How do they know this?
Thread Starter
|
Suspended
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
From: not of this earth
How do they know this?
Every so often I'll be browsing a forum of some kind and I'll be reading a thread and at the bottom of a post will be a little figure holding up a sign that says 'your IP address is blah-blah you are using Windows XP and your browser is Opera, I can see you!' How do they know this? 
Senior Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 145
Likes: 1
From: Statesboro, Ga.
It depends on the scripting language. But you browser it set to give off its type for compatibility issues. At times it also gives away your OS. Your ip is also public, and if your ISP has reverse dns, its pretty easy to grab with certain script whether PHP or ASP or Perl, it's nothing completely hard. By getting the right browser for instance would allow a webmaster to display screen resolution, colors, layout sizes, and to use javascript or html 4 or etc.
If you would like to keep this from happening, depending on browser its pretty easy. Mostly you can edit a registry key. Either nulling it falsing it or changing the value of it.
If you would like to keep this from happening, depending on browser its pretty easy. Mostly you can edit a registry key. Either nulling it falsing it or changing the value of it.
<?php
//
// SourceForge: Breaking Down the Barriers to Open Source Development
// Copyright 1999-2000 (c) The SourceForge Crew
// http://sourceforge.net
//
// $Id: tim20000821.php3,v 1.2 2001/05/22 19:22:47 tim Exp $
unset ($BROWSER_AGENT);
unset ($BROWSER_VER);
unset ($BROWSER_PLATFORM);
function browser_get_agent () {
global $BROWSER_AGENT;
return $BROWSER_AGENT;
}
function browser_get_version() {
global $BROWSER_VER;
return $BROWSER_VER;
}
function browser_get_platform() {
global $BROWSER_PLATFORM;
return $BROWSER_PLATFORM;
}
function browser_is_mac() {
if (browser_get_platform()=='Mac') {
return true;
} else {
return false;
}
}
function browser_is_windows() {
if (browser_get_platform()=='Win') {
return true;
} else {
return false;
}
}
function browser_is_ie() {
if (browser_get_agent()=='IE') {
return true;
} else {
return false;
}
}
function browser_is_netscape() {
if (browser_get_agent()=='MOZILLA') {
return true;
} else {
return false;
}
}
/*
Determine browser and version
*/
if (ereg( 'MSIE ([0-9].[0-9]{1,2})',$HTTP_USER_AGENT,$log_version)) {
$BROWSER_VER=$log_version[1];
$BROWSER_AGENT='IE';
} elseif (ereg( 'Opera ([0-9].[0-9]{1,2})',$HTTP_USER_AGENT,$log_version)) {
$BROWSER_VER=$log_version[1];
$BROWSER_AGENT='OPERA';
} elseif (ereg( 'Mozilla/([0-9].[0-9]{1,2})',$HTTP_USER_AGENT,$log_version)) {
$BROWSER_VER=$log_version[1];
$BROWSER_AGENT='MOZILLA';
} else {
$BROWSER_VER=0;
$BROWSER_AGENT='OTHER';
}
/*
Determine platform
*/
if (strstr($HTTP_USER_AGENT,'Win')) {
$BROWSER_PLATFORM='Win';
} else if (strstr($HTTP_USER_AGENT,'Mac')) {
$BROWSER_PLATFORM='Mac';
} else if (strstr($HTTP_USER_AGENT,'Linux')) {
$BROWSER_PLATFORM='Linux';
} else if (strstr($HTTP_USER_AGENT,'Unix')) {
$BROWSER_PLATFORM='Unix';
} else {
$BROWSER_PLATFORM='Other';
}
/*
//debug code
echo "\n\nAgent: $HTTP_USER_AGENT";
echo "\nIE: ".browser_is_ie();
echo "\nMac: ".browser_is_mac();
echo "\nWindows: ".browser_is_windows();
echo "\nPlatform: ".browser_get_platform();
echo "\nVersion: ".browser_get_version();
