XBox Live

[dazuk1972]

I'm planning on getting XBox Live but there is something I want to ask. How do we protect our XBox 360's from hackers? I've never heard or read about XBox Live Firewall. I'm worried encase I get hacked and a hacker deletes all my data in my hard drive and memory card.

Many thanks.

[admin]

I don't think this is a problem, because nobody ever mentions anything like this. I don't know exactly how the Live system works, but it's not an open Internet thing, and I suppose it's all done through secure and proprietary Microsoft servers.

Of course, your Live account is just an username and a password, so if you gave those out or if somebody has access to that information, they can get into your account. They still can't get to what you've stored on your hard-drive/memory card though, since these content is actually separate from your Live account (you don't need to be logged in to access the local content).

[dazuk1972]

I don't think this is a problem, because nobody ever mentions anything like this. I don't know exactly how the Live system works, but it's not an open Internet thing, and I suppose it's all done through secure and proprietary Microsoft servers.

Of course, your Live account is just an username and a password, so if you gave those out or if somebody has access to that information, they can get into your account. They still can't get to what you've stored on your hard-drive/memory card though, since these content is actually separate from your Live account (you don't need to be logged in to access the local content).

With the clever minds that hackers have I suspect they will manage to get into somebody's hard drive and memory card. They think of something new all the time and make it work. The same applies to people that use mobile phones for the internet. For all we know hackers can hack into somebody's mobile phone and delete the contents insode or even make calls under somebody else's number to make them pay for the call the way hackers can use somebody else's internet connection. I remember a couple of years ago when a hacker hacked into an electronic sign above a freeway and changed the message to an obscene one about the mayor. The people running the sign couldn't change it back so they had to turn it off.

Anyway, I know routers can have a setting to block hackers but I don't wish to splash out on one of those when I can unplug my USB from my PC and plug it into my XBox 360. I might as well to save money because I can't use my PC and my Xbox 360 at the same time.

[admin]

I just think that if there was a way to do it, somebody would have done it already, since the target is Microsoft, and it is the most popular console (well maybe second most popular, since the Wii should have overtaken it just about now) in the US ... it's a prime target ready for the taking. But Microsoft is very secretive about opening up the Xbox system to coders and legal modders probably for this very reason.

[doctorhardware]

I would have to agree with Admin on this one.