

| Subject: | A very important word to the wise. But No Vanagon Content. |
| From: | developtrust |
| Date: | Thu, 2 May 2002 23:51:28 -0700 |
At our center here in California (Whole Health Foundation) we were recently hacked. Fortunately, not seriously since we have Norton virus protection. But here is how it we discovered it and how it happened. A few residents could not log off their hotmail accounts or get their email. So a resident here who is a networking expert began to ponder the problem. We installed a router here to network our 13 rooms and our common areas so that computers and laptops can be used everywhere. (We used a Linksys router but the problem applies to any brand.) After installation, I forgot to change the default password and left the default password in place which everyone who owns or knows Linksys hardware knows is simply the word "admin". This allowed a malicious person to enter and mess with the hotmail accounts. We got hacked but since we are a small operation no damage was done and since we have Norton virus protection there were no viruses installed on our computers. If you buy a router or other network hardware, be very sure to change the default password to protect your computer and your files. If you have a business or know someone who has one and is on a network using a router or other network equipment please remind them to change the default password. Have a good day and keep on truckin' (or should I say vanagoning.) William 1989 Vanagon GL 1988 Mercedes 300SE
Have something to add on this topic today? Revive this thread in the forum »