<< GSF Hosts File Protection Guide >>
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Why should I use a HOSTS file?
The HOSTS file can help to prevent spyware / malware from making connections to and from your computer and also prevent your browser from accessing sites which serve advertising or collect marketing data on you.
By making good use of the HOSTS file, you will greatly improve your safety on the internet , saving your bandwidth and reducing the chances of being hijacked.
You can feel more comfortable knowing that you have increased your protection against rampant spyware & adware , while also reducing the amount of personal information that is being gathered about you from websites.
It's important to keep your HOSTS file updated like most other security tools , many of the HOSTS files listed on this page are updated regularly to keep up with the newer malicious sites discovered.
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How it works
Basically, when connecting to any website, your computer sends out a DNS request to retrieve the IP address of that sites domain name.
The HOSTS file is checked first, before the DNS request is sent out from your system.
The HOSTS file allows you to null route any domain of your choice by substituting your own local host IP address "127.0.0.1" with the real IP address.
Essentially this prevents your system from allowing the DNS request to be resolved to it's real IP address, and so the site is unable to load in your browser or other network enabled application.
This is a very effective and totally free way of preventing/blocking hijackers, popups, advertisements and any other annoyances you may encounter during your internet travels.
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Bluetack HOSTS File information and download -
http://bluetack.co.uk/hosts.html
Bluetack Hosts File support Forum:
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php?showforum=125
:: Bluetacks NEW Hosts File ::
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=8406
The Bluetack Hosts file is updated daily from our own research as well as various sources including research from Eric Howes, The Webhelper and Andrew Clover of DoXdesk.
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How do I install this HOSTS file?
Simply download the file and put it in the following location depending on your Operating System:
Windows XP C:>WINDOWS>SYSTEM32>DRIVERS>ETC
Windows 2K C:>WINNT>SYSTEM32>DRIVERS>ETC
Windows 98/ME C:>WINDOWS
The Hosts file must have no extension to work properly , no .txt .doc. etc , it should just be labelled Hosts
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Just in case your wondering : You cannot block IP addresses in a HOST file, only the hostname. ;)
Example:
YES: fedora.nictechnetworks.com
NO: 69.20.16.183
Entries in the Hosts file must begin with localhost address 127.0.0.1 [ or another null address to resolve the unwanted hostnames to ]
127.0.0.1 fedora.nictechnetworks.com
While you cannot use IP addresses to block connections with a Hosts file you can use an IP address in a Hosts file to "override" the DNS resolution of a hostname.
Hijackers can also make use of this however, often hijacking the hosts file to allow redirection of search engines or well known security sites to the IP address of the hijackers site instead. Usually to keep their victims from seeking any help.
69.20.16.183 search.netscape.com
69.20.16.183 ieautosearch
66.79.171.75 www.google.com
66.79.171.75 www.yahoo.com
66.79.171.75 www.altavista.com
CWS trojans and other hijackers can easily change the read only settings of Hosts files to allow them to overwrite the Hostfile entries and replace them with whatever sites they want.
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NOTE: Extremely large Hosts files may slow down browsing in windows 2000 / XP , it is advised to switch the DNS Client service in services.msc to manual or disabled.
Go to start-> run-> [ type in] Services.msc
Scroll down to DNS Client and select the option to set it to disable/manual.
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Excellent HOSTS File Guides / Information :
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/viewtopic.php?t=410
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/ind...showtutorial=51
http://www.accs-net.com/hosts/index.html
The hosts File - DerkerTechnology.net
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The ULTIMATE ADBLOCKING / HOSTS File Resource Page
Great compilation of Hosts file and adblocking alternatives by security expert Eric L Howes:
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/soft8a.htm#HOSTS
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Recommended HOST file downloads:
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Bluetack Hosts File
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=8406
Great HOSTS file information site
http://www.accs-net.com/hosts/index.html
HOSTS File / ADSERVERS Lists
http://pgl.yoyo.org/adservers/
hostsfile.mine.nu
http://hostsfile.mine.nu/downloads/
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- Recommended HOSTS file management tools -
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The best FREE Hosts File Managers :
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- HostsXpert by Toadbee
.. [Admin @ Gladiator Anti-virus Security Forum] ..
Click to view attachment
>> Information and Download Link <<
www.funkytoad.com
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Another great Hosts file application by Toadbee :
Homer v1.3
Click to view attachment
QUOTE
Homer v1.3
What is Homer?
Homer is a Localhost webserver.
Homer listens to IP 127.0.0.1 for connections on port 80 -
Logs requests, and serves up a picture of your choosing.
Huh?
If you use an Ad-Blocking HOSTS file - Such as HPGuru’s or Bluetack’s -
you may see alot of “cannot connect” type messages and missing graphics.
Running Homer will change that by serving an image of your choice.
Doing so will make pages load faster as a consequence.
What is Homer?
Homer is a Localhost webserver.
Homer listens to IP 127.0.0.1 for connections on port 80 -
Logs requests, and serves up a picture of your choosing.
Huh?
If you use an Ad-Blocking HOSTS file - Such as HPGuru’s or Bluetack’s -
you may see alot of “cannot connect” type messages and missing graphics.
Running Homer will change that by serving an image of your choice.
Doing so will make pages load faster as a consequence.
Information and details:
http://www.funkytoad.com
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- Bluetack Hosts Manager - By Kimberly -
:: Download ::
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/modules.php?name...nload&cid=7
:: Extensive Information on using the Hosts Manager::
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=9240
Kim's Hosts manager has many features and you should read the help file [ just press F1 ] to learn how to use them all effectively. You can import | append other Hosts files and any duplicate entries will automatially be removed. Also allows you to download the Bluetack Hosts file which is updated daily.
