| Not all hackers, and
not all hacks, are wicked. Many hacks add new features to your favorite
programs, speed up your system, and juice your hardware. Hacks aren't
elegant--some of them are downright sloppy--but they work, and that's what
matters.
Of course, that's not to say that all hacks are
warm and fuzzy. Plenty of hackers out there are just itching to crack
the Pentagon, NASA, the New York Times, and maybe even your PC. Don't
sweat: we'll help you keep these malicious hackers
at bay.
We've collected 14 downloads that will let you
join the hacking brigade. These clever tools delve behind the scenes of
your system to squeeze more power out of your processor and your RAM, tweak
your most oft-used programs, push your hardware to the limit, and keep
hackers who've
joined the dark side from pawing your PC.
By Brian Huber (9/30/99) CNET.com
Keep
Hackers at Bay
Not
all hacks were made in heaven. We have all the tools you'll need to keep
malicious hackers from getting their hooks into your PC.
Most
hackers spend their time and energy finding cool shortcuts and workarounds
that make our digital lives much easier. However, there are plenty of bad
apples out there who are just dying to wreak havoc on your unsuspecting
system. We've gathered a few programs to keep your newly tweaked PC safe
from malicious hackers.
Jammer
(Jammersoft
Corp.)
Download
for the PC!
NetBus
and Back Orifice 2000 are two names guaranteed to strike fear into the
hearts of network users. These so-called tools let scheming hackers gain
access to, and take control of, remote computers. Before you head for the
hills, though, give Jammer a try. Jammer scans and captures all incoming
and outgoing Internet or intranet traffic, analyzing it for intruders.
If it finds someone trying to hack your computer, Jammer will dump them
from your system and send a customized note to the hacker's system administrator
(we recommend something like, "Gotcha, sucka!"). The program detects TCP
(transmission control protocol/Internet protocol )scanning, wherein
hackers send out thousands of data packets to find host machines that are
receptive, and therefore vulnerable, to attack. Jammer also scans for most
Trojan horses and network tools that can take over a PC, from NetBIOS and
Legion to Ogre and the latest version of Back Orifice 2000.
NetBus
Detective (Mr.S. Production)
Download
for the PC!
The
infamous NetBus tool lets a hacker do just about anything to your computer,
from opening your CD drive to wiping your files or capturing your every
keystroke. NetBus Detective lets you know if hackers are probing your PC
with this invasive program. If the detective sniffs out any nefarious NetBus
activity, it sends a customized message to the hacker before it unceremoniously
drops the connection. NetBus Detective will also seek out and destroy any
NetBus servers or Trojan horses on your PC that might act as a gateway
for mischievous hackers, and it keeps a printable log of any and all hacking
attempts. Finally, for that extra bit of security, you can password-protect
NetBus Detective and direct it to sound an alarm whenever it senses trouble.
NoBackDoors
(Technotel)
Download
for the PC!
Back
doors make for nice additions to your house, but they're the last things
you want installed on your computer, especially if it's a hacker who's
doing the installation. With a back door in place on your PC, roving Net
troublemakers can just stroll right in and wreak havoc--unless you have
NoBackDoors. This clever security app searches for programs--such as Back
Orifice 2000, AciD Shivers, and other colorfully named tools of the hacking
trade--that create back doors. The instant an invasion is detected, NoBackDoors
will alert you and promptly slam the back door in the hacker's face by
killing their access. The program will also figure out what installed the
back door in the first place, and will remove every last vestige of the
unwelcome intrusion.
LockDown
2000 (Harbor Telco Security Corp.)
Download
for the PC!
Every
time you log on to the Internet, there's a chance you could be hacked.
Of course, you could avoid all security threats by never surfing the Web,
but come on, how much fun would that be? A more practical solution is LockDown
2000, an airtight security program that lets you control access to your
computer. LockDown 2000 lets you automatically decline access to all remote
users, or restrict access to your friends and trusted neighbors. If you
do allow other users to access your machine, LockDown 2000 will log each
connection and record who is connecting, where they're coming from, and
when they made the connection. To prevent illegal access by hackers, the
program features background Trojan detection and removal. If a hacker is
ever detected trying to gain unauthorized access, LockDown 2000 will quickly
drop the connection and attempt to trace the intruder.
|
Hack
Into Windows
Windows
ain't perfect. Crack the hood of your OS and tinker to your heart's content
with these downloads.
