ANNOYING "SCRIPT KIDDIE" HACKERS

I have vented recently about viruses on the web and hackers that try to drop a dime on you every chance they get. So I decided I should follow up and give others some incite to help prevent the headaches instead of complaining about them. I will explain, in "Tyla" terms, why & how your computer gets attacked, ways to tell if your being hacked and what you can do to prevent it.

Some "Elite" hackers are out there, doing what they do, for the mere status they gain from fellow hackers. Although most forms of hacking are illegal, a Federal Offense actually, they take the risks just to prove to the rest of the world that they can do it. The elite hackers stick to the big fish, unless of course, they have a bone to pick with you. It's the so-called "script-kiddies" that are doing all the leg work. These days most hackers are not out there to re-arrange your web pages or embed codes that will run your computer right over the edge. Instead, they want you on the web, so they can track your every move, gain access to your personal data along with any other contacts you have saved on your computer and then sell what they can to the highest bidder. There is a huge market, not only for email addresses for soliciting purposes, but also consumer tracking, getting your credit card numbers and ways to hide all of this from the Feds.

I won't go into all the technical mumbo jumbo as to how they do it, because if you do not have a great knowledge of programming language, it can be difficult to understand. And if you do have the knowledge, then I'm sure you already know a few methods hackers use. In plain terms, hackers target those with access vulnerabilities. For example you're Internet access, the operating system you use and your anti-virus protection. If they can find a whole in any of these operations, you are a prime target. Free/Open Source software (F/OSS) is an easy way for a hacker to gain access to your system. Sure, you get a free download, but the catch is, if there happens to be a code or "Bug" embedded in the software, someone may be able to track your every move on the web. And to top it off, for the next month your trying to track down that pesky little nuisance. Ever been surfing and have one of those "Ads by Superior", or as I call them "Superoids", pop up when your pop-up blocker is turned on? yes? Well, then you probably have a bug, and that pop-up hemorrhoid will probably have an ad relative to what you've been surfing for. Psychic? I think not. It's tracking you from your own computer.

There are some programs on the web to help prevent unwanted intruders, but I haven't tried them, so I can't recommend any as of yet. Instead, I do have a couple simple suggestions that may help in the meantime. First, if your visiting a website or blog that you are not familiar with and are not sure you can trust, and it starts taking a long time to load, get the heck out of there. It's not worth the risk. I'm not saying the site is bugged. I know some pages have a lot of graphics and load slower than others. I'm talking about when the page freezes...the wheels not turning. Don't go take a potty break then come back to find your computer still locked up and you have to shut it down the hard way. Second, if this does happen, physically remove your Internet connection first to try to get the system running again, as hard shut-down's are not good on computers. Also, if you are able to exit explorer after pulling the plug, well, that should tell you something. Lastly, do yourself a favor and run a full system scan while your computer is not connected to the Internet. Anyone using High Speed or Broadband should physically remove the Ethernet cable, then run the scan. Believe it or not, these bad little boys will try to run right out of your Internet access, if Norton runs while you are connected, and then they'll run back in when it's done.

A Quote from "Diary of a Mad Hacker" at PCworld.com "Security rule numero uno: No matter how paranoid you are, you aren't paranoid enough".

Good Luck! And happy hunting!