Also supports inclusions | exclusions for personal entries if you like to keep certain sites blocked while swapping around other peoples hosts files.
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:: B.I.S.S. HOSTS Switch ::
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=13516
Instead of having the Bluetack's Hosts Manager open to disable / enable your hosts file, we've decided to offer you an Add-On : Bluetack's Hosts Switch
It loads a small application which shows if your Hosts file is readable and it allows you to quickly enable / disable the Hosts file.
If you are using Internet Explorer, you can add a toolbutton to the default Toolbar to launch the program very quickly. You can set it to load at Windows boot - Normal or in the Tray ...
B.I.S.S. Hosts Manager 1.7 is recommended to access the full features of the add-on. If you already have B.I.S.S. Hosts Manager 1.7 installed, you don't need to download this Add-On separately, it's included from the 1.7 version.
Select Custom Setup if you want to change the default install folder. If B.I.S.S. Hosts Manager is installed, it's recommended that you install this Add-On in the same folder.
Want easy access while browsing ? Add a button to your IE ToolBar .... it will open up the program when you click on it.
This feature only works with Internet Explorer.
When you check the option in the program, start a new Internet Explorer instance afterwards. If the button does not show up on the toolbar, you might need to go to View | Toolbars | Customize and move the Hosts Switch button from "Available toolbar buttons" to "Current toolbar buttons".
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- Hostess -
http://accs-net.com/hostess/
HOSTS file manager with Hosts Toggle integrated
QUOTE
The Hostess program has been designed to help you easily maintain your Hosts file for the purpose of blocking servers rather than for its original purpose of quicker DNS lookups. It stores the hostnames in an indexed database, eliminating duplicates and placing hosts into logical groups that can be ordered for efficiency. Hostess has powerful import, export and search features. It can even create a registry file for adding domains to the Internet Explorer Restricted Zone.
Hostess will warn you if you already have the same entry in your Hosts file so you can avoid duplicates.
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- Hosts Toggle -
http://accs-net.com/hosts/HostsToggle/
QUOTE
Switch on / off HOSTS file blocking with a click of a button
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- Aldos Hosts Manager -
http://www.aldostools.com/hosts.html
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Merge hosts / remove duplicates
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:: Warning ::
QUOTE
Hosts file reader by Option explicit , available on various sites , should be avoided as it will destroy your large custom hosts file and reduce it to a much smaller size eg: 64k [/b].
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Other handy tools:
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- FastNet99 -
QUOTE
FastNet99 is a network utility that will speed up your web browser every time you want to connect to a web site on the Internet, by avoiding time consuming DNS lookups. It provides all the tools you need to help diagnose network problems and get information about users, hosts and networks on the Internet or on your Intranet. It combines DNS Lookup, Ping, TraceRoute, WhoIs, Finger, Time Synchronizer, KeepAlive and more...
http://w3.quipo.it/gcriaco/
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- NS-Batch -
QUOTE
JIM PRICE created this utility to allow host name lookups of lots of IP addresses.
It also lets you interactively look up host name from IP addresses or IP addresses from hostnames.
Just feed it a file with IP addresses in it (of the format 127.0.0.1), and it will dig out the addresses,
look up the hostnames, and create a text file containing:
1) the IP address in hex (useful for sorting)
2) the IP address in dotted-octet format (i.e., 207.43.183.2)
3) the corresponding hostname, (i.e., www.jimprice.com) and
4) the hostname reversed (i.e. com.jimprice.www)
5) additional status information about the lookup (whether or not it worked)
You can then import the text file into your favorite word processor, spreadsheet, or other program, and sort it by IP address or other fields. Also, the program now includes features to probe a subnet (listing all the computers on a given network), and to display your local host's IP address, as well as some amount of flexibility in the output format
It also lets you interactively look up host name from IP addresses or IP addresses from hostnames.
Just feed it a file with IP addresses in it (of the format 127.0.0.1), and it will dig out the addresses,
look up the hostnames, and create a text file containing:
1) the IP address in hex (useful for sorting)
2) the IP address in dotted-octet format (i.e., 207.43.183.2)
3) the corresponding hostname, (i.e., www.jimprice.com) and
4) the hostname reversed (i.e. com.jimprice.www)
5) additional status information about the lookup (whether or not it worked)
You can then import the text file into your favorite word processor, spreadsheet, or other program, and sort it by IP address or other fields. Also, the program now includes features to probe a subnet (listing all the computers on a given network), and to display your local host's IP address, as well as some amount of flexibility in the output format
- http://www.jimprice.com/jim-soft.htm#nsbatch
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:: IP ADDRESS GUIDES ::
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IP Addresses Explained -
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/ind...showtutorial=37
BLUETACK IP ADDRESS GUIDE
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=52
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The ULTIMATE Network Resource Page -
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/info19.htm
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:: WHOIS LOOKUPS ::
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http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl
http://ripe.net/cgi-bin/search/gdquery.cgi?
http://www.apnic.net/apnic-bin/whois.pl
http://www.whois.sc/
http://www.dnsstuff.com/
http://www.samspade.org/
http://www.completewhois.com/
http://www.demon.net/external/
http://www.all-nettools.com/toolbox
http://www.dshield.org/ipinfo.php?ip=XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
http://www.fixedorbit.com/search.htm
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:: IP INDEX SITES ::
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http://www.fixedorbit.com/welcome.htm
http://www.flumps.org/ip/index.html
http://www.sbslinks.com/Ipaddress.htm
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