Hacker Tools and Protecting Operating Systems

[Guest3722A]

I have to voice a concern that recently my system has picked up a trojan horse and outside of a site I've visited recently, but not posted on, this site is the only place I really visit regularly so obviously, I'm concerned that this is the place where I picked it up. And, I don't open emails I'm not expecting or not familiar with the sender.

To get to my point, this has happened to me on another computer of mine, and it seems to always occur after visiting message boards and I'm pretty much fed up with the pussy antics of such coward types. On tv when you see one of these losers getting dragged away in handcuffs, they're always geeky nerd types and I'm usually talking to the tv (yes) at about this time saying things like, "good, another jackass off of the street", and other similar types of statements.

I don't really understand why people do these types of things, but to guess, I would have to think that their upbringing had something to do with it, but all and all, this is a criminal act and these people have deep rooted unresolved issues. In addition, I never could really understand why some more advanced users feel the need to 'hint' that they think they know the vicinity where someone lives, or even go through the trouble of wanting to ping someone for reasons that aren't productive and definitely not positive. ...WOW magic! lol

Anyway, I was hoping to get some advice here on some of the ways I can better protect myself, and even fight back. If someone knows of a reliable hacker-hacker software program, I would greatly appreciate it.

In addition, I was thinking of getting rid of the windows OS and going to Linux, and was wondering if this would be a good idea, and if so, which Linux versions would you recommend?

Sorry to bring such a negative vibe here, but I'm pretty sure this is the site where I picked it up. Any sincere suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks -Topher

 

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[Inphinity]

Use a good anti-virus (MSSE, NOD32, etc) and keep it up to date, use a well-supported browser and keep it up to date (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, IE8), ideally use a good firewall application, regularly run AV scans and it's also handy to use some good anti-malware tools (e.g. MalwareBytes AM and Spybot S&D) periodically. And be careful.

Literally 95% of the virus-riddled computers I have to fix, get that why by users who just click on everything and accept everything, even if they have no idea what it is. "Hello! This Website wants to download WIPEYOUCOMPUTER.exe, do you want to let it?" and they click OK. The other 5% are people with poor or no security software and old, insecure browsers.

The likelihood of getting one from a forum like this - without clicking on popups, ads etc - is extraordinarily low.

 

[BPA]

Download Zonealarm (free firewall) and AVG 9.0, along with Malewarebytes, I'm running these programs with chrome and even though I do quite a bit of downloading via bit torrents I have yet to have one problem.

 

[FDJustin]

The only person that should be able to see your IP (and thus ping or tracert you) should be mods. Are you hanging out on forums that let just anyone see your IP?
Prettymuch your regular user can't be tracked down by their IP. An ISP has a whole bunch of them they just give you when you log on. My IP will usually have Kingston in it's... Name. (IP's have words in them.) and trace back far enough to tell you my computer name.
There used to be a few ports that could be 'sniffed' out and exploited, but that seems pretty rare since that time years ago where if you had xp, and you were online, you were going to be spammed every 20 seconds.

As for "why people do this", there's more than one reason. Most malware comes from people trying to make money off you. That's why they flash ads to get rid of spyware and try to get you to fork up your credit card. I'm pretty sure outright identity theft is part of the game as well. Adware is only slightly more benign (perhaps. Probably not all the time) in that it's 'just' forcing you to view ads.
But you seem more focused on the more personal kind. "Hackers" come in two varieties. The first consider themselves pretty noble. They're the reverse engineers, the people that break securities and programs for the thrill and knowledge it garners. They're usually pretty elitist and have a whole slew of different ranks. (Crackers break passwords, phreakers hack phones...)
Then there's the kind you're most likely dealing with. "i m hack u!!1" typically the hackers would call them "script kiddies" as they don't really hack. They find scripts made by actual hackers and try to use them to bully someone. Most commonly their scripts are impotent anyway, only really letting them see your ports or something like that. If you're on an older OS, or maybe they're lucky and there's an exploit they can do something more than puff their chest.

That being said... Don't bother "fighting back" against these people. The worse they can do is set a password cracking program against your IM clients, email, or forum accounts. That being said, having a decent password and NEVER putting a real hint to your password in the recovery terms should keep you fine.

Case study: I've had my email "hacked" because when I signed up I made the recovery question "What is your last name?" I didn't know the email would be titled with the name you signed up with at the time. It would have been much better if it asked "What colour is the sky?" and I put "Rocky road icecream."

... So yeah. While I doubt you got your trojan from this site, it isn't impossible. I've gotten malware, and had malware blocked from otherwise trustworthy places. Since these places were trustworthy, I'm about 90% certain they were unlucky enough to be displaying ads that were abusive.

To switch, or not to switch OSes is for you to decide. I personally stick to windows purely because I can play games on it. I only have to worry about software compatibility if I'm trying to find the most outlandish things...

 

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[faq88]

I like Avast anti-virus and keep Mozilla up to date. You can also run ad-aware on regular basis to clean up any malware. Best of luck.

 

[EastWind]

I have been using computer for over 17yrs. I have never gotten a virus. Not even once, and I went along time without running anti virus protection. I guess I'm lucky, but I pay attention to sites that I go to and what I download. However, I think using Linux or an apple for your web browsing will solve most of your problems. Windows is cool for a lot of programs, but surf with a unix system or mac, then just use your windows computer strictly for the non browsing. Most viruses/spywares are now spread via http protocol. Have a firewall on, have an anti virus install and let it run often, also install some good malware tools and run them at least once a week, it's easier to have malware tool installed before infection than after infection.

 

[Guest3722A]

Thanks guys. I appreciate all of the advice. Currently I do have malware bytes, s&d and AVG 9. The AVG caught the trojan and after I rebooted, AVG was gone, so I had to reinstall, and fyi, I get my downloads from cnet. ...very strange. I'm seriously considering partitioning Linux on my drive as well. And I too use chrome, and firefox.

Thanks again.

 

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[JayKim]

Thanks guys. I appreciate all of the advice. Currently I do have malware bytes, s&d and AVG 9. The AVG caught the trojan and after I rebooted, AVG was gone, so I had to reinstall, and fyi, I get my downloads from cnet. ...very strange. I'm seriously considering partitioning Linux on my drive as well. And I too use chrome, and firefox.

Thanks again.

I have used avg. Avira is the best, second I would say avast. This is what I have since I had the same problem. I have browsed forums on what is the best and seems its a toss up between avast and avira. I have never had a problem since. I would add comodo firewall also if you want. Hope this helps.


Avira AntiVirus Personal
Download AntiVir Personal 10.0.0.567 - FileHippo.com

Ad-Aware spyware remover
Download Ad-Aware 8.2.0.0 - FileHippo.com

CCleaner by Piriform
Download CCleaner 2.32.1165 - FileHippo.com

Piriform Disk Defragger
Download Defraggler 1.19.192 - FileHippo.com

WinPatrol
http://filehippo.com/download_winpatrol/

lnternet Service Provider by Google
Download Google Chrome 6.0.408.1 Beta - FileHippo.com

 

[Guest3722A]

For future reference for anyone on here who has had intrusion issues on their systems, here is a link to how to report your problems to the FBI:

Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Home

I myself have already been in contact with them and they take crimes like this very seriously, so if anyone else here was wondering where to go, here is your starting point.

For additional information, go here:

cybercrime.gov