GeekShed IRC Network
How to Protect Your GeekShed Password
Feb 2nd
Yesterday I witnessed this little series of events (and the names have been changed to protect the innocent):
* Joins: HarryLime (~HarryLime@thethirdman.com)
<HarryLime> msg NickServ IDENTIFY passw0rd
* HarryLime is now known as Unidentified1337
* Quits: Unidentified1337 (~HarryLime@thethirdman.com ) (Quit:
Unidentified1337 )
* Joins: HarryLime_ (~HarryLime@thethirdman.com)
<HarryLime_> hmm
* Quits: HarryLime_ (~HarryLime@thethirdman.com ) (Quit: HarryLime_ )
* Joins: HarryLime (~HarryLime@thethirdman.com)
* Quits: HarryLime (~HarryLime@thethirdman.com ) (NickServ (GHOST command
used by HollyMartins) )
<HollyMartins> lol
<HollyMartins> it was his real password...
<HollyMartins> lol
* Joins: HarryLime (~HarryLime@thethirdman.com)
<HollyMartins> HarryLime, change your password
<HollyMartins> and don't identify in the channel
<HollyMartins> you posted this: <HarryLime> msg NickServ IDENTIFY passw0rd
<HarryLime> not my best day today O.o
<HollyMartins> obviously not
Now in case you don’t follow, let me explain what happened there. The user HarryLime logged on and accidentally typed the command to identify in the open channel. Everyone in the channel saw HarryLime’s password. Harry’s friend Holly decided to test out the password and used the GHOST command to log Harry out. [Warning: Ghosting someone’s nick as Holly does may well end up in a ban from the network so don’t try it!]
That situation inspires me to share four pieces of advice with you:
- Use the identify command in the status window (the tab or window that welcomes you to the server and tells you to follow the Terms of Service) and no one will ever see your password. It’s best to use that status window anytime you’re typing something you might not want everyone else online to see if something goes wrong.
- Change your password immediately if you do type your password in an open channel accidentally. You are at risk. Anyone can take over your nick, and gain access to everything you have on the network. Use this command:
/msg nickserv set password supersecretpass123
Replace “supersecretpass123” with your new password. - Choose a strong, unique password. Harry’s password of “passw0rd” is not a good choice at all. Follow these guidelines for strong passwords to make your choice.
- Store your passwords in a secure place. Software like LastPass can keep track of all your passwords and even generate unique passwords for you. You can learn more about LastPass below by watching the video from Jupiter Broadcasting.
- Even the most secure password can be lost or exploited. In case you think you won’t ever have this problem, read this post on The Myths of Password Security by GeekShed staff member and security expert Allan Jude. No one is immune. Be sure you do what you can to protect your GeekShed login!
—posted by Tengrrl/Bunny
Problems with Lost Channels
Jan 25th
If no one uses a channel on GeekShed for 60 days, it is dropped from the system. A channel can also be dropped, even if people are in it, if the person who registered it does not log in for 60 days or more. The server assumes that if someone has not logged or or a channel goes unused for 60 days, that person is abandoning any channels.
So how can you regain a lost channel if this happens to you? Once a channel has been dropped from the system, any registered user can claim and register the channel. The requirement is the same as it is for starting any new channel. If no one is in the channel, you can just join the channel and register it again (after registering your nick again if necessary).
If there are people in the channel, the situation is a bit more complicated. If someone in the channel has ops, you can ask that person to give you ops so that you can reregister the channel. If no one has ops in the channel, you need to ask everyone to leave so that you can rejoin first and get ops. Once you are an op in the channel, you can register it again.
We’re frequently asked if we can kick everyone out of a channel so that someone can reregister it. We cannot. Once a channel has dropped, it doesn’t belong to anyone anymore. The original owner no longer has any special claim on the channel. Everyone has an equal right to register it, and no one on the network staff will kick everyone or give the original owner ops in this situation.
Likewise, if someone else registered a channel that has been dropped, we will not take that channel away and restore ownership to the original owner. Channel registration is first come, first serve. Everyone has an equal right to register a channel, and no one on the network staff will give the original owner back a channel in this situation.
—posted by tengrrl/bunny
Planned Maintenance for Tuesday, January 24
Jan 21st
The ISP for some of the GeekShed equipment is changing this week, so we’ll have some downtime for a few of the bots and specific services on the site and in IRC. The Services bots will NOT be affected.
The majority of the sites and servers will be unaffected. You may notice downtime, however, for the Twitter bot and MagicalTrevor.
