If you are chatting with a person on Yahoo Messenger, do you know how to find the Location of the person you are chatting with? You can use a simple command and some googling to find out the location of the person you are chatting with.

When ever you use the Internet, in fact any network, the communication should happen between 2 Computers which are uniquely identified by 2 IP Address. But in most cases these IP Address might not be unique for your Computer but unique for your ISP. Simply speaking the router at your ISP is connected to the Internet. The connection between your computer and your ISP is a local network. Your ISP Routers acts as the middle man is making the Internet requests on your behalf and getting the Internet results back to your machine. So you can in most cases trace back an internet connection to the ISP, i.e. to the Country, State, City and ISP.

When ever you chat with a person using Yahoo Messenger your messages are sent to a Yahoo Server and the Server relays the messages to the person you the chatting with. So if you find the IP Address in such a scenario you will find the IP Address of the Server but not of the person who is chatting with you. Yahoo Messenger uses P2p Technology when you transfer a file from your system to the other persons system. So when you find out the IP Address of the Destination Computer when you do a Yahoo File Transfer you can actually find out the IP of the other person and hence the location.

When you are trying to find out the Location of the person chatting with you, you should make him accept a file transfer request, in this way a connection would be established between your computer and his computer. Remember to send a file which is at least 3-4 MB in size so that you have some time to capture the active connections. Once he accepts and the file transfer starts, open command prompt and type the command netstat –n, this would give active TCP Connections on each Port.

C:\Documents and Settings\User Name>netstat –n

Active Connections

  Proto  Local Address          Foreign Address        State

  TCP    10.0.0.9:1101          10.0.0.191:1025      ESTABLISHED

  TCP    10.0.0.59:1881        10.0.0.184:1372      ESTABLISHED

  TCP    10.0.0.59:2301        208.88.182.2:80      ESTABLISHED

  TCP    10.0.0.59:2302        208.88.182.3:80      ESTABLISHED

  TCP    10.0.0.59:2303        208.88.182.3:80      ESTABLISHED

C:\Documents and Settings\User Name>

The out put of netstat –n command would be something similar to the above. From the above list you need to filter the Foreign Address filed to get the IP Address of the Person chatting with you. When you are trying this close all Internet Applications like Messengers and File Sharing application and close all browser windows. Then you would have very few results and you can easily filter the IP Addresses.

You can use the Wiki link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netstat to find more about the Netstat command.

You can use the Wiki link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_TCP_and_UDP_port_numbers to filter the foreign address based on port numbers.

Once you find the IP Address you can go a site like http://tools.whois.net/whoisbyip/  to find who is of that IP Address. Whois basically gives details like the address of registration, company name and contact details.

To find your own IP Address you can use the command ipconfig /all.

If you need any further clarification please get back to me.

And more and more home users are going for the wireless internet rather than the fixed wired networks with cables running everywhere and tangling all around the house. The accessibility and availability provided by the Wireless Internet Networks would quickly turns into a gloomy nightmare if you don’t configure some security controls on your wireless network.  

First thing that is forcing people towards Wireless is the time required for the Last Mile Connectivity. When a User gets the idea of having an internet connection in his home, first thing on his mind would be how quickly I can get connected and browsing the first website. While wireless connectivity can easily accomplish this, it’s best to configure some security controls on your wireless connection before logging into the cyberspace.

Here are some tips and tricks to help secure your wireless network.  

To go Wireless you need a Wireless Router. A Wireless router is a device to which you connect your ISP Internet Cable and the Router connects your Laptops or Desktops with Wireless network cards to the internet using Wireless Connectivity.

First and most important thing is to change the default admin password. Different Brands use different Admin User name and password combinations which are readily available on the internet. For Example: admin-password, admin-admin123, admin-<Blank Password>. Such passwords can be easily figured out by hackers when they are left as the default. Not changing your wireless admin password is like putting a box of sweets with an open lid in a place full of ants.   

Packets of data flow on the Wireless Network just as Packets flow in Wired Networks and this makes the job very easy for a Hacker to use a Sniffer and Sniff the packets, and most of the popular services like Yahoo and MSN send the password unencrypted.  To combat this you need to turn on encryption. Enabling WEP encryption on your wireless network will help you protect your privacy and all your info won’t be floating around outside your home waiting to be picked up by a passerby. You can define a long phase phrase like TheQuuickBrownFooxJumpedOverTheLazyDOG, or something similar without which the passerby wont be able to connect to your network. 

