Security Part I:

Deeper than Passwords

by: Andras Arcane (Executive Staff Manager; TibiaUSA and The Gridiron Forum)

Every single Tibian player, whether honest, dishonest or in-between, cares for their account and characters on it. In order to do that, you must go beyond just caring for your account information, but also your computer. Luckily, the world has provided us with security measures to protect things on our computers from the outside world. The first of these things, is which browser should you use? An internet browser, for those who do not know, is the thing you�re viewing this page in. It is how you access webpages from your computer, and there are multiple options out there. Until recently, the best browser to use was Mozilla Firefox. Firefox provides a secure way to browse the internet, without holes and exploits which are malicious to whatever information you put in. Microsoft�s Internet Explorer was recently updated to be more secure, but many people still prefer Firefox. Not only is it safe, but Firefox and Tibia supported fan-site Erig.net provides us with useful add-ons that make our Tibian lives easier. These add-ons are used via Greasemonkey, a Firefox add-on. With the internet, comes internet downloads. Follow these simple things to maintain the security on your computer: Refrain from using things like pirating programs Don�t download anything you�re unsure of, if anything, ask a friend first or someone knowledgeable enough to let you know if it�s safe. An anti-virus program is a must! {read the next paragraph on Anti-Virus to find out helpful things} When using a messenger, don�t accept files from anyone! Obviously not everyone is going to try to hack into your computer or account, but the less files you accept, the less open you make yourself. Don�t visit websites that you haven�t before, or one�s that are suspicious, such as the ones spammed in the trade-channel from time to time. Anti-virus programs can be a pain in the you-know-what. The wrong one can lag down your computer and make it seem as if there was no point in installing it to begin with, especially if it hinders your ability to play. A free, non-obstructing anti-virus program that works great can be found here. You can set the virus scanner to scan everyday, at a time that you or someone else will not be on the computer, so that it still scans and it does not interrupt anything you are doing. Now, some people love instant messengers-they provide a great way to talk with friends, family, and in many cases, people you meet in Tibia. Two of the most common instant messenger programs are MSN messenger (Windows Live Messenger), found here and AOL Instant Messenger, found here. Just make sure you do not accept any files, and you will be all set to chat away for hours. Some people may direct you to websites that you are unsure of, however, not all of them are bad, but some of them will certainly look suspicious; here�s a small list of places that are okay to visit, and their purpose: Please remember however, these links cannot be posted within the forum, trade-channel, etc, as they are not supported nor affiliated with Tibia. Some people may direct you to websites that you are unsure of, however, not all of them are bad, but some of them will certainly look suspicious; here�s a small list of places that are okay to visit, and their purpose: Please remember however, these links cannot be posted within the forum, trade-channel, etc, as they are not supported nor affiliated with Tibia. Safe ones: www.orkut.com - similar to �MySpace� www.flogao.com - a website for people to host their pictures www.pskonejott.com - a website commonly used to check the online times of players Unsafe: If you are given anything to anything similar to: speedy share, file share, anything with �share� etc, in it, generally followed by a string of numbers. These usually direct you to a download, which is harmful to your computer. Those websites are, of course, not all that are out there. If you are unsure of some webpage and want to check if it is an okay place to go, do not hesitate to ask! Our very own security guru is available to assist, and can be reached at our Gridiron forums, send him a private message to SafeAndSecure.