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Hacker Prevention

*note: This advice is to avoid getting hacked, but some explanation on hacking had to be given to clarify things, so the methods of hacking vaguely mentioned here are not to give anyone ideas on how to go about hacking! :)

• Avoid web-pages posted on chat or in shops about special cheats or np earning programmes. C'mon now, which guy in his right mind who does manage to create a get-rich-quick programme would willingly share it with the world so that we all can get rich with him? It's best not to go there at all because some exceptional hackers may be able to steal your cookies if you enter their site, or send a virus to you through having you to download what may look like a music clip embedded in the page. Just because the page doesn't ask for your pws doesn't mean it's safe.
• Create fantastically difficult pws. Okay, even with the restrictions Neopets have put on the tries you have at guessing a pw to login, patience and a good hacking kit can crack the hardest pws. Use capitals, symbols and numbers if necessary. The longer the pw the better.
• Use an unknown email address for your preferences. An email is essential just in case you forget that fantastically difficult pw. But make sure no one on Neopets would be able to find out what the email address is. For instance, make sure its not your email for yahoo messenger or msn or whether it's displayed on any form of chat profiles. Free Email like Hotmail can be easier to sniff for pws than Neopets accounts, so the email address in your preferences have to be absolutely unknown. It's best to use email services like Eudora or Outlook, since these are bound to your PC not floating out there on the internet.
• Avoid chat rooms with Neopets players you don't know. This concerns AIM and ICQ usually, not Guild boards or Neopets Chats. Hackers posing as regs on Battledome chat for example sometimes invite unwary players to chat with them on AIM, and then hack them through the chat. Yes, it can be done. So it's best to stick to chatting with people you know, and leave chats with strangers to guild boards, neomail, or chat boards on Neopets.
• Better yet, Get a Firewall. This is the BEST YOU CAN DO TO STOP THE MOST UNEXPECTED ATTACKS. Black Ice is my personal favourite, and it's said to be one of the best around. This will protect you from getting hacked directly, though of course it cannot help you if your pw is in someone else's hands already. But for those who know better than to believe a scam, this will protect you against hacks that you otherwise have NO control over. Go to www.zonealarm.com and http://www.sharptechnology.com/ for firewalls.
• Do not download files given to you by a Neopets player, even if you are on talking terms, unless you know them personally. This is up to your discretion. Friends may still send you viruses.
• Log out of your account whenever you use a public PC such as in school or in cyber cafes. Leaving your account open is the easiest way to invite another player to come along and rob you. No one can put down a free lunch, eventhough they're not hackers themselves.