Another important option is to disable the auto-connect feature. Do not allow your devices to auto-connect. Allowing auto-connect may connect to a network that you don’t particularly want. To further enhance security you can enable your wireless router to accept connected only from the MAC Address defined in the allow list. You can add the MAC Address of your Laptop and Desktop to allow list and ensure that only those 2 devices can connect to the Wireless Router.

Another Trick which works without any configuration is, place the wireless router close to the center of your home. Although the reach of WiFi networks can vary greatly, it’s important to not allow the signal to float around great distances from the main access point. It is impossible to stop all leakages from exiting your home. But minimizing the risk to your WiFi network will help to protect it.  

Another good idea for WiFi network security is to not allow broadcast of the SSID. Your router may have SSID broadcasting set up by default; however you should be able to change this setting in the configuration. This feature is only useful for mobile environments, and is not needed in home WiFi networks.  

These are just a few tips to securing your WiFi network. It’s always a good idea to check for firmware updates to your router as new exploits and vulnerabilities arise. Some routers will have an auto update feature and it’s important to use it. Using auto update will help keep your WiFi network secure without the need of remembering to check for updates.

First using a password with the real name or pet name of a user should be avoided. Moreover avoid passwords on information that can found with a bit of research on you, such as your wife’s name, child’s name, type of car you own, a phone number or vehicle license tag, your address, a parent’s name, your date of birth, etc.

A common method used by hackers to break a password is the dictionary method of attack. This method uses a dictionary in any language to try large numbers of words to see if an actual word is in the password. Reversed words, frequent misspellings and look-alike letter replacements are also checked.

One solution that is popular is to use a sentence that is easy to recall and use the first letter of each word in the sentence for the password. Using this method, ”Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away” translates into the password “pdntspa”

To make it more complex, mix in some upper case letters and maybe “P” for Please. Add a date make the final password “Pdntspa1999″. It looks complicated but it is easy to recall the year, and the sentence.

Since a great many passwords are case sensitive, the use of upper case letters greatly increases the difficulty of breaking such a password. Symbols can be used with some systems, so using an easy to remember question mark and a dollar sign will make the password “Anwy?ccdfy$1961″ makes it an even better password.

A change like this adds length to the password, making it far more difficult for a hacker to break. A password should be a minimum of eight characters but fourteen or more, like the example above, is best.

To enhance the security of your passwords, you should:Use a separate password for each program or application, don’t use a common password for all.Keep all passwords private, don’t share them with anyone who doesn’t really need to know. Every three or four months, change your passwords. So not use your passwords on shared computers such as in a public library or cyber cafe as there could be keystroke software installed.

If someone says they are from your bank or some such place and asks for your password, do not give it.

Banks and other similar places will never ask for your PIN or password.

In 2001, Cat5e (or enhanced Cat5) was designed, with stricter specifications for performance and speed. The biggest difference between Cat5 and Cat5e is that Cat5e can be used with Gigabit networks, networks like 1000BASE-T that boast transfer speeds of up to 1000Mbit/s. Cat5e also has slightly modified wiring for even greater protection from far end crosstalk.

In general, Cat5 has been almost completely replaced by Cat5e. While you can still find Cat5 cable out there, you can often find Cat5e at almost the exact same price. You may not notice a difference in performance for a home network, but virtually all business settings will benefit from exclusively using Cat5e.

UTP or STP?

The “TP” in both STP and UTP stands for “Twisted Pair.” As mentioned previously, Cat5 cables include 8 total wires, each twisted with another to create four twisted pairs. This balanced pairing is crucial in avoiding crosstalk and establishing a high signal-to-noise ratio even in interference-rich environments.

STP is Shielded Twisted Pair. Each pair in the cable is covered in a metal sheath, which provides protection against EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). The drawbacks to shielding are a heavier cable without the same level of flexibility as UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair). STP is also a slightly more expensive cable and all of its jacks and terminators are shielded to be effective, which can add up over long distances.

UTP has no additional shielding around its individual twisted pairs, and thus does not require that its terminators and jacks also be shielded. Additionally, it is a light, thin, and flexible cable. This means that it is easy to wire between walls and won’t take up the space that you may need for additional wiring.

