Security has become a huge issue these days, with new warnings issued every week covering the latest viruses and trojans found worldwide. As consumers of the Internet, and IRC, we must educate ourselves and safeguard our systems as best we can. On IRC, we constantly remind our newcomers to never accept files from someone they don't know. Even with ourselves, we are cautious and careful to only accept files from those we trust. Downloading files from the Internet and IRC both require extreme caution. People should ONLY download files from repeatable sites on the Internet. Please note: All the files on this site have been run through two anti-virus scanning programs, and all have been used and tested ourselves.One of the reasons the viruses have become such a nuisance, is that the standard default settings of Windows does not show a person the full extension of a file. For instance, if I wanted to send you a picture of myself in JPEG format, you might see me send you a file called mad-boy. But in reality, the file's name is mad-boy.jpg. Many Windows machines are not setup to show the full extension. In addition, nasty people have learned that they can send a seemingly innocent file -- one with a hidden extension -- to a great many people either via the Internet, IRC, or ICQ. As an example, let's say I have modified an executable file to behave badly (meaning it does something bad when it is clicked upon). I could code into my mad-boy.jpg this bad executable file, and I could rename it mad-boy.jpg.exe. If I wanted to infect people, I would send this mad-boy.jpg.exe out to others. A normal Windows user would still only see the mad-boy.jpg and when they clicked upon my picture to view it, it would trigger the executable, and whammo.....problems!I can't stress this enough, for MOST Windows users, the last extension of .exe would be hidden to them as a result of a default Windows setting. Not a pretty picture! (no pun intended The reason so many people are getting infected worldwide is that they do NOT have 'Show File Extensions' turned ON. People don't realize that when they are clicking on an innocent looking file, it is really unleashing a bad program loose into their computer. Nuking In most cases, when someone tries to nuke you, he/she is trying to exploit a bug in your Operating System (This may be Windows95/98/NT or something else like Linux) to try to crash your system (WinNuke) or sometimes just disconnect you from IRC, and make your connection really laggy. By applying the appropriate patches to your O/S you will be able to avoid this problem. IRC Security mIRC itself holds some "bugs" which allows users to do some 'awful' stuff to you I shall try to explain how to avoid these problems. CTCP Flood Protection: A user can send multiple ctcp requests to your program and this will in some cases cause you to be disconnected from your IRC server. It is better if you just ignored all incoming CTCPs, to do this, type :
/ignore -t *!*@*
This will make your mIRC ignore all incoming CTCPs.Script.ini problem: When joining #Cyprus, some people attempt to send you a file called "script.ini". You should be aware of the fact that this is a type of "mIRC" virus and that you should never accept it. If you ever do accept it, please carry out the following steps (By typing the commands in mIRC):Â Â
/sreq ask
/unload -rs script.ini
/remove script.ini
 To be on the safe side, just re-start mIRC after that Using a Firewall
Another very good option is to use a personal firewall. This acts like a blocking agent between your computer, and other computers (users). The firewall will detect when persons might be trying to check your computer for open ports. Finding an open port is like leaving the back door to your house open while you go shopping. You just never know who might walk through, or what kind of damage they can do. I would recommend that you download ZoneAlarm from ZoneLabs. It is a FREE firewall, and seems to be doing a good job. I've used it for about a month now, and am experiencing no problems. The program has also caught (and logged) other people scanning my computer. The firewall detects these probes, but it does not allow them access. If you are a StarTrek fan, think of a firewall as a forcefield. As long as it's up, you are safe, but if you lower your firewall, then you are once again vulnerable.
Tips on Being Secure Immediately apply the updates released by software companies. Be especially vigilant with updates of operating systems (such as Windows) and the applications that allow you to communicate through the Internet (browsers, e-mail clients or chat clients). With Microsoft products, it is advisable to regularly use the Windows Update tool in order to automate the process. Use a good antivirus application and update it regularly. Several aspects must be taken into account when choosing an effective antivirus, including its capacity to be updated (preferably daily) and customer services, which must be able to solve any type of incident in the shortest possible time. Similarly, a good antivirus will be certified by one of the leading industry watchdogs. Make regular backup copies to safeguard important information. If you do not have a specific device for backing up documents and files, you can copy them to floppy disk. In this case, a compression tool will be very useful for compressing the information in ZIP format or similar. Another option, which is becoming more readily available, is to use a recordable CD-ROM. Create a boot disk and keep it in a safe place. If you have problems starting your computer, a boot disk is very useful. It can also help disinfect boot viruses that have managed to get into your system and which require the computer to be booted from a clean boot disk. Set secure, long passwords which contain words that cannot be found in a dictionary. When choosing a password, it is a good idea to use the first letter of each word in a well-known proverb that you easily remember. For example, a password that may seem difficult to remember: 'echasl', could correspond to the proverb: "Every cloud has a silver lining". Avoid using files with potentially dangerous formats. It is advisable not to open or download -from websites- attached files with an .EXE extension. When sending text via e-mail, it is better to use ASCII files (created with notepad, for example), in order to block the entry of macro viruses that could hide in Word documents. If you need to send a text with certain specifications (different letter sizes, fonts, colors etc.) you can save them with an 'RTF' extension in order to avoid possible infection. Use secure Web servers for transactions and sending confidential information. You can find out if a Web server uses encryption in communications by looking at the URL address. The URL of a secure website start with https://. In addition, when you are browsing a secure website, the browser will display a closed lock icon on the status bar at the bottom of the window. Reject files sent from unknown sources or unsolicited files. One of the techniques mostly frequently used by attackers involves tricking victims into installing a Trojan by making them believe that the file they've received is a software tool or a photograph. Similarly, an attacker could ask victims to send them a system file needed to repair a computer. However, the file requested is actually used to store confidential information such as the mailbox password. Configure the security options included in different applications to suit your needs and obtain the level of protection required. In Internet Explorer, for example, you can set different security levels for each zone you browse. For Internet, it is advisable to set an intermediate to high level. Consider installing an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). These systems prevent data loss if the power supply fails and protect the computer from problems which arise from power surges and fluctuations. Keep informed by reading news about computer security. In order to do this, it is advisable to regularly visit Internet portals that publish articles on this issue and subscribe to news bulletins like Oxygen3 24h-365d.
The reason so many people are getting infected worldwide is that they do NOT have 'Show File Extensions' turned ON. People don't realize that when they are clicking on an innocent looking file, it is really unleashing a bad program loose into their computer.
