Hacker/Virus attack - MUST READ

[Mulletman]

Homeland Security late last night said that the US government warned that a big Internet attack against thousands of web sites was on the loose. [Read More (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/25/tech/main626054.shtml)]

Basically instead of releasing a a worm that spreads through the internet through unpatched machines, they have derived a worm that will instead attack the Internet Information Server (IIS) and attach itself onto web servers. That way when you go to a website you will download it to your machine, bypassing most firewalls. One thing you need to keep in mind, when you go to a website, any website, the site does not load up off ther server. In fact you DOWNLOAD that entire page and then your machine will pop it up on your browser. Process takes so little time, that one does not notice. Since this does not directly affect home PCs, NO PATCH will be released for the consumer to install. Instead this will all be done on the servers side.

If you don't have an Anti-Virus or Firewall, get them NOW. I recommend these free ones.
- Grisoft - AVG Anti Virus (http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php)
- Zonelabs Zone Alarm (http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp)

If you already own professional versions, (i.e. ~ McAfee, Norton) then you do not need these. If you dont have ANY, then these are mandatory downloads. These programs work the exact same way as thier corporate brothers, expect the GUI is not as pretty. These companies do have paid programs, but all you need are the FREE version.

"I'm technologically inclined" - that bullshit excuse doesnt fly with me and it will not fly here. Bottom line is, its free software, so the least your dumbass can do is learn to use the program. Only two ways out of this mess; 1) you do what I tell you to or 2) you never turn your machine on again.

[Steve]

and BTW, all my sites (CreedFeed, ABRocks) is run on Linux, not Microsoft's IIS :D

[Mulletman]

Man, this is probably the worst attack I've seen so far.

[Steve]

Yea from what I've been reading, it seems bad. Sucks that people would do something like this.

[JulieCitySlicker]

Thanks for the headsup :)
I just downloaded the zonelabs firewall and I'm liking it better then the AVG so far!

It would really be nice if those stupid hackers would find new hobbies though :rolleyes:

[creedsister]

Thanks for posting the info :jam: :jam:

[Dogstar]

So, if I have the Norton anti-virus program I'm OK? I'm one of those dumbass non-tecnological people :D...Thanks for the info, Mulletman!

[TeriB19]

"I'm technologically inclined" - that bullshit excuse doesnt fly with me and it will not fly here. Bottom line is, its free software, so the least your dumbass can do is learn to use the program. Only two ways out of this mess; 1) you do what I tell you to or 2) you never turn your machine on again.
You really know how to sweet talk a girl, don't ya? Good thing I'm not technologically challenged. ;) :D

[Steve]

Norton Antivirus should be fine just as long as you update it. Make sure you run the Auto-update feature of your Norton software to be sure it's up to date

[Mulletman]

You really know how to sweet talk a girl, don't ya? Good thing I'm not technologically challenged. ;) :D
It's a gift.

Like I said, if you already have a professional virus scanner or firewall program (i.e. Norton or McAfee) then you dont need these. These are for those that do not have any protection or don't have the money or time to go out and buy the professional software.

You truely need both programs, one is not better than the other and they both do different things. An anti-virus protects your computer from known viruses. It will kill the virus when it detects them. A firewall on the other hand does not kill anything. What it does is it seals up ports (logical holes in your machine in which data flows in and out) and monitors which programs are trying to connect to the internet to to send data. This will stop all hack attempts and worms (viruses that enter your machine through open ports) from entering you machine but it will NOT stop viruses. It will prevent viruses from sending your private information from your machine back to the hacker, but it wont stop you from downloading them. Think of it as in the forms of birth control, for best results you're going to use more than one form of birth control. Hey shut up, it hard coming up with an analogy everyone can relate to.

Note: If you got the Zone Alarm program, put it on 'Learning Mode". That way it learns with programs you use frequently and which programs you dont. Be aware that the first couple of days will be a bit of a bitch as it gets settled in.

[Bridge of Clay]

thanks, Mullet! I didn't know nothing about the attack! I'm updating my mcafee right now!
And go Steve! Linux is the way to go!

[creedsister]

So, if I have the Norton anti-virus program I'm OK? I'm one of those dumbass non-tecnological people :D...Thanks for the info, Mulletman! No Your Wrong I , Im The Dumbass :D

[Higher_Desire]

Thanks for the info. Do we know yet what sites it has infected? It's good CF and ABR won't be hurt.


H-D :pimp:

[Mulletman]

nope. only the most popular sites that run IIS. So just watch yourself.