Post by Shorinji on Jun 2, 2007 14:52:18 GMT -5
Meh, another tribute to my own boredom. Hope you guys find some of this useful. I'll give various tips for protecting your accounts, in hopes that none of our guild-mates or friends ever get hacked again. If I have time, I'll give a few maintenance tips for getting some extra performance out of older computers.
Your friends aren't always your "friends": Don't give your account info to ANYONE.
Not your MS friends. Not your real-life friends. Not your boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse. The vast majority of your actual friends and the like, probably will be trustworthy, but crap happens, because we aren't living in a perfect world.
Sometimes your friend will write down your account info to avoid forgetting it and having to ask you again. And sometimes other people find those little notes and get into your account. In a situation like this, you'd get hacked without ever knowing what the hell happened.
This next little example is something that happened to a friend of mine from when I played the game Rappelz. He gave his account info to his (real-life) girlfriend, thinking he could trust her. I'll admit, she was a very nice person, or seemed to be one at least. To make this long story short, basically something happened between them that made him break up with her. She wasn't exactly happy about it and pretty much wanted to do something to get back at him. A couple days later, he logged on to find all his items and equipments gone, and all his money gone as well. In other words, he was totally screwed. She arrogantly admitted to him that she did it, and lets just say the two of them aren't exactly friends now. Bottom line, sometimes a person is only trustworthy for as long as you're on their good side.
Another thing is, what happens if your friend has a spyware on their computer? They might not do anything to harm your account, but that doesn't mean the owner of their key-logger won't. We can account for the safety of our own computers, but we can't always vouch for our friends. Keep that in mind too.
If a real-life friend wants to play on your account for a little while, and you're nice enough to let them, then log in for them, without letting them see your info. If an online friend wants to play on your account... tell them no. Period. It might seem mean at first, but keeping your account safe is more important than how badly your friend wants to control your character. If it gets hacked, then neither of you have it anymore, and what good is your kindness doing then?
I shouldn't even need to say this but... If anyone you don't know in-game tells you they are a GM, and asks for your account info, report that person to the REAL GM's and blacklist them. No further explanation should be needed here.
Curiosity killed the cat: Stay away from hacker communities and hacking websites.
Fact: The vast majority of websites that appear to give good hacking tips are scam sites. Sorry to say this, but if you lose your account in this way, I have no sympathy for you. It's your own fault.
Other hacking websites have server-side coding that forces key-loggers onto your computer when the page loads. Making it just a matter of time before many wannabe hackers, get hacked themselves.
Besides these simple truths, hacking will get you banned eventually. Nexon is indeed slow on catching certain people, but you'll get caught. Perhaps not today, or tomorrow, but eventually. And when you do, I'd be happy to remove you from the Pirates guild personally, if someone else doesn't beat me to it. If you're legit, then stay legit. If you hack, GTFO. =]
Viruses, and trojans, and bears! Oh My!: Keep your computer yours.
If you don't have a *good* malware protection application on your computer... get one ASAP. There are several reliable free ones out there, and several excellent paid ones as well. Take your pick. Perform scans regularly. Not just once every few months, do them weekly. Viruses, spyware, etc. can find their way into your computer at virtually anytime while you surf the net, and its' important to catch them as early as possible. Every computer will get infected at least once, but you can control how much damage you let the infection have, if you stop it early enough. Protect your computers, people. =]
When someone sends you a file over an instant messenger, scan it immediately. If it appears to be safe, then and only then, should you open it. It's really easy for someone who already hacked your friend's account to pretend to be them, and try to infect your computer by abusing the trust you have for your friends. Be careful.
When you download files, only download them from trusted sources. If you can only get the stuff you want from unknown sources, then scan it immediately after downloading. If it was an installer for an application, then scan the installer before running it, and scan your whole computer after installing the application. It might be annoying to do, but you'll be glad you did when your anti-virus program starts reporting infected files. And if it finds no infections, then you now have a new file source that you can (theoretically) trust. (Note: I say "theoretically", because it's possible to have an infection that just can't be detected by your anti-virus yet.)
Protecting yourself in-game: Be smart, safe, and happy.
When people in-game ask to hold your items... say no. If they ask to see your item's stats in the trade window... say no. If they get mad and defame you for it, defame them back, and take that as proof that they were trying to scam you, and that they are just pissed that you are smarter than that.
I have to touch on the incident that happened to David and Alex. This is proof of how easily someone can screw you over, just by pretending to be someone they're not. Remember, when the average hacker gains unauthorized access to someone's account, they usually want to do as much damage as possible, and not just to the account in question. If they pretend to be your friend, and ask to hold your item, that item is gone if you let them. As I said earlier, protecting your own account is more important than how badly your friend wants to play on it, or play with your stuff. A perfect example of how powerful the word "No." is, it could have saved Alex several hundred million mesos in items.