The absence of MagicalTrevor means that if you happen to be unlucky enough to forget your password on Tuesday, you will need to wait for an oper who can help you. The half-ops in the channel will not be able to reset your password during the period of downtime.
Because we are at the whim of the ISPs involved, we cannot be more specific about when the downtime will occur. We only know it will happen Tuesday. Please know we’re sorry for the inconvenience, and we’ll have things back up and running as soon as possible after the ISP switchover. If you have any questions on Tuesday, you can check in #help.
—posted by tengrrl
I’m Banned From My Own Channel
Jan 21st
It’s easier than you might think to get banned from a channel you own or where you are a moderator. It may be that you didn’t identify quickly enough or services were down and you couldn’t identify. It’s even possible you or someone in the channel set a ban too wide. An asterisk wildcard in the wrong place is all it takes.
If you find yourself in this situation, this is the simplest way to remove the ban:
/msg ChanServ UNBAN channel
So if I were banned from #topgear, I’d use this command:
/msg ChanServ UNBAN #topgear
After that, you should be able to join the channel again.
You can also remove the ban the traditional way. Say you or someone banned your hostmask or vhost. You add a ban with +b, and you can remove it with -b. If you had accidentally banned yourself with this command:
/mode #topgear +b *!*@my.own.address.net
You could unban yourself by typing this command:
/mode #topgear -b *!*@my.own.address.net
As a third option, you can also try inviting yourself into the channel. Usually a channel invite will get around a ban. This command will also work if your channel is set to invite only and you cannot join.
/msg ChanServ INVITE channel
So if I wanted into the channel #topgear, I’d use this command:
/msg ChanServ INVITE #topgear
If none of these options work for you, come ask for assistance in #help!
—tengrrl
What To Do If You Forget Your Password
Jan 4th
Sooner or later, you’re bound to forget your GeekShed password. When that happens, you won’t be able to identify when you try to log in. Most likely, your nick will change to something like Unidentified1337 (where the number at the end is random).
For increased security, passwords are encrypted on GeekShed. As a result the reset password command does not work on our site. In order to get your password reset, visit #help and ask a staff member for help with a password reset. Anyone from a half-op up can help you. You may have to wait for someone to become available to help you, so please be patient.
You will be asked to provide the nick and the email address that you used to register it. Once that information is confirmed, the staff member will have the system send a temporary password to your email address. Once you have logged in with your temporary password, you can set a new (and hopefully more memorable) password with this command:
/msg NickServ SET PASSWORD new-password
Be sure to replace “new-password” with your new password. For instance, to change my password to “BaconIsBest” I’d use this command:
/msg NickServ SET PASSWORD BaconIsBest
If you’ve forgotten your password on the forums, follow these instructions.
—tengrrl
10 Most Visited Tips for 2011
Dec 31st
Ready for a little quiz? According to our website analytics, listed below are the ten questions you had about using GeekShed IRC during 2011. Do you know the answers, or do you have to click through for details?:
- Grouping a Nick: Why and How?
- Setting Up Greeting Messages
- How to register a channel on GeekShed
- How to Use the Ignore Command
- Can I Make A Private/Secret/Restricted Channel?
- How do I add User Count Badges?
- Setting a Channel Entry Message
- Why should I register my nickname and how do I do it?
- How do I redirect one channel to another?
- How do I Add a BotServ Bot to my Channel?
Thanks to everyone for a great 2011 on GeekShed. If you have any questions you’d like us to write about, just post the details in the Comments and Suggestions board on the GeekShed Forums.
—tengrrl
New SSL Certificate
Dec 31st
We’ve finally splashed out on a Wildcard SSL certificate for the geekshed.net domain. We have applied this to the site, a few subdomain sites, and all of the IRC servers.
What does this mean for you? Well, the most notable change is that all of our IRC servers now have an SSL certificate which is trusted by all sensible operating systems. If your IRC client ever throws up a certificate error when you are connecting to GeekShed, you may not be connecting to our servers – rather, possibly, a malicious imitation.
This is applied to the BNC server(s) also, however it won’t be shown as valid unless you remove the first . from the server you connect to – e.g. lucifer.bnc.geekshed.net goes to luciferbnc.geekshed.net.
You can find out more about using SSL on GeekShed at http://www.geekshed.net/2010/03/what-is-ssl-what-benefits-does-it-offer-and-how-do-i-use-it/
GeekShed relies on the generous donations of its users in order to implement features such as this, which benefit all of our users. Why not consider making a donation today?
