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- 2/16/2003 2:13:21 AM

Les_the_Sarge_9_1

Posts: 4392
Joined: 12/29/2000
Status: offline

That is what I thought you meant by "laced" but I wanted it more completely explained, thanks.

Yes I have experienced files before that were stuffed with "junk".

The first that comes to mind is Microsoft Windows heheh.

_____________________________

I LIKE that my life bothers them,
Why should I be the only one bothered by it eh.

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Post #: 31

- 2/16/2003 2:20:39 AM

Charles2222

Posts: 3993
Joined: 3/12/2001
Status: offline

Les the Sarge 9-1: There's more to it than that. If it gets into hacking, they can pretty much do what they want to your computer. I'm convinced someone starting hacking into my computer through my cable modem after I stood in the way of some honary type that posted like two whole times to the non-AOW forums, and haven't seen him on this site since. It seems, to this day, that he's piggy-backing off my cable modem, so if that's the worst of it my modem speed is only reduced until I get AT&T to give me a different address (whatever that address is called).

(in reply to Les_the_Sarge_9_1)

Post #: 32

- 2/16/2003 2:46:25 AM

Les_the_Sarge_9_1

Posts: 4392
Joined: 12/29/2000
Status: offline

Yes there is always that of course.

Cable modem users with large hard drives and super fast processors not employing common sense are basically asking for it.

Those with modest machines and yesterday's news performances with dial up are not likely going to get much interest from hackers where "using you" is concerned.

But it is always possible that a person that is angry can cause serious harm.

Best defense there I suppose is to not be online.

I have heard people say whilst using the Zonealarm firewall, that they were having "numerous" reports of assumed "intrusion" attempts into their systems.

It could well be the case.

_____________________________

I LIKE that my life bothers them,
Why should I be the only one bothered by it eh.

(in reply to Les_the_Sarge_9_1)

Post #: 33

- 2/16/2003 7:27:57 AM

Les_the_Sarge_9_1

Posts: 4392
Joined: 12/29/2000
Status: offline

Well as promised here is the report on playing the game.

Part one.

Setting up the board is easy enough done.
You can either just use a default set up (I doubt anyone will want to though), or place em yourself.
If you have ever played TR before, just put em where you always do.
Nice bit though, click done just for the sake of it during placement, and the game reminds you when you have not met your deployment limits, and what those requirements are (not suggested for sides that don't have them of course).

Playing the opening turn.
Well of course if you have never even played TR before you won't have any pre conceived pet attack strategies in mind.
I didn't labour over getting in aperfect attack, I just wanted the turn done.
It reminds you that failing to attack Poland turn one means you lose (axis player that is).

You can't save game within a player turn (so you impatient click fest demons will likely not enjoy that all to much).
I found the interface was fairly easy to master though. From a cold start, relying on intuition entirely, and letting the screen messages guide me, I was able to resolve turn one in 10-15 minutes.

So that is it to some extent. You can't expect to enjoy this game, if you can't sit down and play your whole turn through. So it is best decided to make sure you won't be interupted while playing eh.

I will post a part two when I can give some thoughts on the games ideas of AI behaviour.

_____________________________

I LIKE that my life bothers them,
Why should I be the only one bothered by it eh.

(in reply to Les_the_Sarge_9_1)

Post #: 34

- 2/16/2003 7:53:35 PM

Ardle

Posts: 93
Joined: 9/15/2000
From: Hiroshima, Japan
Status: offline

Here's a tip for those of you who are getting a bit paranoid about spyware and the like: click here [URL=http://www.lavasoftusa.com/]Lavasoft[/URL] and you can download for free the 'Ad-aware' utility.

By using this I found that there was a whole load of spyware and spurious-looking files in my PC, which I could erase with the click of a button.

You'd be amazed at how many sneaky little programmes those 'Gator' b*stards manage to slip on your harddrive without you having the faintest idea...

_____________________________

"You one of those right wing nut outfits?" inquired the diplomatic Metzger.
Fallopian twinkled. "They accuse us of being paranoids."
"They?" inquired Metzger, twinkling also.
"Us?" asked Oedipa.

(in reply to Les_the_Sarge_9_1)

Post #: 35

- 2/16/2003 9:56:01 PM

Les_the_Sarge_9_1

Posts: 4392
Joined: 12/29/2000
Status: offline

Ad aware was only just recently updated, but I agree it helps.

I also have used a program called Spybot and one called Antispy, both do a similar task.

They root out intrusions to your system and selectively eliminate them.

It is folly to think you can go online and remain safe with just one methodology of course.
That is why I don't use just one.

In the end, the only way to remain safe, is to never ever ever ever go online ever ever ever. To not own a credit card, not own a phone, and live at no fixed address.

But not all of us are very rich, and willing to live in a motor home travelling from here to there forever.

_____________________________

I LIKE that my life bothers them,
Why should I be the only one bothered by it eh.

(in reply to Les_the_Sarge_9_1)

Post #: 36

- 2/18/2003 4:47:38 AM

Karnaaj

Posts: 243
Joined: 3/17/2002
From: Spokane WA USA
Status: offline

Yes, folks, *nuke* Gator where possible. It's an open door into your system... when I had it installed as part of another software package (the full DiVX video codec) it was used (not by the Gator forlks, I assume) to drop in a "backdoor" program - which subsequently littered my drives with (first time) a VisualBasic virus and (second time) the Chernobyl virus.

No third time.

*ba-THOOOOOOOOM*

No more Gator. No more backdoors. No more virii.

Note also that this was on a piddly 56k dialup box. The backdoor in question allowed remote access in full, and one of the "features" was to use the infected machine for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks - why yes, *your* machine was helping to bring down (attacked site). No wonder your connection was lagging then...

ZoneAlarm was killed by said backdoor (another "feature"), else it would have seen the traffic. If you use ZA (or another software firewall) and it starts, then exits quickly, *run* do not walk to one of the antivirus databanks and look for info. H'wever, keep an eye on your blinky lights and spinning digits, and get a feel for "correct" - I first suspected oddness when, connected but with no applications running, my "connection" icon in the System Tray was dumping data full-speed. (And yes, I lagged like hell as well.) ZA was "broken" for unknown reasons, and so I glommed a couple different programs off TuCows for examining the running processes and the traffic. Then, once I found something I couldn't ID, I did a websearch...

ZA is decent software, in my opinion, but it *will* catch stuff that isn't really intrusions - the "pings" when using WinMX (peer-to-peer) for one. It also doesn't *explain* what the attempts are: I had to dig around the Web and ask someone to find out that the 500+ attempts to connect (in 20 minutes ) were HalfLife (first-person shooter) clients looking for a server. (I guess whoever had been using my IP before I dialed in that time was running a game server.) I've not looked up the "UDP/TCP port 2405" that has hit eight times since I connected today, but I might... can't *hurt*.

A lot of this stuff is automatic, tho. Either someone is deliberately running the software, looking for vulnerabilities... or the software is sniffing around on its own hook, possibly from an infected machine. Even if you rip out the backdoor or whatever, if it has communicated "infected here" to another machine, that IP is in the database. It doesn't mean you're extra-vulnerable (unless you've not killed your infection), but the brainless software will still try to connect to the dearly departed. "Yo! Wake up d00d, it's time to hax0r Amazon!" Think of it as spam strictly for computers... your system will ignore it unless re-infected. (And it's kinda neat to watch the connection attempts on ZA - hopefully, the rat bastard trying to do evil is being *very* frustrated.)

Ah well. Enough turning your hair white for the nonce...

(in reply to Les_the_Sarge_9_1)

Post #: 37