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| Hacking FAQ & Step-by-Step Guide; InvisionFree Version | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 21 2008, 10:47 PM (2,778 Views) | |
| Will | Oct 21 2008, 10:47 PM Post #1 |
 
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Hacking FAQ & Step-by-Step Guide There are a lot of misconceptions about what "hacking" is. Unauthorized use, or attempts to circumvent or bypass the security mechanisms of an information system or network is what hacking is. InvisionFree forums have never been illegally accessed in this respect. What most board owners experience is an unfortunate common thing called cracking. What this means is that a person has managed to gain access to the account of a staff member on your board, and has used that account to harm the board by deleting content, demoting staff, posting obscene content, etc. There are a number of safety measures implemented by Brandon which can reverse cracking. This FAQ exists to answer the basics about cracking, how you can prevent it and what you can do if your forum has experienced a cracking attack. Below is an index of commonly asked questions related to the security of your forum:
1. What tips do you have for me to stop a cracking attempt? There are many good pieces of advice and tips on keeping your board safe from cracking attempts, but none of these tips can surmount to the importance of this first one: Pick a secure password! A strong, secure password contains uppercase and lowercase letters, a number, punctuation or symbols and at least 8 characters. Anything less than this will leave your account open to possible cracking attempts. The password you use for your InvisionFree forum should not be used for any other account you use online. You should also know that a strong password means nothing if your e-mail's password is also not secure. Your e-mail account is your life line, especially if you have multiple registrations tied to the same address. If a cracker gains access to your e-mail they could potentially crack multiple forums (not to mention other things you hold dear online). Another useful piece of advice is to make sure you're not the only administrator on your forum. Have a second account with a long and complicated password and don't use this account unless you are cracked. It is important that you don't place this administrator in the ROOT administrator group. This group has special functions that other admin groups don't have access to. Place your back up admin account into a separate group with all the appropriate administrator privileges. If your forum is large, you may require the assistance of other users with admin privileges. Be extremely cautious as to who you are granting these abilities to. If someone on your forum asks to become an administrator, do the right thing: Don't give them access! Go through the security settings of your forum's admin control panel. InvisionFree has many built in functions to protect your forum from unwanted guests, pests and potential messes. All of the tools are there, you just need to utilize them and choose which you deem the most appropriate for your online forum community. 2. What do I do if I think I'm going to be cracked? If you believe your board is at risk, you should do the following: Demote any staff accounts that have been inactive for a certain period of time, ensure that your password is secure and that your e-mail address is even more secure. If you don't have a ghost admin account, set one up and make a random password and write it down on paper. If you really think an attack is imminent and you want to ride out the storm, turn your board offline and wait until you think it is safe to turn it back on. 3. What do I do if I know of a board that may be cracked? You should notify the board's admin immediately and explain how you know. If you are staff at that board, secure your account and watch the forum every time you go online. Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. 4. What do I do if my board is being cracked while I am on? GET TO THE ADMIN CP! Immediately get to find/edit/suspend user and demote every staff member you think has an account at risk and the account of the cracking admin. Turn the board offline, and secure your password and email. If the cracker succeeded in deleting data, send a support ticket. 5. What do I do if my board has been cracked? If your board has been cracked, first try to see if you're admin account is still intact. If it is, log into the admin cp and attempt to repair the damage. Send a support ticket detailing what data was lost and request a back up if the data is important. Note: The ROOT admin account will always have access to the admin CP on your forum. If you can no longer access the "Admin CP" link on your forum, you can construct the URL to plug into your browser's address bar. http://sx.invisionfree.com/boardname/admin.php x = Your forum's server #, which can be viewed by looking at your board's URL from any page. boardname = The name of your forum 6. What do I do if my board has been cracked and I have been demoted? Register a new board. Go to the Admin CP and send a support ticket. When sending in your ticket, be sure to include details on what happened to your board. Also be sure to include the URL of the board that has been cracked. The more details you can provide the better! 7. What do I do if my board has been deleted? If your forum has been deleted, you will receive a "Board does not exist" message upon trying to access your forum. Follow the instructions in point 6. 8. How do I send a support ticket? The following documentation will assist you with sending in a support ticket from your forum's admin CP: http://docs.zetaboards.com/supportticket Please be patient as the Support Team processes hundreds of tickets a day. 9. Do Security Forums really work? Security forums offer to back up your css and posts manually. All this can be done by you. Security forums may offer ways to do this more easily, but if they offer a way to restore your board, or ask for your admin information, DO NOT GIVE IT TO THEM. Never give ANYONE your admin information unless you are asked via a SUPPORT TICKET. Security forums are NOT OFFICIAL. They do NOT have any privilege with Zaythus Networks. We are not responsible for anything they do to your board if you give them access. They cannot restore your board. ONLY BRANDON CAN RESTORE YOUR BOARD. No one else has the access or ability to do this. 10. How long will it take to restore my board. Restorations for InvisionFree Forums are currently not being processed. Originally posted by Stephen Please also see: My Board has Been Cracked! - Written by Matthew |
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4:32 PM Nov 22
