Minecraft Help Please

[delta7]

My son is addicted to this game  , the problem is that when he downloads stuff for this game, sometimes my pc gets infected with homepage hijackers so I was wondering if anyone knew if this was common or could recommend safe sites/practices for downloads for this game.

 

He claims he did nothing wrong etc, but I just cant risk my main pc  so he is on his final warning about downloads and will be banned off my computer if I cant resolve this. Thats a shame as he has made mini-games etc and put a lot of time and effort into this, 

 

Any help appreciated

[Jabo]

I don't play minecraft myself Delta - could never really see the attraction personally. As I understand the issue though, minecraft and other similar games rely heavily on home-grown addons and mods so there is an increased likelihood of  certain groups producing mods and other bolt-ons which are really carriers for viruses and other hacks which cause havoc with the PC. Depending on where your lad is getting his minecraft downloads from you may well see an increase in this kind of activity. The clever bit is knowng what to download and what to steer clear of.

 

Here's my approach to modding any game.

 

1. NEVER be amongst the first to download a 'new' file. Let someone else do the error checking for you.

2. Always check any comments posted by previous downloaders - take these with a hefty pinch of salt and a shot of suspicion

3. Be ultra cautious of files which have an awesome name but no details from the authors.

4  Be very, very cautious if you're downloading a re-posted file. An increasingly seen tactic is to download a popular mod, hack it to add your browser hijack or whatever and then re-post - often as a 'new' or 'upgraded' version. (This is a problem being frequently reported around the Skyrim mod forums)

5. Keep your anti-virus protection up-to-date and if it reports a bad file - BELIEVE IT! Yes, false-positives do happen but less often than you might think and even if it does, so what?

 

Good luck persuading your lad to try any of the above - I still can't persuade a few of my forty-year old friends to keep away from the bloody download button and just think for 30 seconds before pressing it!

 

Hope this helps mate

 

Jabo

[B16Enk]

Sounds like he is using mod packs, if they do not come from Craftbukkit then remove, there are several 'mod packs' that are actually hacked versions of Minecraft to circumvent copy protection.

As attractive as these mods may be, they are usually based on an old version of Minecraft, poorly programmed and potentially riddled with undesirable back doors. As are the sites they are downloaded from.

[delta7]

Thanks guys , hes been warned and has agreed not to do mods so hes back online