sorry, but you'll never be able to use it again, even if you changed the sim card or memory card. The device died to save you.
Of course, there the basic password sophistication rule: use a mix of numbers and letters, and maybe special symbols, and change your password often. There is a piece of technology out there that tries to log in by inputting entries from the dictionary, so dictionary words aren't safe. Make sure that you are logged out if you are accessing any account on a computer network, and are done with surfing.
All that said, easy-to-guess passwords, security flukes and such above are irritating, but more likely to be matters of misfortune than personal attacks. You'd have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and caught the wrong sort of attention, so a little more general knowledge and commonsense precautions should keep you safe. If, however, somebody with hacking skills really wanted to target you, for whatever reason, then it's going to happen no matter how much paranoid precaution you take. Still, I hope that these tips can help readers somewhat in avoiding more general dangers and having more peace of mind online!
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Once.
I don't wanna remember that nightmare again
I don't wanna remember that nightmare again
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if you remain a forum owner/staffer, it will happen again.
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you are extremely lucky my friend.Allan said:
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Oh come on!Demon_Skeith said:
That isn't funny
Just kidding.I will be careful from here on in.
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Its not funny, but it happens and only thing you can do is ensure security is top notch.
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yeah
I will try to do what I can for now
Thank you Demon_Skeith.
I will try to do what I can for now
Thank you Demon_Skeith.
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well, since you got premium cloudflare I don't think they will screw you over.Cierra said: