My 1 & 1/2 cents
Everyone seems to be forgetting the most important element of this wonderful change in the Gfed software. Picture this example :
Joe Bloggs signs up with Gfed before the alleged database theft occurs
Joe Bloggs details are on this database when it is alledgedly stolen
Gfed make the change to their install file which changes the users hosts file
Joe Bloggs attempts to go to
www.royaldutchcasino.com
He gets there, can download and can play
Why? Because he installed Gfed before the change. 90% of players (probably more) on that database, are not affected either, for the same reason.
This "fix" of Gfed's only affects new players, or existing players who re-install their software by downloading it again. If they re-installed
using the same install file they originally used, they wont be affected.
Now taking the stand that the IGC is in some way responsible for helping them with their alleged data theft is even more of a joke. What they should
have done is have the "thief" arrested for theft of confidential company information, which other operators have done in the past.
More importantly, why did they not have the checks and controls in place to ensure that the data could not be stolen in the first place?
The Truth of it is :
Gfed gets their data stolen (supposedly) (1 wrong)
Gfed change their install to "fix" the HOSTS file (2 wrongs)
GFED dont tell their clients that the clients data has been purloined (3 wrongs)
GFED bitch & moan when the IGC kicks them out for breaking the IGC T&C's (4 wrongs)
GFED ask the IGC to give their membership money to charity (nice, but
trying to detract from the truth) (5 wrongs)
GFED ignore requests for more info about the file change, and concentrate on the data theft that may or may not have happened (6 wrongs)
Ok, maybe I was brought up differently, but i have lived in those offshore locations, and am fairly clued up on how the law works there, and
elsewhere. I was also taught that 2 wrongs dont make a right. But maybe, for Mr Fogli, there is some algorithm that can prove that 5 or more wrongs
can make a right, if you have been wronged first. (if so, please send it to me)
Meister, as a large portal owner with considerable influence over both users and operators, and a supplier of large quantities of very necessary
information on the industry, can we ask you to maybe set up a "basic" security page, that provides users with easy to use info on securing their
machines.
For Security newbies, I recommend the use of the following software to make your lives easier :
Spybot Search & Destroy (from
www.safer-networking.org)
AD AWARE (from
www.lavasoft.de)
Antivirus (there are lots out there, I use Norton & MCafee)
CWSHREDDER (for coolwebsearch adware, from
www.merijn.org/downloads.html)
Get a firewall, but make sure it secures both incoming & outgoing communication. I use Tiny & Norton.
For more advanced users :
Winpatrol (
www.winpatrol.com) (and use the lock hosts file option)
Hijackthis (advanced users only) (from
www.merijn.org/downloads.html)
NTFILMON, REGMON etc (from
www.sysinternals.com give you a nice view of what is happening on your machine)
For users who dont want to put all the extra software on their machine, a
simple fix to secure your hosts file is the following :
Find it on your pc (C:\WINNT\system32\drivers\etc OR
C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc)
You need to make sure you can view Hidden files & folders in windows, and also that the "hide protected operating system files" is disabled (in
Folder Options, view)
Right click on the file, select properties
On The general tab, at the bottom, is an option to set the file to "Read Only". Make sure it is ticked, and click ok.
Hope it helps.
Everyone is so damn worried about covering their asses or looking bad, and the players are treated like crap. What an industry!
