I have recently started my own server, and I am ready to make it available to the public. However, I just wanted to ask a few questions:
1.What does port forwarding actually do? Can other people join my server without port forwarding?
2.If I port forward my server, can giving my IP address to the public be potentially harmful? Could hackers get into my system and destroy my computer if they get my IP address?
3.If people log onto my server, will they be downloading via my internet provider (i.e. will they be using my download, and thus make my monthly cost higher?)
4.Has anybody ever had any problems with hackers?
I would be most grateful if you could answer these questions for me.
I have recently started my own server, and I am ready to make it available to the public. However, I just wanted to ask a few questions:
1.What does port forwarding actually do? Can other people join my server without port forwarding?
2.If I port forward my server, can giving my IP address to the public be potentially harmful? Could hackers get into my system and destroy my computer if they get my IP address?
3.If people log onto my server, will they be downloading via my internet provider (i.e. will they be using my download, and thus make my monthly cost higher?)
4.Has anybody ever had any problems with hackers?
I would be most grateful if you could answer these questions for me.
Right, so to clear some things up..
1) Port forwarding is basically telling the router where to send the incoming protocol request, be it your machine or the other one you may have in your house. If you connect directly to the internet (Without a router)/or in DMZ mode, port forwarding should not be an issue.
2) If you run through a firewall, then absolutely not. But if your server contains exploits (allowing users to upload malicious plugins), such as a RAT, then yes, you are in danger.
3) Essentially they are using up their own bandwidth, and yours. But the data amount being transfered is actually quite small, nothing to be afraid of.
4) If I was still a black hat, then you should be all mighty afraid of me! Im white hat now though, and generally the only way they could hack you is to either find exploits in your base machine using an open port, or as I said in (2), upload a RAT through the server.
Generally, running a server has its goods and bads.
You can never have a TOTALLY secure computer, no matter how 'good' you think your antivirus is.
People need to open up to this, whenever there is anti - there is away to get around it.
But all in all, its not a huge cost to run a server and unless someone wants to go to the worlds end for it, you wont get hacked.
Minecraft is beta, this means that the server software is buggy, which means that it's 100% likely that there is a way for hackers to figure out some remote execution exploit because you combine shitty programming (which Minecraft is, Notch is a decent designer but a terribad programmer) with Java just being shitty per se.
I would never ever allow the general public to access my computer via the Minecraft server app. If you must run a public server on your desktop (which is a fairly bad idea from a performance perspective anyway) then at least isolate the environment using some sort of virtualization software.
Also, and only somewhat related; Posting a thread with the subject all in CAPS makes you look retarded.
1.What does port forwarding actually do? Can other people join my server without port forwarding?
2.If I port forward my server, can giving my IP address to the public be potentially harmful? Could hackers get into my system and destroy my computer if they get my IP address?
3.If people log onto my server, will they be downloading via my internet provider (i.e. will they be using my download, and thus make my monthly cost higher?)
4.Has anybody ever had any problems with hackers?
I would be most grateful if you could answer these questions for me.
Right, so to clear some things up..
1) Port forwarding is basically telling the router where to send the incoming protocol request, be it your machine or the other one you may have in your house. If you connect directly to the internet (Without a router)/or in DMZ mode, port forwarding should not be an issue.
2) If you run through a firewall, then absolutely not. But if your server contains exploits (allowing users to upload malicious plugins), such as a RAT, then yes, you are in danger.
3) Essentially they are using up their own bandwidth, and yours. But the data amount being transfered is actually quite small, nothing to be afraid of.
4) If I was still a black hat, then you should be all mighty afraid of me! Im white hat now though, and generally the only way they could hack you is to either find exploits in your base machine using an open port, or as I said in (2), upload a RAT through the server.
Generally, running a server has its goods and bads.
You can never have a TOTALLY secure computer, no matter how 'good' you think your antivirus is.
People need to open up to this, whenever there is anti - there is away to get around it.
But all in all, its not a huge cost to run a server and unless someone wants to go to the worlds end for it, you wont get hacked.
Chance
I would never ever allow the general public to access my computer via the Minecraft server app. If you must run a public server on your desktop (which is a fairly bad idea from a performance perspective anyway) then at least isolate the environment using some sort of virtualization software.
Also, and only somewhat related; Posting a thread with the subject all in CAPS makes you look retarded.
Thats fine.
May I say, I actually joined these forums just to answer your question!
Chance
P.S: Grammar Nazi.