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baccaruda Security Page
Security Tips
The Internet is collosal, the variety of people accross the globe that use it is equally immense. So it stands to reason that some of these users (as in any walk of life) have less that honourable intensions.
If you consider that many of us use our computers for personal communications between family, friends and online businesses some sensitive and private information is found on most of our computers.
The most important security measure you can take is to keep secrets!
You have to keep your passwords to your self, don´t use an obvious password, try to use at least one Capital letter and one number as part of the password and NEVER tell anyone else.
So now you should have a good password, next we need to look at what your computer is doing and what we want it to do.
A computer, once connected to the internet, sits there chatting to the ISP computer. When you request something from the internet your computer tells the ISP computer what you are wanting and the ISP computer makes the link between you and your target using a directory.
The way your computer (and all computers) do this is with IP addresses. An IP address is just that a computers address on the internet.
If another computer is scanning the internet for ip addresses, using a port scanning program, it will find all the computers who return a message back. Once the Port Scanner finds (or is given) another computers IP it begins to check what ports your computer is using to communicate with programs on other computers.
All computer programs communicate with each other by sending and reciving data via these open ports.
Certain types of program use set ports (eg: its usual for World Wide Web HTTP to use Port 80 and usualy IRC uses port 6667 etc.)
The best way to avoid these types of programs finding your computer on the internet is to use a good firewall.
Firewall
A firewall is like a security guard that watches over your computers internet activity.
One of the jobs of a firewall is to take away the ability of scanning programs to talk to your computer by masking your identity. Often a firewall does this by intercepting these requests for information about your computer, and then not responding... your computer would have just spilled the beans when asked, but now you appear to not be there at all.
A good firewall will recognise suspect activity and limit or deny the information being allowed both into and out of your computer.
Viruses
Some people wonder why they need to bother with virus checkers, they havn´t got an internet connection.
Well, I hope your system grinding to an enevatable halt is enough to dispell the myth.
Viruses generaly spread, therefore cloging up your system with unwanted files and consuming your resouces. Some viruses have more unwanted side affects too by running code to alter the behaviour of your machine. This could be anything from simply changing your mouse pointer to a spider to altering your program settings or passwords or even Emailing things from your machine.
The only time you can afford not to bother with anti-virus software is if you can GUARANTEE you computer will never recive a file that was not created on itself.
Even a scan with a virus checking utility can NOT give you 100 percent certainty
The unfortunate truth about Anti-virus Software is that it can only detect viruses that have been discovered and an Identifying feature has been implemented in the checker your using to recognise that particular virus. There are many viruses out there on the computers of ordinary folk that have just recently been written and are spreading faster than the time it takes to read about it. The anti-virus software is unfotunatly always going to be just behind the virus writers that keep the security programmers so busy.
Viruses do different things when active on a computer, in general however, they will reproduce themselves by copying themselves and then attaching themselves to other programs or files. As these program files are passed between friends and collegues the same coping and attaching method then infects more and more machines.
Email is another popular method of virus distribution with some viruses even able to read the addresses from your contacts address book and send bogus messages from you to everyone you know.
Thus causing much pain and embarrassment to the infected parties. It can affect relationships and friendships as I´m sure you can imagine.
Anti Virus is a must therefore. As mentioned above if theres any chance that anyone will add a file from another machine you are vunerable. Even packaged CD´s have, however slim, a possible risk of carrying an unknown or undiscovered virus.
Trojans
I am sure you are aware of the famous tale of the Trojan Horse, a computer Trojan is no different in its employment. Its designed to get unwanted material onto a computer by packaging it as an innocent program.
Ad ware and Spy ware
These are programs or pages that gather information from your computer, then send it to another computer or bombard you with spam (digital junk mail).
The gathered information is often sent to another computer for statistical marketing purpouses in a few rare cases it could also can be used malicously.
Many of these programs are deployed as a trojan with other downloads or email attachments. Most common spy and Ad ware packages can be removed with a removal program.
See Here for some good Freeware removal programs.
So what can we do?
Do install a Firewall.
Do use a virus checker utility program to scan your computer for infections and intrusions.
Do scan your computer for Viruses, Trojans, Spy ware and Ad ware.
If your computer is always on, its best to schedule the checkers to automaticaly sweep your system everyday and to update its list of known viruses and Ad/Spy ware regularly.
Otherwise idealy, you should sweep your system each time you use your computer.
Do update your Security and Operating System files regularly.
Don´t compromise your security by revealing information to anyone regarding your computer and its passwords.
Don´t download or allow anything on your computer to update or install anything you are not expecting or do not recognise.
Many Freeware solutions are available to aid in protecting your computer (Check out the free software section Here).
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