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Hackers right now are in the media everywhere Be it people that go past ATM machines and money just flies out, (Iâm sure youâve heard of them) or bot nets being controlled by one single man to take down entire servers or networks by a simple DDoS attack, or just people trying to get your Facebook account password, theyâre everywhere!
How many times have you got that e-mail from the Nigerian prince that has inherited a big fortune and he wants to split it with you because youâve âhelped himâ a lot, but until the 1st of November he canât get it so he is relying on you to send him 1000$ to get through these tough times? How many people have told you before the year 2000 of the Y2K bug and what was thought to be the end of modern computing?Have you heard of the new viruses that just implement themselves into your computer by plugging in a USB stick and ⌠if the stick is infected with the respective virus, it infects your computer? I had that, and it wasnât pretty at all. It started turning all my files into shortcuts and hiding them somewhere else, luckily I managed to recuperate them, but others might have unknowingly not.
So I am writing this because itâs not the first time Iâve heard of a poker hacked account, and it wonât be the last time, so you want to protect yourself against these occurring problems at all costs. Letâs see what you can do to obtain virtual immunity.
Set up a good firewall
Windows Firewall will get you so far as to block some programs, but it hasnât been that effective over time, and sys-admins will tell you so. I recommend that you try to install a decent Firewall first of all, and only allow programs in and out that you trust, be very attentive with the files that you receive and never trust an âInternet friendâ.
Keep your laptop safe at all costs and donât let people that come into your place that you donât trust, have a look at your PC/play with it or use USB sticks on it. Because of the necessity to install drivers for USB sticks and the hackers discovering loopholes around this to install viruses onto your PC, computers have become a lot more vulnerable these past years.
Keep your laptop safe at all costs and donât let people that come into your place that you donât trust, have a look at your PC/play with it or use USB sticks on it. Because of the necessity to install drivers for USB sticks and the hackers discovering loopholes around this to install viruses onto your PC, computers have become a lot more vulnerable these past years.I do not recommend usage of USB sticks, if you need to transfer something just use e-mail, Dropbox, Google Drive or WeTransfer.com for big files. Also, never get .EXE files from virtual friends because even if itâs just a poker client for example or an innocent little game, it could be cross-linked with the client of a Trojan horse (exactly what Iâm talking about - a virus that doesnât present itself as a virus but in the background itâs silently installing itself).
Installing a good firewall first is imperative because if first we clean the computer with the antivirus and then we put in the firewall, we might get viruses the same way as we got them in the first place by not securing our connections first, and while we are unsuspectingly playing poker, another user is looking into our computer from afar.
Recommended FREE firewalls:
- ZoneAlarm Firewall
- Comodo Firewall
- PeerBlock
- Privatefirewall
- Anti NetCut 3
The best one by far is ZoneAlarm, but if you canât get your head around the interface, just use another one. Next you already know what weâre going to do!
Get good antivirus software, update it and start scanning!
This is the next logical step in the equation. Once weâve sealed all the intruders, time to extinguish them one by one! Antivirus software not only detects viruses on your computer by searching for them when you scan, it also checks all the files and applications that youâre using live before you execute them, scans them for viruses and, in case one shows up, blocks the application from starting and notifies you of his existence, and either quarantines the infected file, or, if possible, cleans it up. Also, itâs imperative to update the antivirus software to the latest definitions, so that it can recognize viruses that appeared, letâs say, 2 hours ago.Most antivirus software is paid, but you can find excellent ones that are free, or you can just take a free trial and test them out, and if you feel like theyâre doing a good job, you can support the developing team and buy them.
Best FREE antivirus software
- BitDefender Antivirus (World nr. 1)
- AVG Antivirus
- Avast Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit FREE
- Panda Free Antivirus
- Ad-Aware Free Antivirus
Of these, the first two are the most reliable and are what I usually use when I install Windows, after I get the firewall running.
NEVER and surely NEVER install two types of antivirus software, because it isnât going to do better, itâs just going to get the computer running slower and slower, and you WILL feel the difference in performance. One of them is completely enough.
The best paid antiviruses
- Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus
- BitDefender Antivirus Plus
- Kaspersky Anti-Virus -> one of the best in my opinion
- F-Secure Antivirus -> really good
- McAfee AntiVirus Plus -> also excellent
Next up is a step that most people donât think is necessary, but Iâm going to tell you it most definitely is. Take for example my last Windows install. I had a lot of trouble with performance, some applications werenât functioning like before and it was all just going in a downwards slope. I felt like my computer wasnât good anymore, although I just bought it less than one year ago? How can this be possible ?Well, think again. I had installed a software that contained a Bitcoin mining virus, that when you kept the computer in idle state, it was itself in idle state, but when you ran memory and calculation intensive applications, it went haywire and it was taking 100% of my computing power, leaving no room for multitasking, really. This was not detected by the anti-virus because it was another type malware and not a virus.
