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Stop Hackers

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by kingofthenerds

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Hi All,

I need to know about hacking, so I can stop hacking. Basially I want to know how a hacker exploits port scanning and other methods to get access to your computer.

I am very aware of ports, and how they work on computers, but I do not know how a hacker would exploit them.

For instance, if port 25 was open on your computer, is it possible for a hacker to get access to your computer files etc, through that port? Or can they only get access through remote access ports such as 3389?

Please explain it well, as I really want to know how they get in to your system, otherwise I fear I may not be able to block them in my network.

I have firewalls etc, but I want to know why it is so important to have ports blocked.

Thankyou

7 replies

by rabbit_runner

King, you are asking for a lot of information. TCP/IP and UDP ports are an IT course all in themselves. I will give you a brief heads up on some of the things you should start with.

First a port is open for a specific purpose. You mentioned port 25. This is for SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) and it is used for sending email messages. When that port is open, there MUST be a corresponding service 'listening' on that port. So if a hacker attempts to connect to that port, he/she will have to utilize the service of that port and attempt to find a method to circumvent the normal operations.

If you have port 80 (HTTP) then you would have a website listening for web page requests. Again a hacker would be looking for a way around/through your security that may or may not be implemented for that port.

Do you get the picture? Each port will have its own service and thus will have its own strengths or weaknesses.

Is your question related to a network situation or to a single PC connected to the internet? That will also make a difference in how to answer your question. If you have a network, then I would highly HIGHLY recommend you get a separate firewall which will filter all inbound traffic. There are some free firewall packages on the internet which work very well on a separate box.

But back to your question, here is a link which will give a very cursory overview of ports.

http://www.spirit.com/Resources/ports.html

If you have questions, let me know. Perhaps if I knew more specific details of your situation my answers could be more specific.

I hope this helps.

by kingofthenerds

Thankyou for your response. I actually know quite alot about networks and even ports for that matter. The problem is I don't know a great deal about security. Sure I know about firewalls and I have setup Allied Telesyn Routers to block ports etc but I just really wanted to know how hackers actually get control of a machine.

I was actually asked by my father, and I didn't know the answer. I knew they compromised open ports, but I wondered how they get physical control of your machine, to check account information, or delete your files, that sort of thing.

For instance, if I was doing a test with my father, how could I hack into his machine. The reason I want to know, is if I know how to hack in, I also know how to stop it, does that make sense.

I am actually in IT, but once again, they don't tend to teach hacking techniques at tech, but they really should, because how else are you meant to stop them.

So can you help me out?

by hackersforum

Hi King,
well first of all attack does not only mean breaking into system. I will try to explain, how attacks work. As, you said you know about ports so, skipping on their states, lets take a case. Suppose, you are running web server on port 80. I come to know using port scan, now what options i have. I can do a DOS attack sending so many requests to your server that it can not handle it(Half-open connections) it will stop taking requests for new connections(legal ones). Thats, a attack(most common)if, you are having limited resourses or can use DDOS.

Secondly, one can do OS finger printing on your System to know the version of the OS running and can exploit the know hole in OS(if u have not patched them regularly).

one can use (ex:netcat) utility to install backdoor into your System, which can then be used to control your System remotely.
So, through port 25 we can install a utility which can then allow us to fetch files.The Web Server can be fooled by using Specially crafted packets to install a utility on the System it is running on.
So, you have to check for all the attachment to email or scan the packets coming into Web Server. You have to use Statefull firewall, so that we can distinguish between data originating from inside and out side.
In case of Web Server you have idea what kind of sites are hosted and whats the maximum content-data that is transmitted across.In firewall reject files > xsize.
Chat session are exploited to install rootkits on to the Sytems. So, you have to look for many things.

Cheers!

by kingofthenerds

Can you give me a specific procedure to follow to hack into my dads machine, so I can show him how easy it is for someone to attack his open ports?

Often talking about it doesn't give a clear enough picture, as doing it. Obviously it would be with my Dads concent, but it would teach us both a thing or two about how important security is.

I have read about DOS attacks and a few others, but my main focus was on how you install a utility through a port like 25 and then get remote access to a machine.

This is what I would like to test. Obviously if I get my dad to open all ports on his machine, I should be able to get in right?

Because I don't know much about remote access,apart form Remote Desktop using 3389.

Can you give me some real examples and I will award you the points.

Thanks

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