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Security while your PC is connected to the Internet should be your primary
concern. If you are not running a Firewall
then you should proceed immediately to www.zonelabs.com
and download the free version of ZoneAlarm. There
are a lot of Firewalls on the market and some of the most expensive ones are the
worst. Some Firewalls merely filter packets and do not restrict access
based on application identification information such as version and date.
While ZoneAlarm is free, it is one of the best. So if you are not running
ZoneAlarm, then I recommend you un-install your current Firewall and install
ZoneAlarm. It will take a little getting use to as you teach it what to
allow access to. But once configured, it is very stable and effective.
You will also find a wealth of information and can even test your security at www.grc.com.
Some of the most prevalent viruses today do not harm your system but
install a "Trojan Horse" program. A
Trojan Horse can do anything and everything from opening your computer to
everybody or selected individuals for direct access to sending your information
including what programs you use or files you download. And yes, believe it
or not, there are still lots of people connected to the Internet that are not
using Anti-Virus software, even people that have already been infected and have
lost data or that have broadband full period connections like DSL and Cable
modems. Worse yet, these viruses are constantly changing. So don't
be foolish, install an Anti-Virus program, keep it up to
date and run regularly scheduled scans.
Several companies today are making money by spying and tracking your
actions on the Internet. Some of the software you install does this
intentionally and without your knowledge. I consider these programs "Commercial
Trojan Horses". To make matters worse, this software comes
from large companies you would never suspect, such as RealPlayer
and Netscape. Other methods include writing
cookies to your computer when you visit a website. These cookies can then
be read by other websites that share their cookie writing information with other
websites. By using this method, several websites can track your actions as
you browse the Internet. Why do they do this? Money. BI
(Before Internet), marketing companies would send questionnaires through the
mail and poll retailers to determine what was selling and what was not.
These marketers really are interested in knowing what YOU are interested
in. That way, companies can develop products you are interested in and put
them in front of your nose. This information is worth it's weight in
gold. Unfortunately, there is no real way to be certain of when you are
being tracked or what applications may include "Commercial Trojan
Horses". Personally, I don't mind cookies. But these
"Commercial Trojan Horses" have to go. A good source of
information on this can be found at www.grc.com.
- File and Printer Sharing:
I highly discourage the use of File and Printing
Sharing on a computer that is connected to the Internet. Just say
No, don't use it. File and Printer sharing is
the #1 used mechanism to gain access to your computer by hackers. If you
are going to run File and Printer Sharing, then run it using NetBEUI with
password protection. However, even this method has negative side affects
and vulnerabilities which is why I'm not going to put a how-to-do-it on this
website. NetBEUI makes rigorous use of NetBIOS calls on the peer
network. This means that if you use NetBEUI, your computer will call every
other computer on your subnet to see if it has something to share and
broadcasts to every other computer what you have to share. This will clog
up your subnet with lots of packets and cause every other computer to waste CPU
time processing your NetBIOS calls. The reason these NetBIOS calls are
limited to your subnet or segment is because Routers usually do not route
NetBEUI. Obviously some do. So in certain instances, your peer
network can be much larger than your subnet. Also, if a hacker can exploit
your TCP/IP and break into your computer, they may be able to gain access to
your NetBEUI and therefore every other computer you are trying to share
with. If you need to send files to other computers over a network, then
use a third party solution that can be turned on when it's needed and off when
it's not such as PCAnywhere by Symantec or
shareware such as CuteFTP. |
