Summary: When you attach your
personal computer to the Internet, it instantly becomes a target for intruders. Taking the
steps will provide your personal computer (PC) with a secure starting point. The more
security measures you have in place, the harder it will be for an intruder to access your
system.
Your personal computer is a popular target for intruders.
Intruders want the information that you have stored there.
They look for credit card numbers, bank account information and anything else they can
find. By stealing that information, intruders can use your money to buy themselves goods
and services. Why are intruders paying attention to home computers? Home computers are
typically not very secure and are easy to break into. When combined with high-speed
Internet connections that are always turned on, intruders can quickly find and then attack
home computers. While intruders also attack home computers connected to the Internet
through dial-in connections, high-speed connections are a favorite target.
In some cases, they send you an email with a virus. Reading
that email activates the virus, creating an opening that intruders use to enter or access
your computer. In other cases, they take advantage of a flaw or weakness in one of your
computer's programs - a vulnerability - to gain access. Once they are on your computer,
they often install new programs that let them continue to use your computer - even after
you plug the holes they used to get onto your computer in the first place. These backdoors
are usually cleverly disguised so that they blend in with the other programs running on
your computer.
What can I do to secure my home computer?
1. Install and Use Anti-virus programs:
Intruders are the most successful in attacking all
computers - not just home computers - when they use viruses and worms. Installing an
anti-virus program and keeping it up to date is among the best defenses for your home
computer. Check out these links for some anti-virus software programs: Mcafee www.mcafee.com or Norton Anti-virus www.symantec.com.
2. Keep your system patched:
Vendors often provide free patches on their web sites. When
you purchase programs, it is a good idea to see if and how the vendor supplies patches,
and if and how they provide a way to ask questions about their products. For your home
computer, make time to keep your programs patched wherever possible. For all users on a
Windows platform, Microsoft will automatically scan your operating system for needed
patches at www.windowsupdate.com
3. Install and use a personal firewall:
What is a personal firewall? Often compared to anti-virus
applications, personal firewalls work in the background on your personal computer level to
protect the integrity of the system from malicious computer code by controlling Internet
connections to and from a user's computer, filtering inbound and outbound traffic, and
alerting the user to attempted intrusions. Firewalls come in two general types: hardware
and software (programs). The software versions also come in two types: free versions and
commercial versions (ones that you purchase). Software versions of these programs can be
found at www.downloads.com http://www.downloads.com/ and search for
"Sygate", which is a very effective and free personal firewall.
4. Use care when downloading and installing software:
Make sure you do your "homework" before
installing a program from a website, floppy or CD-ROM. No matter how you acquire a
program, it runs on your computer at the mercy of the program's author. Currently there
are no standards or security rules for writing computer programs so this makes downloading
programs somewhat risky, especially if you do not know what is does or where it is coming
from. Use precaution when downloading software onto your personal computer. Your
anti-virus program prevents some of the problems caused by downloading and installing
programs. However, you need to remember that there's a lag between recognizing a virus and
when your computer also knows about it. Even if the program you have just downloaded does
not contain a virus, it may behave in an unexpected way. You should continue to exercise
care and do your homework when downloading, installing, and running new programs. |