What does this mean for you? Well, the most notable change is that all of our IRC servers now have an SSL certificate which is trusted by all sensible operating systems. If your IRC client ever throws up a certificate error when you are connecting to GeekShed, you may not be connecting to our servers – rather, possibly, a malicious imitation.
This is applied to the BNC server(s) also, however it won’t be shown as valid unless you remove the first . from the server you connect to – e.g. lucifer.bnc.geekshed.net goes to luciferbnc.geekshed.net.
You can find out more about using SSL on GeekShed at http://www.geekshed.net/2010/03/what-is-ssl-what-benefits-does-it-offer-and-how-do-i-use-it/
GeekShed relies on the generous donations of its users in order to implement features such as this, which benefit all of our users. Why not consider making a donation today?
2011 GeekShed Birthday Winners
Nov 10th
Today marks the 236th birthday of the United States Marine CorpsWikipedia: The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[6] using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver ... and the United States Marine Corps birthday ballWikipedia: The United States Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated every year on the 10th of November with a traditional ball and cake-cutting ceremony.. That reminded me that we had some leftover GeekShed birthday business of our own to deal with.
I tried to make Phil dress up in his military uniform and pass out some cake, but he declined in order to spend more time developing his new WordPress plugin. Besides he’s a Royal EngineerWikipedia: The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. so his clothes would be all wrong. I guess that means I have to forego baconWikipedia: Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon (also known as green bacon). Fresh bacon m... acquisition for a few minutes and fix our oversight.
Back in October, GeekShed celebrated its second birthday with a couple of contests for the folks on the network. Unfortunately, due to a bit of miscommunication, the winners were never notified. To remind everyone, the contest required folks to post on Facebook and/or Twitter and meet some basic requirements. Winners were chosen randomly from the entries that were posted.
So drum roll please. It’s time to announce the winners:
- Cirian75 was randomly chosen as the winner of the Twitter contest.
- CamBlack was randomly chosen as the winner of the Facebook contest.
Cirian75 and CamBlack can contact Phil to arrange the gift vouchers to Amazon. He’ll need an email address. If either of you has any particular objection to Amazon, we can make a reasonable accommodation. Just talk with Phil.
Now back to my bacon acquisition…
—bunny/tengrrl
666 for Halloween!
Oct 31st
We just noticed a spooky Halloween present from all of you on our homepage:
Thanks to everyone who is following us on Twitter. If you haven’t followed us yet, what are you waiting for? And don’t forget to like us on Facebook!
2nd Birthday Celebration
Oct 24th
Today GeekShed is two years old! To celebrate our second year, we have some giveaways for you. We are giving away two $25 (USD) gift vouchers to Amazon. These prizes will be purchased after the giveaway, so if you have any particular objection to Amazon, we can make a reasonable accommodation. You can enter both giveaways, but you can only win once. Any questions? Ask in #help.
Giveaway 1: Tweet #WhyGeekShed
This first competition is designed to spread the word about the network and what we offer. Here’s what you need to do:
- Follow us on Twitter (if you don’t already).
- Post a Tweet that explains why you like the GeekShed network and include the hashtag #WhyGeekShed and the web address geekshed.net.
- After you post your Tweet, /join #twitter then copy your Tweet and paste it into the channel. Be sure to include your Twitter username.
To win, you must be a registered user on GeekShed for at least 60 days and a follower of us on Twitter. You have until midnight Hawaii time (6 AM Tuesday Eastern, 11 AM Tuesday London) to post your Tweet. You can use the Time Zone Converter to determine the specific time for where you live. The winner will be chosen randomly from the people who have posted their Tweet in the channel and meet the eligibility requirement. The prize is a $25 gift voucher to Amazon.
Giveaway 2: Like Us on Facebook
The second competition is to try to boost our user numbers through the use of Facebook. GeekShed has a new Facebook Page (to replace our old Groups page). Here’s what you need to do:
- Like us on Facebook (if you don’t already).
- Post something on our Wall about why you like GeekShed.
To win, you must be a registered user on GeekShed for at least 60 days and Like us on Facebook. You have until midnight Hawaii time (6 AM Tuesday Eastern, 11 AM Tuesday London) to Like us and post on our Wall. You can use the Time Zone Converter to determine the specific time for where you live. The winner will be chosen randomly from the people who have posted on our Wall and meet the eligibility requirements. The prize is a $25 gift voucher to Amazon.
Note that we’ll gather some of the best reasons that people post from both Facebook and Twitter into a list on the GeekShed website.
