PSA: PokerTracker.com hacked - be aware.

[KingOtter]

The auto-update is just a self-extracting tool that overwrites the .dll's of pokertracker... for a trojan to be 'embedded' in PokerTracker they'd need the source code for pokertracker, which I doubt was on the website.

As far as other trojans, etc, scan the file before running it in case they're smart enough to name it something and change the PT website so that PT thinks it needs an update.

This is 95% paranoia, IMO, but it never hurts to be safe to scan whatever you download.

[mathemagician54]

so the fact that PT uses 3rd party to process cc information means its safe?

[Pokeraddict]

[ QUOTE ]
so the fact that PT uses 3rd party to process cc information means its safe?

[/ QUOTE ]

It means if you used a cc to buy it then your cc# was not compromised.

[Genz]

Dudes, PT always checked for updates at startup unless you disabled that feature. And it does so on EVERY startup. Not only once a day or once a week.
But when there actually is an update, there is a popup with a link to the website that asks you to d/l the patch there and NOT HAVE PT RUNNING WHILE UPDATING. There is no update mechanism that works in the background that will have you end up with a different version of pt.
I am 99.9% sure about it, because I always wondered why it didn't have a "real" automatic update function.

[BotOnTilt]

[ QUOTE ]
The auto-update is just a self-extracting tool that overwrites the .dll's of pokertracker... for a trojan to be 'embedded' in PokerTracker they'd need the source code for pokertracker, which I doubt was on the website.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? Try googling for "free screen savers" and open the 20 first results in Internet Explorer. I doubt your computer would work too well after being infested by dozens of trojans even though the IE source code isn't publicly available.

That said I guess its most likely that the update works differently now because the site is down, as someone said here earlier. Does the auto update act the same way if you start it without being connected to the Internet?

[Falc]

You won't get any viruses if you don't download anything. And the hacker(s) won't be able to disguise a virus as a pokertracker update unless they have the sourcecode, wich they dont.

Just don't download anything from the site until pat has control over the site again.

[pocketset]

[ QUOTE ]
The auto-update is just a self-extracting tool that overwrites the .dll's of pokertracker... for a trojan to be 'embedded' in PokerTracker they'd need the source code for pokertracker, which I doubt was on the website.


[/ QUOTE ]


Sorry, but what you're talking is just untrue. NOBODY needs the source-code of a programm to integrate a trojan into it. There is more than one tool floating around which is able to "append" some executable to another program-file, e.g. appending the trojan to the ptrack.exe (or dll or something).

Did you ever hear the term "disassembler" ? Or "debugger" ???
Do you really think all the trojan/virus-coders have access to the sourcecodes of Microsoft Internet Explorer oder Mozilla Firefox ? You're making me lol.......

[pocketset]

[ QUOTE ]
You won't get any viruses if you don't download anything.


[/ QUOTE ]

True.

[ QUOTE ]

And the hacker(s) won't be able to disguise a virus as a pokertracker update unless they have the sourcecode, wich they dont.


[/ QUOTE ]
ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE ! Please please stop talking about things you apparently don't understand ! You definately DONT need any sourcecode to disguise a trojan as PT-update !

All you need is a debugger/disassembler and some good coding skills, nothing more !


@Pat: Why don't you use MD5-Hashes for verifying the integrity of the downloaded files ? This is pretty standard in the open source community, and if you sign the MD5-Hashes with something like PGP it would be pretty safe.... at least for the people who care to verify their files before installing... [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[doublec]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you really think all the trojan/virus-coders have access to the sourcecodes of Microsoft Internet Explorer oder Mozilla Firefox ?

[/ QUOTE ]I agree with your point that people don't need the sourcecode to do bad things.

I just thought I'd point out that of course the trojan/virus-coders have access to the source code for Mozilla Firefox. Everyone does, and that's a good thing, it's open source :-)

[Falc]

okey pocketset, you're right. But, since the hackers didn't do anything like that right away they probably won't.