Keeping Your computer Safe

Today’s modern computing environment can be a dangerous place. Just think of how much stuff you do on your computer that involves you being online and connected to the internet. Once you expose you computer to the internet YOU ARE VONERABLE TO ATTACK. There is no getting around it. The days of a disgruntled nerdy teen in their moms basement hacking into a computer just to prove they can do it are long gone. Don’t get me wrong this still happens but hacking people’s computer has moved into a money making business. Before you secure your system it is good to know why people want into your system.

The most common type of virus is better classified as a trojan. These types of viruses are usually downloaded unknowingly by the computer user thinking that the file is something else, such as a file sent from an instant messenger friend or email attachment.

Once the host computer has been infected (known as a zombie computer), the trojan joins a private chat channel and awaits orders from its “Zombie Master”. This Zombie Master who is often the virus creator, will gather thousands of infected machines called a botnet and use them to mount attacks on web servers. The Zombie Master can command each of these infected computers to send a tiny bit of information to a web server – because there are potentially thousands of computers doing this at once, it often overloads the server. The Zombie Master may want to do this to another website because it is a rival website, a figurehead website (such as whitehouse.gov) or it may be part of an extortion plan. “Send me $5000 or your mail order website will be offline during your new product launch”. The Zombie Master can also use these infected computers to send spam while the zombie master remains anonymous and the blame goes to the infected computers

Another reason to hack your system is to Generate Money.
These types of infections often masquerade as freeware or virus removal tools (known as rogueware). Once ran, these fake applications will “scan” your computer and say it found has some viruses (even if there aren’t any) and in order to remove them, you must pay for the full version of the application.

People will also hack your system to Steal sensitive information
These types of viruses can sniff the traffic going in or out of a computer for interesting information such as passwords or credit card numbers and send it back to the virus creator. These types of viruses often use keylogging as a method of stealing information where it maintains a record of everything that is typed into the computer such as emails, passwords, home banking data, instant messenger chats etc..
The above mentioned methods also allows an attacker to gather an incredible amount of data about a person which can be used for identity theft purposes

There are many other reasons people do this but those are the main ones that normal users need to be on the look out for. Now what can we do about it?

 

First thing you need to do is change your mindset.
Most victims of computer crime do not think of themselves as a target for an attack.  Problem is, the majority of those who prowl the Internet don’t really care about your email messages or file content.  Prowlers do care about finding a platform from which to launch anonymous attacks against other computers, or about your credit card number and personal information.  Any computer connected to the Internet becomes worthwhile prey. With this in mind you need to change your behavior. Don’t click on links in email and don’t click on pop up ads from sites you visit.

Next you need to use strong passwords.

Here are some tips for creating a strong password.

• Use BOTH upper- and lower-case letters.
• Place numbers and punctuation marks randomly in your password.
• Make your password long and complex, so it is hard to crack. Between 8 to 20 characters long is recommended.
• Use one or more of these special characters: ! @ # $ % * ( ) – + = , < > : : “ ‘
• To help you easily remember your password, consider using a phrase or a song title as a password. For example, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” becomes “Sw0tR8nBO” or “Smells Like Teen Spirit” becomes “sMll10nspT.”
• Make your password easy to type quickly. This will make it harder for someone looking over your shoulder to steal it.

Protect passwords from misuse.  Don’t let anyone else know or use your password.  Don’t write it down; or if you must, keep it in a locked area or in your wallet.  Don’t post it on your computer or anywhere around your desk.  Don’t include the name of the system or the associated login ID with the password.  Change your password periodically, even if it hasn’t been compromised.  Don’t type your password while anyone is watching.

Next you need to Patch Frequently.

Along with weak passwords and virus-spreading email attachments, unpatched computer systems constitute one of the greatest security threats on the Internet.  All major operating system vendors offer mechanisms that will allow you to regularly check for updates and apply them.  It is important to keep your operating system up to date to minimize your exposure. Microsoft windows usually patches on the second Tuesday of every month unless there is a major issue that needs to be fixed fast. Turn on auto update if you run windows.

Use Antivirus Software & Keep It Current. 

Keep Your System Protected Against viruses.  A system without antivirus software can be infected within minutes of going online. Once you have antivirus software it is important to keep it up to date just like your operating system. Antivirus software works by checking the code on software installed on your computer for what is called a virus signature. New viruses are being released all the time so the anti virus software is always having to update it’s virus definition database to find and block these bad programs. If you have an antivirus program that requires a subscription like McAfee or Norton and the subscription runs out it’s just like not having an antivirus program. A very good free anti virus program that I use is AVG.  

Remove Spyware
In addition to virus protection you also need to Remove Spyware. Spyware is software that is installed on your computer without your knowledge or is bundled with other software you download from the internet. 

Spyware can:

• Track what you are doing on your computer for marketing purposes
• Reset the homepage and search pages on your browser
• Create pop-up advertisements
• Slow down your computer’s Internet connection
• Interfere with your computer’s normal operations

Spyware removal programs are available free for download from the Internet.  Two popular ones are Windows Defender  and Spybot Search and Destroy.

Avoid Phishing Scams

Phishing is the practice of sending millions of bogus emails that appear to come from popular Web sites or from your bank or credit card company.  The emails look so official that many people will respond to requests for their password, credit card information, and other personal information.  Microsoft recommends the below four steps to avoid Phishing Scams.  View the entire article from Microsoft.com.

• Don’t respond to e-mails requesting personal information.
• Don’t click on a link in an e-mail that you suspect might be fake.
• Check a Web site’s security certificate before you enter any personal information.
• Routinely review your credit card and bank statements

Back up your data regularly and keep copies in another location.
How important is your data to you?  If it’s important, it should be backed up. If it matters enough to get upset over losing, it’s worth protecting, and backups are an essential part of data protection. Part of your preventive maintenance and system care should include regular, reliable data backups. No matter how well you treat your system, no matter how much care you take, you cannot guarantee that your data will be safe if it exists in only one place. The risks are much greater than most people realize.

 In case all these steps fail keep your original system software handy

If your computer is compromised or you fall prey to a nasty virus, it may be necessary to reformat the disk drive and reload the operating system and drivers.  Keeping your original system software in a safe and easily reachable place ensures that you won’t have to waste valuable time searching for these items or downloading them from the Web.

Like I said  today’s modern computing environment can be a dangerous place, But if you follow the steps outlined here you can minimize your risk and increase you computing enjoyment.