Computer Security

It is very important to ensure that the computer system is secured. A machine that has not been secured can be vulnerable. It can be used to send spam or transmit a virus. It can also be used by a third party as a jumping point to hack into other networks or allow them access to the user's personal information, including financial information, that has stored on the machine.

Securing your PC

Securing a personal computer can be as easy as these three steps:

1. Installing a firewall
   
2. Install Anti-Virus software and make sure to keep it updated
   
3. Making sure the system is up-to-date
   

In addition, we recommend that these sections for other useful software and online safety tips:

• Checking for Trojan Software
  
• Email Safety
  
• Peer-to-Peer Safety
  

Common Sense Security is a third party site that contains a lot of good information on computer security that is written in terms that many non-computer oriented people can understand.

Installing a Firewall

There are two types of firewall, hardware and software. A hardware firewall is a physical device that the user must install between there cable modem and the PC. There are many styles and types of these devices, but each one performs the same function.

A hardware firewall acts similar to having another PC in the line between the main PC and the modem. The hardware firewall acquires the public IP from our servers and assigns a private IP to the PC. Because the computer is assigned a private non-routable IP from the firewall someone accessing the firewall from the outside cannot access the PC.

Software firewalls are programs that the user installs on the PC. There are a large number of vendors and cost can range from free to several hundred dollars. The ease of configuration of software firewalls also varies greatly.

• For further information on installing a firewalls click on a link below:
  http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/fwbenefits.mspx

• For information on how to secure a home network go to:
  http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/home_networks.html

• Information on how to interpret firewall logs can be found at:
  www.mynetwatchman.com

• A firewall's security can be tested by doing a remote scan of the system from Shields UP!! by Gibson Research (http://grc.com)

Installing Anti-Virus Software

Just like in the human world, there are hundreds of thousands of viruses floating around in cyberspace. Because of this, it is important that the PC be "inoculated" by installing anti-virus software. The user should configure the software to scan the system daily as well as having it run in the background while the system is running.

Some other useful links to information on computer viruses:

• http://www.pandasoftware.com/virus_info/threats.aspx
  
• http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
  
• http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/
  

It is also extremely important to make sure the anti-virus software is constantly updated. There are new viruses discovered every day and anti-virus vendors routinely release updated virus definitions. Most vendors release new virus definitions once every 1-2 weeks and many anti-virus software packages allow the user to schedule definition updates to occur automatically. Check the documentation for the particular software to determine if it has this capability and how to configure it.

Keeping your operating system up-to-date

One of the most important things that can be done to secure a PC is to make sure that all of the software is up-to-date. This includes the operating system as well as anti-virus and firewall softwares.

• Updates for Microsoft operating systems:
  http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

• Microsoft Office products
  http://office.microsoft.com/OfficeUpdate/default.aspx

These sites allow the user to scan the system to see what updates are needed for Microsoft products and then tell the user which ones need to be downloaded and installed. The user can also use the Automatic Updates software that is included with later versions of Microsoft Windows. This option can be found and configured in the control panel area of the PC.

If you are using a Microsoft operating system, information on how to secure the specific version can be found on Microsoft's site at this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

Checking for Trojan and Spyware Software

In computers, a Trojan Horse is a program in which malicious or harmful code is contained inside apparently harmless programming or data in such a way that it can get control and do its chosen form of damage, such as ruining the file allocation table on a hard disk. A virus can be very damaging and can be considered a virus if it is widely redistributed.

The use of Spyware by marketing companies has risen dramatically over the past year. This software can be placed on a system without the user knowing it and can send personal information about the him or her to these companies.

There is software available that can help identify and remove Trojan software, as well as Spyware, from machines. Although many anti-virus products will find some Trojans, they will generally not find all malicious software that may damage or slow down an Internet connection. As such, it is just as important to scan for Trojans and Spyware as well as for viruses. Ad Aware is a program that can be used to rid the machine of these problems.

Ad Aware quickly scans your PC to reveal:

• Hidden spyware infections that can lead to identity theft, computer corruption, and increased exposure to advertising.
• Unnecessary cache, cookie and history files that can slow the system and expose the user to privacy invasions.
• System vulnerabilities that can result in bombardment from pop-up advertising.
• Ad-Aware web site www.lavasoft.de
  

Email Safety

The most important thing a user can do that will help safe guard the machine from a virus infection through email is DO NOT OPEN ATTACHMENTS. Unless the user is told someone is sending him or her an attachment, it is recommended the he or she do not open any  attachments that are received.

Even an email that appears to be from a friend or business associate that contains an attachment may in fact may contain a virus.

One trait of many viruses is that they pull information from the email client's address book and send themselves to every address listed. They will also show themselves as being from that individual that is infected. So what may appear at first glance to be something that is safe may indeed not be.

Not using the preview pane is also a means of preventing infection by some viruses. There are certain types that are imbedded in graphics or HTML type email that can infect the machine simply by viewing them in the preview window. Turning off this option will help safeguard the user from these.

Another measure that the user can take to help keep the system from being infected by email-borne viruses is to have the anti-virus software scan the email as it downloads it. This way, the user can check the mail for virus infection before he or she even sees it. See the anti-virus help files for information on how to set this up.

Peer-to-Peer Safety

Peer-to-Peer file sharing has become extremely popular over the past couple of years, particularly with the younger Internet users. P2P, as it is more widely known, can be very useful when used for legitimate purposes. But it also has a dark side. The most widely publicized has to do with copyright infringement. This becomes an issue when the user allows files on the system to be shared with others. When the user does this,  he or she then becomes a provider of the information and violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Information on how to disable fire-sharing on many of the P2P programs can be found at the University of Chicago's web site at:

Information on how to do this with Kazaa can be found at: 

A lesser-known side affect to P2P is the Spyware and Trojan software that can end up on the system as a result. This can happen as the result of Spyware or Trojan software contained within the application itself or as the result of downloading what the user thought was a good file that was actually a quite harmful to the PC. This is just another good reason to make sure that the anti-virus software is current. There is a good article on this problem located at the following:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1373801,00.asp

NOTE: All of the links and software provided on this page are provided as a courtesy to our customers. We do not recommend any particular software for a particular purpose unless expressly stated. We will not provide support for these products. Support requirements are met solely by the software vendor and we assumes no responsibility for any issues that may arise through the use of any of the products listed here.