The difference between these two is that basically malware is a code that infects your computer and has malicious purposes, while viruses are a certain type of malware. As you see, antivirus software detects only viruses, and some other types of malware, but not all of them. Obviously the Bitcoin mining hidden software was not included in that package, as my antivirus did not return any problem.
So following this pattern, next up, we need to install.
Anti-malware software
Yep. This takes care of all the malware thatâs not taken care by the antivirus. This software is usually very specific and scans the most hidden places of your PC like registry, MBR (Master Boot Record), tasks, Host file etc., also web browsers.
Although there are many anti-malware programs, the only one that found my bitcoin problem was Rogue Killer. This software managed to find my Bitcoin hidden software and remove it within minutes, as I was searching with tens of others and never found a clue. Itâs easy to use, you can download it here, totally free and very efficient.
Among other anti-malware FREE applications, I recommend.
- Spybot Search and Destroy
- ComboFix
- HijackThis
- AdAware 11(also antivirus)
Another notable mention in the list (but not free) is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. This software has been proven efficient over time in all tests and is worth getting if you enjoy your computer malware-free.
Most of these programs are really easy to use and you donât really have to be a rocket scientist to keep your computer safe and sound, as long as you stick to this guide everything will be all right.
Other steps that you can do to prevent malware intrusion.
Keep your Windows updated and secure. The operating system will never be perfect. None will ever be. It may contain exploits and security holes that make It quite easy for your PC to get infected. The good news is that when you buy Windows, you not only buy the current state of the software, but a whole team of programmers that are working day in day out to cover these holes as soon as someone (a member or the team or a malevolent hacker, for example) discovers them.Use a secure browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Internet Explorer is a no-no. Browser protection is very important, and try to ad an Ad-blocker, so it blocks random pop-ups and you donât accidentally click on them. Be very aware of random windows appearing, âyou have won 1 million dollars messagesâ or files randomly downloading to your computer. Do not click links that your Facebook friends randomly send you, they might be under the influence of a virus that just sends âhahaha+linkâ and youâre under the influence that this is your friend and heâs sending you a funny link. Always ask him first: âDid you just send me a link?â.
Spam e-mails - Do not open an e-mail if itâs not part of your daily routine, subscribed websites or it just looks suspicious. Send it directly into the spam folder and let it be gone forever.
Do not, under any circumstances, give your passwords to anyone, even if theyâre calling you and saying theyâre Facebook Official Support or PokerStars and your account is closed for evaluation purposes etc. Support officials will never ask for passwords. They will ask for user name, e-mail, Secret Questions #1 and #2 maybe, and other details like your birthday. Donât be fooled because the phone support hack has been going on for a long time, and you should stay cautious about it.
Use a password manager - If, God forbid, you have a keylogger installed on your computer, using a password manager might save your tooshie, because you donât actually type all your passwords, you just click them. Thatâs why all modern browsers have a password saving system implemented into them, not only for ease of use, but for security also.Use Cable â Cable is a lot safer than using Wi-fi. Try to stay away from cafĂŠ wireless networks, as they are not that safe. I personally know an employee of a guy who had ~100.000 Bitcoins and he paid with his wallet in several cafes and when he got home he was cleaned out. Ultra-bummer.
Try to connect directly to your ISP through your router, not through a network. You could get ARP poisoned. The way this works is super simple to understand. The proxy has an ARP table that is basically a table of IPâs like Computer 1 and IP Computer 2 and IP.
Your computer has, essentially, the same table. Computer 2 attacks the ARP tables and changes the IPâs so that all the information now goes through his Computer and further to the proxy and backwards. This is called ARP poisoning and itâs a dangerous attack, the only way this can be surpassed is using only HTTPS that transmit encrypted data, and not HTTP. But a lot of sites nowadays have only HTTP(like p2p sites or smallish sites where you have accounts and the password there can be the same as the one on another site etc.).
Use different passwords! - Do not use the same password for everything, because if you do, and someone finds out one password, he finds out ALL or them. Donât let yourself wiped out.Do NOT lend your laptop to anyone and keep it safe! - Do not leave it in your hotel room, especially if you are named Jens Kyllonen. You can google the hotel laptop poker scandal and read what type of software was installed on the usersâ computers â many poker pros have experienced it.
Use DeepFreeze - This is a lot of work, but basically you use a cloud system like DropBox or Google Drive to save your poker hands/other files that you might need and every time you restart your computer, the slate is cleaned and the system is returned to itsâ deep freeze state.
This takes a lot of work, but itâs worth it because thereâs no way a virus will keep existing after you restart your computer. Basically you have the exact same computer every time you restart, thatâs why you need to save your data on the cloud and basically re-import the hands every time into HM2. Itâs not that much of a hassle, actually, if it gets into your routine.
I hope a lot of you read this and find it helpful. Please let me know what you think in the comments below and keep an eye out for suspicious things. Many have had their accounts hacked and Iâm telling you, itâs no pleasant!