(On a related note, I am very sorry to hear about what happened to David and Alex, I hope the two of you can return to normal play soon, and without stuff like this happening again).
Desperately want NX cash? No matter how desperate you are, don't buy it from people in-game. It's a really good way to get hacked by someone who wanted to take advantage of your desperation. A person can give you fake NX card numbers, or agree to gift you the NX and not do it. A person can destroy your account if you give them your info to let them charge NX for you. It just isn't a good idea. If you lack the means to buy NX for yourself... get them. If you have your own credit card or bank account, get yourself a Paypal. It's free, secure, and a hell of a lot safer than trusting someone else with your info. If you don't, well... you just won't have NX. Protecting yourself > Looking cool.
Maintenance tips for computers: Helping your computer perform at it's best.
Perform disk-cleanups and defragmentations often. These will help clear your hard drive(s) of no longer needed files, and re-organize the memory locations of your files to make your computer able to access them faster, and more efficiently.
Pay attention to the "minimum requirements", and "recommended requirements" of the games you install. If the game requires 512MB of RAM, and you have less than that, expect to have a bad gameplay experience. If your computer's RAM is below the "recommended" amount, expect some lag here and there. Upgrade your RAM if you can afford it, it will really pull a significant amount of processing power out of your computer.
In addition, if your computer only barely meets the minimum requirements, then it's not a good idea to have other applications running at the same time. You WILL lag. Only force your computer to multitask between applications that it has the power to handle.
On a related note: Maplestory's recommended RAM amount is 256MB. However, I can say from experience that 256MB of RAM isn't enough to truly enjoy Maplestory. Attempting to load Zakum on only 256MB of RAM will DC you nearly every time. Attempting to load Papulatus on only 256, is also rather frustrating. I personally recommend at least 512MB of RAM to enjoy lagless-ness on Maple. (This of course makes little difference when the servers start lagging, or if your connection sucks... like mine).
Laptop users love to use sleep mode. However, all computers need to be restarted every once in a while, especially after just finishing on a game that requires all of your RAM to run. My roommate had to learn this lesson the hard way, when Rappelz killed his computer's speed because he refused to restart it, and only used sleep mode. You would be surprised at the large number of common issues that a simple reboot would fix.
Hope this thread proves helpful to someone.~
Your friends aren't always your "friends": Don't give your account info to ANYONE.
Not your MS friends. Not your real-life friends. Not your boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse. The vast majority of your actual friends and the like, probably will be trustworthy, but crap happens, because we aren't living in a perfect world.
Sometimes your friend will write down your account info to avoid forgetting it and having to ask you again. And sometimes other people find those little notes and get into your account. In a situation like this, you'd get hacked without ever knowing what the hell happened.
This next little example is something that happened to a friend of mine from when I played the game Rappelz. He gave his account info to his (real-life) girlfriend, thinking he could trust her. I'll admit, she was a very nice person, or seemed to be one at least. To make this long story short, basically something happened between them that made him break up with her. She wasn't exactly happy about it and pretty much wanted to do something to get back at him. A couple days later, he logged on to find all his items and equipments gone, and all his money gone as well. In other words, he was totally screwed. She arrogantly admitted to him that she did it, and lets just say the two of them aren't exactly friends now. Bottom line, sometimes a person is only trustworthy for as long as you're on their good side.
Another thing is, what happens if your friend has a spyware on their computer? They might not do anything to harm your account, but that doesn't mean the owner of their key-logger won't. We can account for the safety of our own computers, but we can't always vouch for our friends. Keep that in mind too.
If a real-life friend wants to play on your account for a little while, and you're nice enough to let them, then log in for them, without letting them see your info. If an online friend wants to play on your account... tell them no. Period. It might seem mean at first, but keeping your account safe is more important than how badly your friend wants to control your character. If it gets hacked, then neither of you have it anymore, and what good is your kindness doing then?
I shouldn't even need to say this but... If anyone you don't know in-game tells you they are a GM, and asks for your account info, report that person to the REAL GM's and blacklist them. No further explanation should be needed here.
Curiosity killed the cat: Stay away from hacker communities and hacking websites.
Fact: The vast majority of websites that appear to give good hacking tips are scam sites. Sorry to say this, but if you lose your account in this way, I have no sympathy for you. It's your own fault.
Other hacking websites have server-side coding that forces key-loggers onto your computer when the page loads. Making it just a matter of time before many wannabe hackers, get hacked themselves.
