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/.
© 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.
