# Need tips on security- please help!



## Dragon31 (May 7, 2005)

Hi everyone,

As some of you may already know from recent posts of mine, I'm always having hacker problems with my computer. Even with a good firewall running and a good virus/spyware scanner installed, some manages to still get in. I am in need of some tips of securing my computer, because none are working! I am worried about my important documents on here, so it is an emergency. Please can someone give me a list of things to do to make my computer as secure as possible? Also, should I worry about file thieft? Just wondering because I really am worried! 

Thank you,
Dragon31


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

Disconnect it from the Internet totally, it's 100% secure! :grin:

You need to post some details. Version/patch level of Windows, your ISP, and make/model of any networking equipment to start.

If you're really worried about important files, keep them off-line on a USB drive and only connect when you access them.

Another often overlooked security measure is BACKUP, and lots of it!


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## Red Boy (May 29, 2005)

Dragon31, Johnwill has given you excellent advice, especially if you have the other security programs as mentioned in your post. One other security measure that I would recommend is a hardware firewall, since you appear to already have a software one. Get yourself a good router. This will provide you with some additional security.

Red Boy


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## Dragon31 (May 7, 2005)

*Just hooked up my router!*

Thanks for all the replies! I've been pretty busy, sorry if I did not respond sooner. I was also having internet problems... It kind of worried me because it seemed like a DOS attack. Checked my firewall log and there were over 1,000 logs about port 80 attempts  . Anyway, I just hooked up my Links Wireless-B (2.4 GHz) Broadband Router... I've heard that a router masks your IP. Is this true? If so, these hackers no longer know my IP, right?
Also just another general question; why would my IP be picked on so much in the first place? :4-dontkno


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

A router won't mask your IP address, it has no effect that way. The router just gives you the NAT layer firewall, which is another layer of protection. You are probably not aware of exactly how often probes are sent to IP addresses on the Internet, you really aren't being attacked more often than normal. :smile:

One thing you can do with a router is to disable PING responses, which will make your system disappear from the hacker's vision. To test your security, try visiting Gibson's Shields Up site and doing their test.


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## Dragon31 (May 7, 2005)

Thanks for the reply! The reason I thought this was not a common thing is the fact that I am the only one out of all my family members and friends that has this problem (except for a few people). I browsed around a little and discovered that people can sweep IP ranges, so it makes sense to me now; port scans and all this stuff happens to everyone. Why don’t the authorities do anything about this? The internet should be enjoyable, not a living nightmare of port scans and security problems.

Anyway, did what you told me... Saved all my inportant stuff to a USB drive. Can't thank you enough for that tip! Really saved me there... I was starting to get worried.

Edit: Another odd thing is that I have disabled PING responces. What was worring me was that some (not all, but some) of the IP's that were picking on me did not give up on the port scannings they did... Even though my computer did not respond to their pings! It's like they knew I was there even if no data was returned saying I was. Very weird.


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

There are tens of millions of people all over the world, probably more like several hundred million total, all connected to the Internet. It would take a lot of cops to track them all down. :grin:

If you run the comprehensive test from the site I previously mentioned, you can see if some other ports are responding and giving you away.


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## petercj (Oct 21, 2004)

I would suggest this router:-

http://www.netgear.com/products/details/DG834.php

It has a built in firewall and comes with a software firewall as well.

I was getting hacked daily last year, but as soon as I installed this router it stopped.

Peter


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## SirNtwrk (Aug 30, 2005)

*Hacker Problems*

I am not sure if anyone is even looking at this post anymore, but here are some other tips for you on security:

First, make sure you have a firewall in place, either hardware or software and make sure it is secured as much as possible.

Second, do not underestimate the physical security of your machine. I have know people who tell me over and over that their computers are being hacked over the internet yet will leave their computers wide open when they leave for the day.

In addition, rename the local administrator account and give it a complex password. I have used programs to sweep for security holes and found lots of machines out there that can be logged into over IPC$ using administrator and a blank password.

Your wireless network should be secured as well. Turn off the SSID broadcast and make sure you rename the SSID something other than the default the router comes with. Turn on MAC filtering and WEP encryption. While neither are completly hack proof (if a hacker can guess your router manufacture and capture enough encrypted packets, it is possible to use free downloaded programs to crack the WEP key,) these alone will probably deter almost everyone as there are easier targets.

I am not sure that moving your files to a USB drive will be as secure as you might hope unless you keep that USB drive locked up. If a unathorized user gets a hold of that, they can copy those files to a different computer and take ownership of those files even if you have enabled NTFS security on those files. This is because a USB drive will show up as a removable drive on a local machine and if the user has admin rights on the local machine, they have admin rights to those files.


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