Besides these simple truths, hacking will get you banned eventually. Nexon is indeed slow on catching certain people, but you'll get caught. Perhaps not today, or tomorrow, but eventually. And when you do, I'd be happy to remove you from the Pirates guild personally, if someone else doesn't beat me to it. If you're legit, then stay legit. If you hack, GTFO. =]
Viruses, and trojans, and bears! Oh My!: Keep your computer yours.
If you don't have a *good* malware protection application on your computer... get one ASAP. There are several reliable free ones out there, and several excellent paid ones as well. Take your pick. Perform scans regularly. Not just once every few months, do them weekly. Viruses, spyware, etc. can find their way into your computer at virtually anytime while you surf the net, and its' important to catch them as early as possible. Every computer will get infected at least once, but you can control how much damage you let the infection have, if you stop it early enough. Protect your computers, people. =]
When someone sends you a file over an instant messenger, scan it immediately. If it appears to be safe, then and only then, should you open it. It's really easy for someone who already hacked your friend's account to pretend to be them, and try to infect your computer by abusing the trust you have for your friends. Be careful.
When you download files, only download them from trusted sources. If you can only get the stuff you want from unknown sources, then scan it immediately after downloading. If it was an installer for an application, then scan the installer before running it, and scan your whole computer after installing the application. It might be annoying to do, but you'll be glad you did when your anti-virus program starts reporting infected files. And if it finds no infections, then you now have a new file source that you can (theoretically) trust. (Note: I say "theoretically", because it's possible to have an infection that just can't be detected by your anti-virus yet.)
Protecting yourself in-game: Be smart, safe, and happy.
When people in-game ask to hold your items... say no. If they ask to see your item's stats in the trade window... say no. If they get mad and defame you for it, defame them back, and take that as proof that they were trying to scam you, and that they are just pissed that you are smarter than that.
I have to touch on the incident that happened to David and Alex. This is proof of how easily someone can screw you over, just by pretending to be someone they're not. Remember, when the average hacker gains unauthorized access to someone's account, they usually want to do as much damage as possible, and not just to the account in question. If they pretend to be your friend, and ask to hold your item, that item is gone if you let them. As I said earlier, protecting your own account is more important than how badly your friend wants to play on it, or play with your stuff. A perfect example of how powerful the word "No." is, it could have saved Alex several hundred million mesos in items.
(On a related note, I am very sorry to hear about what happened to David and Alex, I hope the two of you can return to normal play soon, and without stuff like this happening again).
Desperately want NX cash? No matter how desperate you are, don't buy it from people in-game. It's a really good way to get hacked by someone who wanted to take advantage of your desperation. A person can give you fake NX card numbers, or agree to gift you the NX and not do it. A person can destroy your account if you give them your info to let them charge NX for you. It just isn't a good idea. If you lack the means to buy NX for yourself... get them. If you have your own credit card or bank account, get yourself a Paypal. It's free, secure, and a hell of a lot safer than trusting someone else with your info. If you don't, well... you just won't have NX. Protecting yourself > Looking cool.
Maintenance tips for computers: Helping your computer perform at it's best.
Perform disk-cleanups and defragmentations often. These will help clear your hard drive(s) of no longer needed files, and re-organize the memory locations of your files to make your computer able to access them faster, and more efficiently.
Pay attention to the "minimum requirements", and "recommended requirements" of the games you install. If the game requires 512MB of RAM, and you have less than that, expect to have a bad gameplay experience. If your computer's RAM is below the "recommended" amount, expect some lag here and there. Upgrade your RAM if you can afford it, it will really pull a significant amount of processing power out of your computer.
In addition, if your computer only barely meets the minimum requirements, then it's not a good idea to have other applications running at the same time. You WILL lag. Only force your computer to multitask between applications that it has the power to handle.
On a related note: Maplestory's recommended RAM amount is 256MB. However, I can say from experience that 256MB of RAM isn't enough to truly enjoy Maplestory. Attempting to load Zakum on only 256MB of RAM will DC you nearly every time. Attempting to load Papulatus on only 256, is also rather frustrating. I personally recommend at least 512MB of RAM to enjoy lagless-ness on Maple. (This of course makes little difference when the servers start lagging, or if your connection sucks... like mine).
Laptop users love to use sleep mode. However, all computers need to be restarted every once in a while, especially after just finishing on a game that requires all of your RAM to run. My roommate had to learn this lesson the hard way, when Rappelz killed his computer's speed because he refused to restart it, and only used sleep mode. You would be surprised at the large number of common issues that a simple reboot would fix.
Hope this thread proves helpful to someone.~
~ilu2tony<3