Conclusion

Unless you have specific needs, UTP Cat5e cable is the best solution for most of your networking needs. Not only is it reliable, fast, and easy to work with, it’s also the cheapest LAN cable on the market.

For additional shielding, go ahead and pay the extra for STP but remember that the cable will have less flexibility and needs shielded counterparts when planning your networking.

There are many software based firewalls like Zone Alarm which sit on your PC between your OS and Internet and wheneven some program tries to access the internet they will pop-up a window asking you weather you want to allow the program or not….if you dont have the knowledge about that program you can always google.com to find what the program is….and then you can allow/block them…sounds simple right but it provides the best protection….

Sharing of folders….this is something which is the killer in the cable internet networks….even if you dont have any folders shared but you have File Printing and Sharing enabled you are vunerable to all the Network Virus which spread through network..If you have a cable internet connection remember to remove File Printing and Sharing from Network Connections. Its a service and you dont need it to access the internet….

Angryip scanner result window would display all the live hosts and you can right click a live host and select browse to browse the shared folders….

 Another basic mistake people do is they would allow unwanted services enable…for example telnet….have you used telnet before…..most of you would answer no…its a service through which you can remotely connect to a PC and execute commands….by default it comes with a blank password….so you can simply right click the live hosts and select Telnet…if the service is enabled you are in his system and you can use any dos command you have learnt as part of your Basic Computer skills….delete all system files to make his system useless…thats the worst thing to do….

 Keep comming back for more….and please post your suggestions and comments…….

 Angry IP Scanner is a small exe which would help you find the live hosts on your network. If you check your ip address you would have 192.168.0.X then the range of your network is 192.168.0.1-192.168.0.255. Now download Angry IP Scanner from the below link and enter the ranger. The exe would run a ping for all the ipaddresses and list the live hosts along with some details like host name etc. http://www.download.com/Angry-IP-Scanner/3000-2085_4-10549446.html Download and try and come back for more posts on hacking…….

Today’s world is totally different, there are hundreds of thousands of people on the Internet that would love to steal your credit card, bank details, paypal account you name it they want it!

But it’s not just that they also want to take your identity to ruin your credit by taking out massive loans in your name and having it paid in to your account for them to just withdraw it from there PC…

It does not stop there either, not only are we scared to wits of losing our cash but we also have people wanting to destroy our data on our computers out of pure fun and joy… It’s a sad world we live in.

Now I’m not here to scare you, don’t close that Internet connection just yet as I do also have some great tips and ideas on how to keep your self protected from such worries.

Firstly, every computer must own a Firewall, but I can hear the slow ticking in your head already banging away and asking… What’s a Firewall?

Firewalls are designed to prevent other computers accessing your computer without your permission, to keep this very basic, a firewall is basically wall between you and the Internet. For others to get pass this wall they have to be given permission from the users on the other side.

Firewalls are great protection; I have used many, ZoneAlarm, Norton and also McAffee. But the best I have seen so far would have to be from Panda Software. They have a two in one package having Antivirus and Firewall all in one box. Though this may stop people from trying to attack your PC using software etc there are still many other routes that you can get attacked.

Viruses, Spyware, Trojans are just a few names that are currently taking advantage of thousands of PCs around the world; a firewall will not protect you from all of these!

Instead, you are going to need an Antivirus product which will take care of most of these threats.

Most Antivirus software will protect you from almost all threats on the Internet, you don’t need Spyware protection for Spyware, Trojan protection for Trojans… You get the picture?

One single Antivirus application will do all the work for you, don’t sit there searching endless searches for different products to help you out… Why?

In the end you will have loads of junk software on your PC all taking up system resources and wasting your computers CPU power. You will start to see your PC running slower and in the end you will just have to do a recovery of the entire system because it will be too naked to even start up… Phew!

But you get the picture now; a single application is all you need, the big brand names do all this for you at the moment, it runs in your task bar and does almost everything except make you a nice cold tea! Just make sure you install the latest Antivirus software soon as your Operating System is installed… We don’t want anything bad slipping through do we!

To keep your self safe from all the nasty stuff on the Internet then the only best advice I can give you is to stay away from them bad nasty adult sites and also stay away from FREE software sites… These type of sites are hard to pick from, some are bad… Some are good.

Keep your software up to date and watch where you go and you should have no problems at all.