It's sad that we're forced to create a page like this in the first place, but unfortunately there are people who abuse IRC instead of making it a place where everyone can relax and enjoy themselves. The simple fact is, if you hang out on IRC long enough, you will be nuked or you will be sent a virus. It's inevitable. So rather than trying to pretend it won't happen, accept that it will and take steps to minimise the harm.
NUKES
First and most common malicious attack you will receive is a "nuke". My understanding of it is that it is an attempt to overload your ports with data so that your system gets disconnected from the internet and you have to dial up again. On Windows systems which have no protection, they are incredibly effective and it's virtually impossible to stop them. So, your only solution is to get a piece of software that monitors your ports and blocks any unauthorised access. That piece of software is called a firewall.
The firewall we currently recommend is ZoneAlarm from ZoneLabs. It's simple, extremely effective, and best of all, it's free for personal use. You can get a copy here, or go to ZoneLabs now and get a copy from them. Either way, you can register it. It comes with full documentation and the installation is very simple to use.
VIRUSES
The second most common thing you will see on IRC is viruses. Because of certain security holes in Microsoft products and operating systems, it's easy for someone to get a virus from a simple piece of text script - it doesn't even need to be an executable program any longer. At the time of writing, the one that has been all over ZAnet.org.za and ZAnet.net is the VBS Stages virus. There is one simple solution to this problem.
DO NOT ACCEPT FILES FROM ANYONE YOU DON'T KNOW. Not for any reason. Not ever. It's actually a good idea not to accept files from anyone at all, but sometimes it just isn't feasible. So be 100% certain about what it is you're getting before you accept the file. If you see a window that pops up asking you to accept a file called LIFE_STAGES.TXT or LIFE_STAGES.TXT.VBS, DO NOT ACCEPT IT.OK, so you were forgetful, or pressed it accidently, or just plain stupid and you accepted the file and now you have the virus. So what do you do? Here are some easy steps to deal with it.
- Alert your channel ops to the fact that you have the virus and encourage them to ban all the people who have accepted it until their systems are clean. But don't waste time talking to them, because what you must do more importantly, is:
- Leave all the channels you are in immediately. I can't stress this enough. Your system is busy attempting to send the virus to every person who joins each channel you are in, and if anyone accepts it, they will get the infection and pass it on in their turn.
- Your next thing is to set about fixing the problem. There is a fix called fixlife.exe available for download here or at http://www.symantec.com/avcenter. Click on the link and look for VBS Stages. You will also find the fixlife.exe file there. This file is digitally signed by Symantec and is virus free. If you're a techhead, you can read all the stuff about what it does and so on. That's up to you.
- Once you've downloaded the fix, run it. You may need to reboot your system afterwards.
Any questions, comments, complaints about the website? Direct them to archangel@mweb.co.za