IRC

Q: Somebody from JTAN attempted to hack into my computer.

JTAN has zero tolerance for network abuse. Thus, we always want to receive reports about abuse originating from a JTAN system. However, quite often, the report is mistaken. Handling frivolous abuse reports drains our resources and makes it harder for us to battle the real bad guys.

If you use IRC, for example, you should expect most of the better IRC servers to probe your machine when you connect. The better IRC servers will refuse to connect with machines that have "back doors" , worms, or other abusive software installed. That's what the probe is all about. The IRC server is testing your computer for signs of compromise. It's a good thing!

We run an IRC server on 207.106.84.176 that clearly informs users of its channels that it will do security probes. Please understand that these probes are for your protection. If you don't think you should be connecting to IRC or this server, perhaps you might investigate if you have malware or other unauthorized software running on your machine.

People use firewall software like "Internet Alert" or "Zone Alarm", get notification of a probe, and panic. It's sad that the companies that sell this software don't take the time to explain to people how to properly evaluate a probe report and take the proper action.

If, however, you don't use IRC, and you see persistant probes and connection attempts from a JTAN machine, we DO want to know about that. Contact us. Let us know and we will do our best to take quick and decisive action to stop the abuse.