Get Ready for More Cyberattacks
In an article for the Examiner, Ira Wilsker writes that law enforcement officials have uncovered indications that some hacker groups might be planning to launch massive virus attacks on the September 11th anniversary of the New York and Washington D.C. terrorist attacks. Network security professionals and corporate IT administrators are already gearing up to prepare for the possibility, but what does this mean to you, the individual user? What can you do to protect yourself and your system from yet another wave of virus infested email or another round of attacks intended to crash or intrude into your system?
Make sure that you're following security best practices. If you've been operating without a firewall, now is the time to change that. Windows XP provides a built-in firewall, ICF, but you might want to invest in a third party product or download a free firewall program. If you're running an earlier version of Windows that doesn't include ICF, you'll definitely need a third party product. Some of these include:
ZoneAlarm (http://www.zonelabs.com):
Has both a free limited functionality version and a full featured version for purchase
Kerio Personal Firewall (http://www.kerio.com):
Free for home/personal use; otherwise $39 for a single user license
Outpost Personal Firewall (http://www.agnitum.com):
Open Architecture firewall for Windows; both free and "pro" versions available
Sygate Personal Firewall (http://www.sygate.com)
Norton Personal Firewall (http://www.symantec.com)
Black Ice Defender (http://www.networkice.com)
Your firewall is the first line of defense in what should be a multi-layered security plan. The second essential element is a good anti-virus program. We recommend Norton or McAfee. Remember that an AV program is only as good as its virus definition files, and with new viruses being written and released all the time, it's important that you update the definition files at least daily. During high risk periods, many companies will update their files hourly and it's not unreasonable for you to do the same if you have an "always on" Internet connection.
What if an intruder manages to break into your system despite your perimeter defenses? You should take further steps to protect your important data (original work that is irreplaceable, information that's confidential). If you're running XP Pro and using the NTFS file system, you can set access permissions on your files to make it more difficult for an intruder to open them. And just as you might put your most valuable possessions in a safe inside your home in case a burglar gets past your high fence, big dog, deadbolt locks and alarm system, you might consider using encryption to protect your most sensitive files. You can use the EFS encryption built into XP Pro, or use a third party program like DriveCrypt:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=030909ED-DriveCrypt
Computer security is quickly becoming a necessity, and because of the interconnected nature of the Internet, those who fail to secure their systems can endanger not only themselves, but the rest of us as well. There has been talk in legislative circles of passing laws that would require anyone who connects to the Internet to meet minimal security standards. What do you think? Should it be illegal to run your system "wide open" to the many threats that are out there today, or should your security choices be no one's business but your own? We want to know what you think; email us at feedback@winxpnews.com.
Followup: Technicians and Auto Mechanics
Ouch! We got a few responses from auto mechanics who took last week's editorial a little personally, so we want to clarify right up front that by no means do we consider all mechanics (or all PC techs) unscrupulous. Unfortunately, the minority that are cause problems for all the rest. Good mechanics and technicians are worth more than their weight in gold and when you find one, you should treasure him/her. We do!
Many of you, though, wrote with your own horror stories and it seems that a substantial number of our readers say they would never trust their computers to a technician they don't know. We even had a couple of readers who wrote that PC techs charged them big bucks when their computers wouldn't boot because a floppy was left in the drive. One side benefit of such bad experiences it that it often forces you to learn to repair your PCs yourself, providing you with a valuable skill (don't advertise the fact that you can do it, though, unless you want to be the one all your friends and relatives call when their computers go down).
If you do need to take your system to shop, though, follow the advice of one of our readers who is a repair tech and choose the technician based on: 1) word of mouth recommendation from an actual "repairee," 2) Better Business Bureau, and 3) a shop that's been in business for at least 10 years.
'Til next week,
Deb Shinder, Editor
(email us with feedback: feedback@winxpnews.com)
Get Ready for More Cyberattacks
In an article for the Examiner, Ira Wilsker writes that law enforcement officials have uncovered indications that some hacker groups might be planning to launch massive virus attacks on the September 11th anniversary of the New York and Washington D.C. terrorist attacks. Network security professionals and corporate IT administrators are already gearing up to prepare for the possibility, but what does this mean to you, the individual user? What can you do to protect yourself and your system from yet another wave of virus infested email or another round of attacks intended to crash or intrude into your system?
Make sure that you're following security best practices. If you've been operating without a firewall, now is the time to change that. Windows XP provides a built-in firewall, ICF, but you might want to invest in a third party product or download a free firewall program. If you're running an earlier version of Windows that doesn't include ICF, you'll definitely need a third party product. Some of these include:
ZoneAlarm (http://www.zonelabs.com):
Has both a free limited functionality version and a full featured version for purchase
Kerio Personal Firewall (http://www.kerio.com):
Free for home/personal use; otherwise $39 for a single user license
Outpost Personal Firewall (http://www.agnitum.com):
Open Architecture firewall for Windows; both free and "pro" versions available
Sygate Personal Firewall (http://www.sygate.com)
Norton Personal Firewall (http://www.symantec.com)
Black Ice Defender (http://www.networkice.com)
Your firewall is the first line of defense in what should be a multi-layered security plan. The second essential element is a good anti-virus program. We recommend Norton or McAfee. Remember that an AV program is only as good as its virus definition files, and with new viruses being written and released all the time, it's important that you update the definition files at least daily. During high risk periods, many companies will update their files hourly and it's not unreasonable for you to do the same if you have an "always on" Internet connection.
What if an intruder manages to break into your system despite your perimeter defenses? You should take further steps to protect your important data (original work that is irreplaceable, information that's confidential). If you're running XP Pro and using the NTFS file system, you can set access permissions on your files to make it more difficult for an intruder to open them. And just as you might put your most valuable possessions in a safe inside your home in case a burglar gets past your high fence, big dog, deadbolt locks and alarm system, you might consider using encryption to protect your most sensitive files. You can use the EFS encryption built into XP Pro, or use a third party program like DriveCrypt:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=030909ED-DriveCrypt
Computer security is quickly becoming a necessity, and because of the interconnected nature of the Internet, those who fail to secure their systems can endanger not only themselves, but the rest of us as well. There has been talk in legislative circles of passing laws that would require anyone who connects to the Internet to meet minimal security standards. What do you think? Should it be illegal to run your system "wide open" to the many threats that are out there today, or should your security choices be no one's business but your own? We want to know what you think; email us at feedback@winxpnews.com.
Followup: Technicians and Auto Mechanics
Ouch! We got a few responses from auto mechanics who took last week's editorial a little personally, so we want to clarify right up front that by no means do we consider all mechanics (or all PC techs) unscrupulous. Unfortunately, the minority that are cause problems for all the rest. Good mechanics and technicians are worth more than their weight in gold and when you find one, you should treasure him/her. We do!
Many of you, though, wrote with your own horror stories and it seems that a substantial number of our readers say they would never trust their computers to a technician they don't know. We even had a couple of readers who wrote that PC techs charged them big bucks when their computers wouldn't boot because a floppy was left in the drive. One side benefit of such bad experiences it that it often forces you to learn to repair your PCs yourself, providing you with a valuable skill (don't advertise the fact that you can do it, though, unless you want to be the one all your friends and relatives call when their computers go down).
If you do need to take your system to shop, though, follow the advice of one of our readers who is a repair tech and choose the technician based on: 1) word of mouth recommendation from an actual "repairee," 2) Better Business Bureau, and 3) a shop that's been in business for at least 10 years.
'Til next week,
Deb Shinder, Editor
(email us with feedback: feedback@winxpnews.com)