TECH TIPS & TRICKS: March 2006

Monday, March 27, 2006

Hacking Explained

Hacking means illegally accessing other people's computer systems for destroying, disrupting or carrying out unauthorized activities on the network or computer ,or bypass the security mechanisms of an information system or network.

Who is a hacker????

A hacker is a person who creates and modifies computer software and computer hardware, including computer programming, administration, and security.

In computer programming, a 'hacker' is a programmer who hacks or reaches a goal by employing a series of modifications to exploit or extend existing code or resources. In computer security, a hacker is a person able to exploit a system or gain unauthorized access through skill and tactics. This usually refers to a black hat hacker.

Different forms of Attack :-

There are various hacking attacks which are used in breaking system and causing disruption and for damaging services. These attacks can be given briefly as following:

1. Software Theft: Software will be hacked and will be sold later by producing illegal copies without the permisson fo the owner in an unauthorized way.This results in bankruptcy and downfall for companies that spend millions developing and creating the software.

3. Theft of information: All types of information and data are robbed for a particular benefit or self motivation.

4. Denial of service: Hacker will break into a system and disable different operations and cancel all account so that all users won't be able to access their own information.

5. Terrorism: known as information terrorism and occurs when dataflow is disrupted causing the system to break down and stop providing services for a period of time.

Different modes Of Computer And Network Attacks :-

1. Distributed denial of service attacks: that the system crashes or stops working for a period of time due to flood of messages or requests.

2. Trojan horse: It is a destructive software installed in computer systems. It shuts down the system and also allows you to hack other people. It enables others to enter your system without your knowing and it can also introduce viruses into your system.

The term "Trojan Horse" comes from a Greek story of the Trojan War in which the Greeks give a giant wooden horse to their enemies, the Trojans, apparently as a peace offering. But after the Trojans drag the horse inside their city walls, Greek soldiers sneak out of the horse's hollow belly and open the city gates, allowing their compatriots to pour in and capture Troy.

3. Viruses: It spreads and repeats itself then destroy or attack the system.

4. Websites: Trace your web browser using known security holes and then perform destructive activities.

5. Worms: It used for hacking big systems. It utilises all available resources to create overload to the system and difficulty to function.

Track IP Address and Tips on how to change IP Address

IP ADDRESS:-

Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses are the numerical codes that relate to a specific domain name. It is possible that a domain name may identify one or more IP addresses. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 1.120.15.185, could be an IP address

DOMAIN NAME:-

A domain name is the text name corresponding to the numeric IP address of a computer on the Internet. A domain name must be unique. Internet users access your website using your domain name. download The process of copying files, information and images from the Internet to your computer. Every time a visitor accesses a page on the Internet, they are downloading the contents of that page.

IP TRACKING:-

One common misconception held by many web surfers is that their location on the internet is hidden -- in other words, that when they click on a link or type a URL into the address bar on their browser, the web server sending them the file does not know where they are on the internet. Of course this is impossible. The web server must know your 'address' in order to sent you a file, and this takes the form of an IP (Internet Protocol) address. An IP address is a string of numbers, as unique as a telephone number, which makes it possible for a file to be sent across the country or around the world and arrive at its intended destination. Every computer connected to the internet has an IP address; for example, the computer I am working at right now has the address 207.23.94.44

So when you request a file from a web server, your browser sends it your IP address. But that is not the only information it sends. Privacy.net, a internet privacy advocacy site, has set up an analysis page which makes it possible to view exactly what information a web server receives about you when you request a file.

By entring the ip address and waiting a few seconds, you will be able to see a complete analysis of your connection including:


  • Your IP address
  • Whether the server was successful in placing a cookie on your computer
  • The Referer (The Referer is the website you linked from, in other words the page you were at before jumping to the analysis page.)
  • Detailed information about your computer hardware and software including browser type, screen resolution, etc.
  • The name and address of the owner of your domain and network

TRACK LOCATION THROUGH IP:-






How do I change my IP address?

Before trying any other methods to change your IP address, try turning off (or unplugging the power of) your Cable/DSL modem for five minutes. In many cases this will change your IP address. However, if that does not change your IP address, repeat the process for 8 hours (overnight works well) instead of 5 minutes. Hopefully this will result in an IP change.

If the above does not result in your IP address changing, please look through the below for the situation that best matches yours and attempt to change your IP address that way. Unfortunately you are not able to get your IP address to change in all cases, as it is ultimate determined by your ISP's DHCP configuration (when you've got a dynamically assigned IP address, that is.)

Windows - Computer connected directly to the modem

Get to a command prompt. (START, run, cmd).
















  1. Type "ipconfig /release" (without the quotes, on the command line by itself).
  2. Type "ipconfig /renew" (without the quotes, on the command line by itself).

Windows (second option) - Computer connected directly to the modem

  1. Get to a command prompt. (START, run, cmd).
  2. Type "ipconfig /release" (without the quotes).
  3. Shut down computer.
  4. Turn off computer.
  5. Turn off all ethernet hubs/switches.
  6. Turn off cable/DSL modem.
  7. Leave off overnight.
  8. Turn everything back on.

Network with Router

  1. Log into the router's admin console. (Often http://192.168.1.1/)
  2. Release the IP address. (Method varies by router manufacturer)
  3. Turn off router, ethernet hubs/switches, and the cable/DSL modem.
  4. Leave off overnight.
  5. Turn everything back on.

If you are using a cable/DSL modem and a router, you may wish to connect your computer directly to the cable/DSL modem. Please note that this could significantly impact your system security. This allows your ISP's DHCP to issue you a new (hopefully changed) IP address based of the (hardware) MAC address of your computer's ethernet card.

If all the above has not worked to change your IP address and you have a router, check and see if there is a "Clone MAC Address" option. Using it should change your IP address, however, you'll only be able to do it once (in most cases).

These will not work in all cases. If all else fails contact your internet service provider (ISP) and ask them if they are able to change your IP address or how long your connection needs to be off for your IP address to change.

Source:-http://whatismyipaddress.com/staticpages/index.php/how-do-I-change-my-ip-address