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Be sure you are protected.
Several times in the past few years the whole Internet has
been brought almost to a halt and dozens of the most prominent
websites have been totally shut down for periods of time because
of staged attacks by sophisticated “crackers.”
When ready, they sent out a simple “Start the attack”
signal. How did they do it? By previously sending out a trojan
which embedded itself in a susceptible computer, creating a “back
door,” then replicating and resending itself to the next
victim and so on, allowing the perpetrators to remotely control
thousands upon thousands of computers across the Internet in a
coordinated attack. These “zombie” computers were in
universities, government agencies, businesses and homes
everywhere. Cleaning computers so affected usually requires
completely wiping the hard drive clean and reinstalling and
reconfiguring everything.
Several years ago, my own daughter, about 13 at the time,
managed to tick off someone in a group she had been chatting with
and received a rather nasty file which she unwittingly activated.
Before destroying the hard drive on that Windows 98 computer, it
caused its modem to dial 911 twice... in the middle of the night!
Now, that
was embarrassing. Windows 2000 and XP are far more powerful
and complicated than Windows 98 and therefore, more dangerous.
Internet and digital technology in general is so new that it's
still being invented. Some day when it is mature, it may be a
safe place to play. But for now, there are steps you can take to
greatly reduce the possibility of your being a victim.
Here are my security tips:
Use a virus program. I give more details on my
maintenance page.
Use a firewall, especially if you have a
high-speed connection. A firewall sits between your computer and
the Internet and resists known and suspicious activity aimed
your way. A hardware firewall is best and they are as low as $40
now. Or you can install an excellent software firewall (your
only choice if you use a dial-up account) like Zone
Alarm. They have a free version and the more aggressive Pro
version (recommended) is about $30. I like zone Alarm in
particular because it also controls activity that initiates from
your computer to the Internet, which can indicate a brand
new virus or other problem that your virus program didn't catch
because the “nasty” is too new and your virus
program hasn't been updated hardened against it yet.
Use a surge protector or uninterruptible power supply.
A $30 surge protector can save thousands of dollars of computer,
programs, and data. If you use your computer for business
purposes, I recommend buying an uninterruptible power supply
instead, which offers an even greater level of protection,
including automatically closing all open files and shutting your
computer down properly in the event of a power outage. Again, an
$80 investment can save critical data and components.
Don't run or install programs of questionable origin.
Enough said.
Don't open unknown attachments from email or chat
programs, even if it is coming from someone you know. Most
viruses and trojans use email as their vehicle of choice, and
automatically send themselves out to everyone in the victim's
address book. Why? The weakest link in any security chain is the
HUMAN FACTOR. There was nothing sophisticated about the most
rapidly spreading virus ever – the “I love you”
virus, spread by an alluring email attachment. Millions of
people just couldn't wait to find out who was secretly in love
with them.
Don't leave your computer on unless you have a
good reason to, when you're not using it, especially with a
high-speed connection. Even if you have not a single application
open, your computer is normally sending and receiving small bits
of information to and from the Internet. Leaving it on increases
the chance that some cracker will find it and try to get behind
your defenses.
If you're leaving your home unattended for
vacation, for instance, notify your ISP and have them
discontinue service for the time you are gone. With dial-up
service, many have come home and found that their computer was
used to ring up hundreds of dollars worth of Internet porn
dialing fees which get tacked on to their phone bill. It's a
good idea to lock your computer away altogether.
Keep your software patched, including the
operating system. See my software page
under Improvements and patches.
Back up your computer's critical data regularly.
There are many ways of doing this, another hard drive, another
computer, space accessed from the Internet (careful here,)
floppy disks, Zip disks, and CD's to name a few. However you do
it, keep your backup stored in a separate location from your
computer.
Disabling Java, JavaScript, ActiveX, scripting email
features, and choosing a non-Windows operating system are
all possible additional steps you can take. They are beyond the
scope I intend to convey here. If you want to read what the
foremost security organization in the world has to offer, you'll
find it here.
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