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How to Protect yourself in a Hacker
War
What, you don't find getting caught up in a hacker war immensely
entertaining? You don't want to be the innocent bystander caught in the
crossfire of an rm command? Here are a few rules that can help you. But
remember, these are only the most basic of protections. We'll cover the
industrial-strength techniques in later Guides in this series, as well as how to
catch the culprits.
Top Ten Beginner Defenses in Hacker
Wars
10) Backup, backup, backup.
9) Assume anything is being sniffed, unless protected by strong encryption.
8) Assume your phone is tapped.
7) Never, never, ever telnet into your shell account. Use Secure Shell instead.
6) Pick a good password. It should be long, not a name or a word from a
dictionary, and should include numbers and/or characters such as !@#$%^&*. If
you use a computer where others have physical access to it, don't write your
password on anything.
5) This applies to shell accounts: assume your attacker will get root control
anyhow, so your password won't do you any good. That means you should encrypt
any files you don't want to have passed around, and send your shell history
files to /dev/null each time you log out.
4) Do you use the Pine or Elm email programs? Don't keep email addresses in your
shell account. Your saved mail files are a good place for cybernazis to find
email addresses and send out threatening and obscene messages to them. GALF
specializes in this tactic.
3) Regularly patrol your Web site. You never know when it may sprout rude body
parts or naughty words. Preferably use a Web server hosted on a computer system
dedicated to nothing but Web sites. Best of all, use a MacOS web server.
2)Disable Java on your Web browser. Don't even *think* of using ActiveX or
Internet Explorer.
And, the number one defense:
1) Join us Internet freedom fighters. It will take many of us to win the
battle against those who want to pick and choose whose voices will be heard on
the Internet.
Where are those back issues of the GTMHHs? Try
http://www.spaziopiu.it/elettrici/gtmhh/.
Copyright 1997 Carolyn P. Meinel. You may forward or post this GUIDE TO (mostly)
HARMLESS HACKING on your Web site as long as you leave this notice at the end.
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