AmigaActive (1465/1728)

From:Neil Bothwick
Date:27 Jun 2001 at 08:35:38
Subject:Re: Internet Abuse and Port Hacks (reply)

johndavis said,

> --- In amigactive@y..., Oovis <oovis@m...> wrote:
>> Have you read this?
>>
>> http://grc.com/dos/grcdos.htm
>>
>> I found it interesting reading. There's a PDF version available too.

Thanks Oovis. I wrote about that for AA 23 yesterday, now everyone will
have read it before the magazine comes out :(

> Actually It's well worth taking a half hour out and reading this.
> Especially the bit about the firewall's at the end. I'd advise anyone
> who accesses the 'Net with a Winbox to install ZoneAlarm, quite
> simply because it works.

There are better solutions by all accounts. The largest security flaws
on a PC can be fixed by typing "delete C:\WINDOWS\*.*" :)

> I know people say that it's an un-necessary
> step to take and that it's scare-mongering, but having had ZoneAlarm
> block out 13 attempts in 15 mins back in Feb, it's well placed.

With the increasing availability of unmetered and broadband access,
particularly the pseudo-static IP addresses of many broadband services,
there is far more hostile activity taking place.

> Although this may be OT, remember this scenario HAS appeared on the
> Amiga. IIRC, a fake Lib/Datatype was written and flooded an address
> (H+P?) with garbage through Miami (I'm sure I'm going to get
> corrected on this),

You are. The datatype sent your Miami config to Digital Corruption. It
was fake version of BlazeWCP, Safe and FBlit that mail bombed H&P.
Fortunately, we don't appear to have any Zombie programs... yet.

> Given the flood of dodgy bits shoved up on Aminet recently, is
> proof enough to me that we all have to be vigilant when downloading
> files.

These programs are very hard to detect, except by their results. A
personal firewall doesn't help here as it is designed to stop
unauthorised traffic coming in, not going out.

Cheers

Neil



Neil Bothwick - New Media Editor, Amiga Active Magazine

Windows '96 artificial intelligence: Unable to FORMAT A: Having a go at C:

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