Are Avsim Hackers? -- Personal Firewalls Strike Again

[Guest]

(Edit: the original subject was "Are Avsim Hackers?? ?" -- the remainder of the original post is untouched. We get plenty of these queries -- my response below is useful information for anyone using a personal firewall. --MattJ)====I post this message in concearn for fellow flight simulator coliuges i have recently found some evidence that avsim have tried to HACK my pc with a Trojan virus Below Are The PicsPicture ones shows my norton perosnal firewall 2002 with the ipaddress of the most frequent attackerhttp://www.bentley55.freeserve.co.uk/avsihc.JPGPicture two shows when i type the ip into the browser it comes up with an AVSIM site which iam not allowed to acsesshttp://www.bentley55.freeserve.co.uk/akd.JPG i DEMAND AND EXPLINATION ! iam not having anyone hack my computer ! so avsim this is to u plz try to sort out what YOU have done to MY computer ok ! thanks

[Guest Matt Johnson]

Kris,You may "demand" all you like, however I am going to tell you that your firewall is misconfigured.Before I even start to explain:"I post this message in concearn for fellow flight simulator coliuges i have recently found some evidence that avsim have tried to HACK my pc with a Trojan virus Below Are The Pics"1) We haven't hacked your PC. (Indeed, we would have no interest in doing so... what makes you think we would?)2) Firewall logs certainly don't indicate virus infection. For example, AVSIM's logs of what our "personal firewall-a-like" detects as "suspicious activity" reach several megabytes a day. However, the vast majority of that (>95%) are false positives and are nothing to be concerned about.Now, to why your firewall is going ballistic for no reason whatsoever.http://205.252.89.41/ is in fact the same machine as this one (ftp.avsim.com), and our File Library uses FTP -- a bidirectional connecting protocol (that is, connections are made from both client and server) to transfer files. I would wager that the number of "intrusions" will increase by one every file you download from the AVSIM File Library.The way that FTP (the File Transfer Protocol) works, is that one control port (port 21) is used to establish connections on other ports.An example FTP transaction would operate like:Your FTP client connects to our FTP server, port 21.Your FTP client requests a file.The server says "Ok, where do you want the file to be sent to?"Your FTP client says "Here's a port number I will start listening on, please send the data here."The server makes a connection to the high port (on your machine) and sends the data.Unfortunately, many personal firewalls do not contain "stateful filtering", that is, they don't interpret what is sent on port 21 and tell the firewall engine that "in fact, connections to this high port I'm negotiating are actually okay".Please feel free to read the appropriate Internet RFC (http://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc959/Overview.html) for more information.Nothing against you personally, Kris, but this sort of "overreaction" caused by misconfigured personal firewalls -- by that, I mean accusing a website of "hacking" (and particularly the website that happens to be hosting your organization's webpages!) is exactly the reason I wish people would read the manuals and use Google before panicking about what their "firewall" tells them.Regards,--M

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

I cannot believe that a hosted site member would accuse the very site that is hosting them of hacking without first having gotten in contact with us directly. To make this accusation (FALSELY I MIGHT ADD) publicly, and out of total ignorance of both the processes of FTP and your firewall is beyond belief.

[Guest]

actually, I remember getting that on my dad's computer.. one day our 'blackice' firewall started to blink like whenever some one is 'attacking' us (to keep it simple) so I opened it. and the Ip was the same as the one Kris showed us. now I remember one day seeing that Ip and wrote it down. and typed it in on my computer and got the same picture kris did with re-directing.. now what is going on??? I ain't accusing you of hacking.. I just want to know what you find imporntant on a 8 year old computer with no games.. if you want my computer with ##### load of stuff.. have fun... just ask first :-)

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

Did you read Matt's response? It is a function of FTP - the thing that allows you to download files. It is a normal function and NOT a hack attack. Geezzz...

[Guest]

well I don't know since SURFING the forums is qualified as HACKING.. lol

[Guest Lizardo]

:) in other words: if they turn it off, you don't get freebies :) (hahaha: "click here ___ to not download.")

[Guest]

Hi Kris, I would apprecieate it if in future when you decide to post an immature and ignorant idea in a public forum that you didn't use you EFG BANNER.Our name has been tarnished in the past and it will be again if you continue to post such things. There is really no need to brign us down with the rest of you.Andy will be sending you an e-mail shortly.Oli.

[Christopher Low 5,353]

Well............what can I say ? Why anyone would accuse AVSIM of hacking into their computer without discussing it privately first is baffling. It makes you realise why Earth's history is littered with petty squabbles and pointless wars. Attacking first, and then asking questions later is NOT the way to solve problems.Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Guest]

well EFG iam sorry ok i do not speak for them so it would be unfair if u kicked them off because of me remove me from the avsim forums instead ok ! iam sorry ok ?? i eceppt the reason why ok iam removing my firewall because of this so thanks p.sSORRY

[Guest]

EFG is closed indefinately and all projects are cancelled.

[Guest Daniel Pimentel]

Hmmm... I insist, should have been discussed privately.Oliver, any specific reason why EFG closed?Cheers,http://ftp.avsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3cf813935f508b3e.jpgAA RULES!!! :)______________________________"Whenever you find yourself in the side of the majority it's time to pause and reflect" - Mark Twain

[Guest]

Sad to hear EFG has closed. was really looking foward to the 752v2's.. well as they say "all good things must end" and well, this is the end of the line. hey, Maybe www.flightsimmers.net will allow you to be on their server??

[Guest Daniel Pimentel]

Marcus:The 757 V2 wasn't being released by EFG anyway, Kris and Rob left the group before this.Cheers,http://ftp.avsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3cf813935f508b3e.jpgAA RULES!!! :)______________________________"Whenever you find yourself in the side of the majority it's time to pause and reflect" - Mark Twain

[Guest]

my bad... LOL well it said on the site it was.. well ah well. guess gonna have to wait a year(maybe?) for the posky 757