echo "\nAgent: ".browser_get_agent();
*/
?>
//
// SourceForge: Breaking Down the Barriers to Open Source Development
// Copyright 1999-2000 (c) The SourceForge Crew
// http://sourceforge.net
//
// $Id: tim20000821.php3,v 1.2 2001/05/22 19:22:47 tim Exp $
unset ($BROWSER_AGENT);
unset ($BROWSER_VER);
unset ($BROWSER_PLATFORM);
function browser_get_agent () {
global $BROWSER_AGENT;
return $BROWSER_AGENT;
}
function browser_get_version() {
global $BROWSER_VER;
return $BROWSER_VER;
}
function browser_get_platform() {
global $BROWSER_PLATFORM;
return $BROWSER_PLATFORM;
}
function browser_is_mac() {
if (browser_get_platform()=='Mac') {
return true;
} else {
return false;
}
}
function browser_is_windows() {
if (browser_get_platform()=='Win') {
return true;
} else {
return false;
}
}
function browser_is_ie() {
if (browser_get_agent()=='IE') {
return true;
} else {
return false;
}
}
function browser_is_netscape() {
if (browser_get_agent()=='MOZILLA') {
return true;
} else {
return false;
}
}
/*
Determine browser and version
*/
if (ereg( 'MSIE ([0-9].[0-9]{1,2})',$HTTP_USER_AGENT,$log_version)) {
$BROWSER_VER=$log_version[1];
$BROWSER_AGENT='IE';
} elseif (ereg( 'Opera ([0-9].[0-9]{1,2})',$HTTP_USER_AGENT,$log_version)) {
$BROWSER_VER=$log_version[1];
$BROWSER_AGENT='OPERA';
} elseif (ereg( 'Mozilla/([0-9].[0-9]{1,2})',$HTTP_USER_AGENT,$log_version)) {
$BROWSER_VER=$log_version[1];
$BROWSER_AGENT='MOZILLA';
} else {
$BROWSER_VER=0;
$BROWSER_AGENT='OTHER';
}
/*
Determine platform
*/
if (strstr($HTTP_USER_AGENT,'Win')) {
$BROWSER_PLATFORM='Win';
} else if (strstr($HTTP_USER_AGENT,'Mac')) {
$BROWSER_PLATFORM='Mac';
} else if (strstr($HTTP_USER_AGENT,'Linux')) {
$BROWSER_PLATFORM='Linux';
} else if (strstr($HTTP_USER_AGENT,'Unix')) {
$BROWSER_PLATFORM='Unix';
} else {
$BROWSER_PLATFORM='Other';
}
/*
//debug code
echo "\n\nAgent: $HTTP_USER_AGENT";
echo "\nIE: ".browser_is_ie();
echo "\nMac: ".browser_is_mac();
echo "\nWindows: ".browser_is_windows();
echo "\nPlatform: ".browser_get_platform();
echo "\nVersion: ".browser_get_version();
echo "\nAgent: ".browser_get_agent();
*/
?>
Last edited by OrdnanceCorps; Feb 10, 2008 at 08:53 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 2,075
Likes: 1
From: Central Florida
Suspended
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,200
Likes: 0
From: Algonquin Il
Originally Posted by OrdnanceCorps
It depends on the scripting language. But you browser it set to give off its type for compatibility issues. At times it also gives away your OS. Your ip is also public, and if your ISP has reverse dns, its pretty easy to grab with certain script whether PHP or ASP or Perl, it's nothing completely hard. By getting the right browser for instance would allow a webmaster to display screen resolution, colors, layout sizes, and to use javascript or html 4 or etc.
If you would like to keep this from happening, depending on browser its pretty easy. Mostly you can edit a registry key. Either nulling it falsing it or changing the value of it.
If you would like to keep this from happening, depending on browser its pretty easy. Mostly you can edit a registry key. Either nulling it falsing it or changing the value of it.
WTF???? Are you smart or something?
Graphics Contributor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,367
Likes: 0
From: Buffalo NY
Originally Posted by BlueFlareside
