WARNING: I’m an absolute beginner to IRC. How do I get started? reddit / irc ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2019-09-01 21:31 Hey everyone, As the title very discreetly implies, I really don’t know much about IRC but I have been learning kali Linux and the concept of OTR and IRC are extremely inspiring and appealing to me. Would anyone be willing to point me we’re to go or to help me get started with IRC? I’m running kali on my pi 3b. I’m aware of how little I know so please don’t judge me, I just need help. Thanks! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RhinosF1 · 2019-09-01 21:32 What do you need? How to setup a network? Join a network? Help with a client? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Artemis_Wynk · 2019-09-01 21:34 Pretty much all the above. Do I need hefty hardware to setup a network? Do I need a client like gmail is to google? How do I join a network? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RhinosF1 · 2019-09-01 21:36 Setting up a network, not really but it depends on how big you want it. Client is how you connect to irc (You can find loads on google, I use [irccloud.com](https://irccloud.com) a web based one) And you join a network by getting a client then reading the docs to see how to add a network to your client. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Artemis_Wynk · 2019-09-01 21:38 Thank you very much! Let’s say I want to get a client and make my own network. How much do clients usually charge? What is kind of knowledge/funds are necessary to start a network? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RhinosF1 · 2019-09-01 21:42 A client is used to connect to a network and they are many free ones. My client has a PRO version for £3.50 though. ​ Regarding a network, You only really need something like a raspberry pi, a domain and an internet connection so not a massive amount but if your network was to get big then you'd need better resources. For setting up a network, see [https://www.inspircd.org/](https://www.inspircd.org/) which might help or a quick google search ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Artemis_Wynk · 2019-09-01 21:45 If I were to say get a credible but free client would I still be able to join this community’s IRC or is it dependent on all having the same client? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RhinosF1 · 2019-09-01 21:46 No, any client can connect to any server (providing for some reason the server hasn't banned it) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Artemis_Wynk · 2019-09-01 21:50 Ok, thank you. Is this network safe? What kind of security precautions are advised for joining an IRC? I don’t have a VPN configuration or client set up on my kali yet. How easy is it for information (I.e. location, IP, account information etc.) to be accessed through an IRC? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RhinosF1 · 2019-09-01 21:58 What do you mean by 'this network'? There are hundreds. This is a sub- reddit though not a network. ​ And dependant on the network, IPs etc may be revealed so you may want to use a VPN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Artemis_Wynk · 2019-09-01 22:01 I was referring to irc.gotham.chat. Thank you very much. Once I figure out how to set up VPN on kali I will get a client and start using irc!! Thanks ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RhinosF1 · 2019-09-01 22:02 I'm not sure on their spec so I can't say but using common sense should keep you safe ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Artemis_Wynk · 2019-09-01 22:03 Perfect. Well thank you very much for helping me! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RhinosF1 · 2019-09-01 22:04 No problem! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- OMGItsCheezWTF · 2019-09-01 22:14 Remember that IRC is a totally open protocol. By default your full hostname (and identd response if you provide one) is exposed to all users, some networks may mask it, but that is extra config and many do not. So if you connect from your machine without a VPN, your home address is available to all. It is also completely unencrypted by default, and even if the network supports TLS, your messages will be sent in the clear from the network to any non-TLS clients, even though you sent them to the network over TLS. Communication between nodes in the network may also not be TLS. So bear that in mind when considering your exposure risk. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- gaiusm · 2019-09-01 22:16 You don't necessarily need a domain. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Artemis_Wynk · 2019-09-01 23:36 Thank you. Is TSL something that you have to configure entirely on your own or is it dependent purely on the client chosen? Also, how much security does VPN provide? I tried to configure and OpenVPN and inadvertently wrecked my network manager. Is there such thing as a free VPN host and if so are there any reputable ones? This is all new to me so I honestly have no idea how to set up VPN on kali. I’ve tried a few methods but I am not in a position to be able to pay for a client. Back to IRCs, I’ve read a little bit about PGPs and OTRs. Do these require clients and can they be applied to IRC? How do they differ from TLS? Thanks ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2019-09-02 00:26 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Artemis_Wynk · 2019-09-02 00:27 Then I’m here to bring it back ---------------------------------------------------------------------- clem16 · 2019-09-02 02:13 Might have been mentioned already, but I use a bouncer. I use ZNC on a cheap Yearly VPS that’s dual stacked ipv4 and IPv6, i try to always connect to irc networks via IPv6, “just because”. I can then connect multiple clients to my bouncer, a client on my iPhone, a client on my desktop. I just run IRSSI inside of Windows Subsystem for Linux, running Debian. Just Because. I can then run IRSSI inside of screen on my home servers if I happened to be SSHed in with putty, I can just flip tab over and continue to talk., That’s how I do it, the benefit is, I can walk away with my phone and get notification and message playback because of ZNC and with IRSSI I can get a uniform client across all my Computer OS’s. I happen to use two different clients on iOS, Mutter which is now discontinued. And Palaver, which in some ways is better but also not quite as nice of a feel, YMMV... I am not sure what to recommend for a Desktop client for beginning, IRSSI has a steeper learning curve that may just confuse you, the same confusion may happen when trying to add ZNC to the mix. Take things one step at a time, learn the basics, know what your trying to accomplish, be it sending commands to the Client, the Bouncer, or the IRC network itself, and just have fun. There’s a lot of ‘mystique’ and ‘omg that’s too hard, I could never learn that’ attitude surrounding IRC, provided people in the last 10 years even know what it is, but there really isn’t much to be worried about. Connect to a decent network, find a friendly channel, join into a conversation. I’ve setup my own personal IRC servers, linking them together, bouncers, eggdrop, and other bots, just for shits and giggles to see how it’s all done. Reading over config files and the likes and trying to make everything work together let’s you learn a lot. Good luck, have fun. And remember like any online community, you’ll run across all sorts of people. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- clem16 · 2019-09-02 02:16 Not true, a lot of people moved to their own private networks which require invites and passwords to join. A lot of mainstream chatter these days are via social networks, because of its simplicity. But the heart of the true net development and other communities are still on IRC, barring a few fringe examples. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Lucaszecat · 2019-09-02 02:38 It's still alive. Here we are :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pseudo_shell · 2019-09-02 03:58 No network that you don’t control is “safe.” Treat it as hostile and use best practices. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- OMGItsCheezWTF · 2019-09-02 08:05 Most clients support TLS, network support is about 60%. You usually have to configure your client to use it. A VPN itself doesn't do anything other than make upstream connections think you're coming from the VPN provider rather than your own computer. The tunnel itself is encrypted so traffic between you and the VPN provider is hard to read. I've never heard of a free one, there are reputable ones but they all charge. PGP and OTR are protocols for encrypting communication. You could use these on top of IRC to encrypt your messages, then the recipient decrypts them. That means even if someone is reading your messages over the IRC network, they cannot see what you are saying, only that you're saying something. I personally don't think PGP is really suited to IRC, if only because the message formats don't lend themselves to the medium. I've not used Off-The-Record myself. The downside is that there is unlikely to be client support for this, you'd have to do it yourself, and it requires anyone you speak with to have the same setup and to exchange your keys with them in a way that's secure.