(11-06-2023, 10:51 PM)putnam6 Wrote:(11-06-2023, 08:09 PM)BodhisattvaStyle Wrote: I meant safe from viruses or anything that looked our of the ordinary.
I take so many precautions it's ridiculous. My phone barely has any "permissions." I stay off of social media. I watch every word I type on this site (and ats when I was on it). After this happened yesterday and my phone started acting up. I am also tech illiterate when it comes to the inner workings of the internet/computer's. So, I rely on you all to keep me apprised of whether or not it is "safe from viruses or anything that might crash a phone or laptop. I knew there were other readers like me who may of been spooked by all of this, and not having a working understanding of it makes it harder to comprehend what has happened..
The internet has never been completely "safe." I'm asking mods here if the site itself has anything out of the ordinary that might harm its members equipment. What I read about ddos attacks is they usually hide a bigger attack within. I was hoping someone would really look into it and let us know if everything is copacetic or not.
I think that where Im coming from this was just an overabundance of the now normal phishing malware and ransomware we now face. That said all that's out there is an email address from this site, this isn't a bug thats gonna jump to your phone or laptop, this is just a high level of multiple kinds of attacks across the board, which slows down the internet access no more no less
Go look at the links because yes internet service was degraded over the weekend, but it wasn't an independent attack on Rogue Nation or ATS
Most malware - viruses, ransomeware, trojans, etc - is delivered these days by exploiting javascripts to cause a target computer to down load the payload thinking it's just another part of the site,and then run it. So blocking access to a site from which they would try to deliver malware would be counterproductive. If you can't load the site, you're not likely to load their malware, either.
Attacks that cause a site to refuse to load for whatever reason are usually just simple denial of service for that site.
But back to those javascripts - they scare the crap outta me, but almost all sites use Java these days to provide additional functionality. This site is no different. Various scripts provide additional functions here.
I use script-blockers to block script downloads. That keeps my machine safer from malware, but it has drawbacks in that it also limits functionality on modern web sites. For example, one site I go to - I think it's one of the Google sites - has a screen with Sherlock Holmes on it that displays for me that says "when you have eliminated all the Java Scripts, what must remain is a blank page". That is just how heavily some sites rely on Java.
I use "NoScript" primarily, which will allow me to temporarily allow the scripts to get through on sites I trust. It also has a setting to permanently whitelist sites that I've tested enough to stamp "SAFE" on so that their functionality scripts get through.
On the plus side, a lot of ads are delivered through scripts, so using a script blocker will also show you a reduction or elimination of ads. I also use "uBlock Origin", but it's more complex, and using multiple script blockers like that can also have unforeseen consequences, so I don't generally recommend it... I'm just that paranoid myself. One or the other, but not both or all, will generally suffice for most users. Of the two, I recommend "NoScript" for it's ease of use. It can be downloaded as an "add-on" for most browsers.
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