some questions...

[Miriel]

ok I've been having some problems with people trying to hack into the members of a board I mod, and I'm wondering what does an IP address have to do with hacking? and if a person does have someone's IP is it easy to hack into someone once they have it? oh and does the free download of zone alarm actually work? people have told me that its not too dependable...and is it possible for two people to have the exact same IP without sharing the same computer?

[bennator]

I only answer questions if I'm sure I'm right (most of the time), so I'm just going to answer the last part. IP adresses are assigned by one's ISP. For example, say users A, B, and C are currently connected to IP adresses 1, 2, and 3 respectivly by the same ISP. Then they all disconnect. If C recconects first, it will have IP address 1. That means that if you get a hack attempt from a user with one IP address, you could see that same address later by spmeone who is completly innocent. Hope that clears something up.

[Miriel]

ok i think i get it....but people with cable their IP doesnt change right?

[Squally Leonharty]

Everytime a computer connects to the internet it'll look up the IP address (regardless what modem you're using, it'll still look up, not memorize it, unless you configured it to be that way). Anyway, when an IP is assigned to a computer, it basically means that the computer is now a part of the whole computernet (AKA internet), where computers communicate with each other.

Now, if someone has your IP (such as a hacker), he'll be able to go inside your computer, because you don't have a firewall. It's basically a spaceship without shields in a huge mass of enemy spaceships.

However, if you have a dial-up modem or if you are sure your IP changes all the time, you're safe. However, when you've got cable or any other modem that allows static IPs, I suggest you to get a firewall.

www.tinysoftware.com <-- Download the free firewall. It works like charm. :D

[Killy]

Originally posted by Squally Leonharty
Now, if someone has your IP (such as a hacker), he'll be able to go inside your computer, because you don't have a firewall. It's basically a spaceship without shields in a huge mass of enemy spaceships.

Best Analogy Ever

I only wanted to point that out

[Frostie]

I'm lucky, my IP changes everytime I connect :) Long live Sympatico.

[Frostie]

Originally posted by Squally Leonharty


Now, if someone has your IP (such as a hacker), he'll be able to go inside your computer, because you don't have a firewall. It's basically a spaceship without shields in a huge mass of enemy spaceships.


Not true. I've been hacked 17 times with a Firewall. And only 3 times without one. Odds in favour.

[crono_logical]

Yeah, the IP address is basically the current address of your computer on the internet. Each connection has to have a unique address, although it's possible to make multiple computers on one network appear to be behind the same IP using ICS or NAT and/or a router etc. :p The IP for the connection still remains unique though.

Depending on the ISP, your IP may or may not change each time you reconnect - mine doesn't change :)

As for the firewall, ZoneAlarm might be better for most people, Tiny can be complicated if you don't know what you're doing, and one slip-up will knock you off the net completely, it's that powerful :p

[Squally Leonharty]

Originally posted by Frostie


Not true. I've been hacked 17 times with a Firewall. And only 3 times without one. Odds in favour.

That's because your firewall wasn't configured properly, or you got a bad firewall. The ONLY recommended firewalls are ZoneAlarm and Tiny Personal Firewall. The others are crap. :p

You might want to consider with McAfee Firewall too, but ZoneAlarm or Tiny Personal Firewall are better.

It's as easy as that. ^_~

<b>Edit:</b> And I forgot to mention XP's firewall. If you have XP, just disable XP's built-in firewall. It's pretty user-unfriendly. :p And it isn't as powerful as those 3rd party firewalls. ;)

[crono_logical]

Originally posted by crono_logical
Tiny can be complicated if you don't know what you're doing, and one slip-up will knock you off the net completely, it's that powerful :p

I sitll call this one a powerful firewall, if it's capable of doing that :) Has to be uninstalled and leftovers manually deleted to fix if you get into that problem :p

XP's built in firewall is rubbish, to be honest, you're better off without it and download patches for XP and IE6 instead xD (Okay, so it's not that bad, but you get the point :) )

[Miriel]

ok I'll get a firewall just to be safe, oh and i was just wondering, does this board ban usernames or IP?

[crono_logical]

Depending on the person, can be both :)

[Frostie]

It was blackice, kid.

[crono_logical]

That's because blackice has been proven to be a very bad firewall. ;)

[Squally Leonharty]

Yup. No wonder you got hacked. :p Blackice doesn't provide real protection.

<b>Edit:</b>
Go here http://grc.com/default.htm to test your firewall. Just browse around and do some tests. It'll show you how vulnerable you are with and without firewall.