We have received several inquiries from subscribers and non-subscribers indicating that they have been 'hacked'. This can be a very scary experience; therefore, we would like to address this area and explain the difference between hacking and port scanning.

When you connect to the Internet with your computer - you are actually opening a door for the world to 'take a look' at your computer. Please be advised that this is a very real component of the Internet and this happens all of the time.

How can someone 'look' into my computer system?

The first thing you need to know is that you have to ALLOW someone to enter your computer system.

This can be accomplished in many ways but the most common is to enter your system through an email Trojan or virus. An email may be sent to you that has an attached file or program that you will need to open in order for the Trojan or virus to be placed on your system.

For example, you receive an email saying the attached program contains really great screen savers and the email has an attached program called 'outrageouscreens.exe'. When you try to open the program to see the outrageous screen savers and you receive an error that you need a certain file titled out.dll (this is just an example file name - do not try to locate this on your computer) and you don't have that file so you just ignore the message. What you don't realize is that the email contained a Trojan and once you tried to open the attachment - the Trojan was placed on your system.

Once the Trojan or virus is on your computer, then an individual may be able to enter your computer through this Trojan while you are connected to the Internet and look around to see what's there. While the person is there, they can erase your files on your hard drive, use back orifice (or back door) so they can take a screen shot of what you are doing and can delete what is on your screen. This is hacking and IS illegal. Even though hacking is illegal - it is very hard to prove an individual actual did the hacking; however, should you experience such an event, we encourage you to act upon it by contacting your local law enforcement agency.

What is port scanning?

When you make a connection through your Internet service provider to the Internet - your computer is assigned an IP address for that Internet session. Port scanning is done by someone telneting (a program that allows one computer to log on to another host computer. This process allows you to use any of the features available on the host computer, including sharing data and software, participating in interactive discussions, etc.) or pinging (calling to another computer using IP addresses) to various IP addresses. If they are lucky and hit an IP address of a computer system that answers back then they can attempt to enter the system as mentioned above only they have an advantage of knowing the IP address assigned to your computer during that Internet session. This is port scanning and is NOT illegal - it is just like someone knocking on your front door then trying your back door then your patio door to see if you are home and answering.

How can you prevent hacking or port scanning?

First you need to install and keep updated anti-virus software. This software will prevent a Trojan from entering your system; thereby, stopping a hacker from getting into your computer. It is important to keep this software updated with the current virus scans since there are numerous viruses out there and more created every day.

The next step you can take is to purchase software written to notify you that someone is trying to scan your system. This software will log the entire event so you will have the IP address of the person trying to get into your computer and will block the entrance. This information is needed to help identify who it is and where they are coming in.

We have listed below several good anti-virus software and hack-free software and a link where you can purchase/download these programs.

What is your Internet service provider doing to help you?

We are in the process of developing software on our server to detect numerous hacking attempts by an individual. Once the individual is detected, we will lock down their account, which will not allow them to get back on the Internet until they have contacted us. This only takes care of our subscribers going through our system. In order to protect your system completely, you will need to have the software, mentioned above, in place to detect individuals outside of our subscribers. That group of individuals is beyond our control.

FILE/DIRECTORY SHARING:

There's no reason to share files or directories on your computer unless you are connected to a LAN (Local Area Network). If you want to share files and/or directories, be sure to supply a password for the shared files/directories. Black Ice is a good program to assist you in accomplishing this task.

How do I turn on/off file sharing?

The Windows operating system sets a default, which automatically disallows file sharing. To turn on/off file sharing - double click on the 'my computer' icon on your desktop. Once this is open, double click on 'control panel'. Next open 'network' by double clicking. When you have opened network - double click on 'file and print share' button. To allow file sharing - mark a check next to file sharing. To disallow file sharing - keep box blank with NO check mark.

Anti-virus Software:

Norton Anti-virus

McAfee Anti-virus

Cheyenne Inoculan

Trend PC-cilin

You can download software from:

Hacker Detection Software:

Black Ice

Zone Alarm

Norton Internet Security 2000 (also anti-virus)

You can download software from:

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