We
like Windows (well, more or less), but it never works exactly the way we
want it to. After you install the OS, you'll probably want to change the
desktop, fine-tune the dial-up settings, and maybe even delve into the
dreaded Windows Registry for some hard-core tweaks. (learn more about hacking
the Registry These downloads let you hack Windows
to your heart's content.
Tweaki
(JerMar
Software)
Download
for the PC!
Tired
of those little arrows on your shortcut icons? Want to keep CDs from playing
the second you slap them into the CD-ROM drive? Well, you could open RegEdit
(a tool that lets you browse the Registry via its Windows Explorer-style
interface) and start fiddling with your PC's fundamental settings. However,
unless you're an expert, we suggest you don't mess with the Registry. Instead,
play it safe with Tweaki, a simple tool that does all the dangerous hacking
for you. Tweaki lets you access hundreds of system settings, giving you
control over everything from the Windows interface and the Start menu to
security settings and boot options. It also includes a Right-Click Wizard
feature that lets you create your own right-click, context-sensitive menus
for any file you choose. You can even use Tweaki to hack settings for Microsoft
Office 97 and 2000.
WindowBlinds
(Stardock
Systems Inc.)
Download
for the PC!
Sure,
tweaking the Registry and changing hidden settings can give you a fair
amount of control over the look of your OS, but it can take you only so
far. If you're looking for a way to give Windows a massive face-lift, look
no further than WindowBlinds. This desktop enhancement allows you to alter
the appearance of your desktop drastically, right down to window borders,
check boxes, and buttons. You can even ditch the Windows look altogether
by setting your desktop to look like an entirely different OS. Although
WindowBlinds primarily relies on
skins (tiny files that contain
an entire set of cosmetic enhancements for your interface), it also gives
you control over many individual settings, such as check boxes and toolbars.
There's even a feature that automatically downloads the "Skin of the Week"
from the WindowBlinds Web site.
WinRescue
(Super
Win Software)
Download
for the PC!
It's
every hacker's worst nightmare: you've just been tweaking Windows or hacking
the Registry when bam! Your precious PC no longer boots. There's always
some danger involved in making drastic changes to your operating system,
but WinRescue will help minimize the risk. This lifesaving utility backs
up the Windows Registry--along with a variety of other important system
files--before you start tweaking. Once you've created an archive of the
Registry and other critical files, WinRescue will compress it to save valuable
disk space; meanwhile, the program's handy backup manager makes it easy
to track your various backup sets. WinRescue also creates a special boot
disk for dire emergencies, and includes a special DOS version for those
rare instances when Windows simply refuses to boot, even in Safe mode.
Windows
Registry Guide (RegEdit.com)
Download
for the PC!
Hacking
directly into the user-unfriendly Windows Registry isn't for the faint
of heart; one wrong step could lead to disaster. However, if you insist
upon journeying into the heart of Registry darkness, make sure you bring
this essential guide along with you. The Windows Registry Guide reveals
where many settings are located in the Windows 95, 98, and NT Registries,
and how to change them. Although it is not a comprehensive guide, it does
give you enough information to hack many valuable networking, desktop,
and performance settings. The Windows Registry Guide even includes several
tips and tricks that let you completely bypass the dangerous task of editing
your Registry.
Registry
The
Windows Registry stores system configuration details so that Windows looks
and behaves just as you want it to. The Registry stores user profile information
such as wallpaper, color schemes, and desktop arrangements in a file called
user.dat. And it stores hardware- and software-specific details, such as
device management and file extension associations, in a file called system.dat.
In many ways, the Registry (Windows 95 and later) replaces functions of
win.ini and system.ini from earlier versions of Windows, though these files
persist because so many Windows applications refer to them.
Registry
details can be edited using a program called RegEdit (which ships with
Windows 95 and later, Just Type 'regedit' in a RUN) and exported to text
format as a file with the extension REG.
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