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In privacy, we trust
Of all the threats to your personal computer’s security, you meet the biggest one when you connect it to the internet. With so many well-designed worms, catastrophic viruses, devious Trojan horses and their kin on the loose, you need to implement an infallible way for safeguarding yourself from such unfathomable attacks. Using an antivirus program will undoubtedly thwart many virus and worm attacks, but if your program’s virus database is out of date, there is greater likelihood of your PC contracting an infection and passing it on to others on the network.
The aim of this article is to discuss better means of defence so that you can not only protect the integrity of your PC, but also enforce rigorous software security measures before the next virus or worm strikes.
Essentially all your software, including your operating system and the applications that you run, need to be bolstered to prevent break-ins leading to data theft. To make your system’s entry points more secure, you need to install a capable software firewall, thereby securing your programs by plugging the incalculable cavernous security holes that many leave open by default, and ensure password protection wherever possible.
Setting up a firewall
Literally, the concept of a firewall is similar to a barrier that prevents a fire from spreading. This analogy can be applied to PCs as well: computer firewalls prevent unsolicited intrusions (such as viruses and worms along with those evildoers who traverse internet for unprotected PCs) from damaging your PC by guarding the points of entry to your system i.e. the ports through which all internet traffic passes through.
According to security experts, virtually any computer system that connects to internet needs to have a firewall in its defensive arsenal to ward off network attacks and prevent malicious programs from transmitting info.
Hardware firewalls are ideal for broadband users and function by masking the IP address of your PC on the network from the outside world. Since they need a lot of configuration for blocking traffic, they are out of the scope of this article.
Software firewalls, on the other hand, work by not only blocking undesirable internet traffic, but also by preventing malignant applications (including spyware, Trojan horses, etc.) from transmitting data to remote servers and from accepting any incoming connections.
Though Windows XP does come with its own integrated firewall, called Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), it offers skimpy protection as compared to the superior substitutes available, and monitors only incoming connections to your PC instead of complete two-way monitoring.
One of the best software firewalls to date is ZoneLab’s ZoneAlarm Pro. Similar to most other firewalls, it features an automatic firewall that requires absolutely no user intervention at any step of the way. But once you install the firewall, you do have to configure ZoneAlarm for certain programs by clicking the button that allows or disallows the connection (it alerts you automatically when a program attempts to connect to internet). After that, no user interaction is needed.
Firewalls usually have multiple levels of protection; the highest setting is invariably recommended for complete peace of mind. Moreover, ZoneAlarm Pro also features a pop-up and ad blocker, a cache cleaner and an email protection tool that monitors your incoming and outgoing mail attachments for suspicious virus-like activity.
Away with spyware
If you use file-sharing utilities such as Kazaa and its variants, chances are high that you’ll come across programs in your taskbar you’ve never seen before. But how did they get there in the first place? The answer’s simple: by piggybacking onto freebies, these unwelcome components find their way into your system without you even knowing about their existence. By definition, spyware is the name given to any software that broadcasts data to a third party without user approval and notification.
Adware, on the other hand, is any software that displays a consortium of advertisements while it is running. To stop them both in their tracks, use removal software, such as the award-winning Lavasoft Ad-aware that can comprehensively scan your PC’s memory, your Windows registry and your entire hard or removable drive for such invasive threats that may be residing on your system.
Another nifty program is Iolo Technologies’ System Mechanic Professional (Pro) edition. The latest version features many tools, including those for cleaning up junk files, optimizing any internet connection, fixing registry errors, tweaking Windows as well as a spyware hunter that locates and destroys all forms of PC parasites present on your system.
Who’s watching you?
If you haven’t already realized, your privacy can be compromised even if you never connect to a network in the first place. Key logger programs such as X Software’s XPCSpy and SpectorSoft’s Eblaster function by tracking your every computing move invisibly: logging all keystrokes, instant messages, emails, chats and web sites visited.
Furthermore, they are also capable of capturing screen shots and forwarding their recorded information to a remote computer or to an email address, all without your knowledge. If you use a public or office computer, you are at much greater risk for anyone can install such software on it without you ever coming to know about it.
However, searching and removing such programs is not an easy task, since they are indiscernible. As a matter of fact, they screen themselves so well that there isn’t any specific program that can detect all known key loggers and disable them. But you certainly can increase your chances of detecting a stealthy app by adding several anti-spyware tools to your counter-espionage armory.
Browse securely
You may have noticed that whenever you visit certain sites, you’re repeatedly bombarded with annoying pop-ups and windows that not only attempt to install adware but also try to purloin data among other things. To get rid of these infuriating ads, you can try using an alternative browser such as Opera Software’s Opera internet browser. Better yet, you can use ZoneAlarm Pro’s pop-up blocker for safe and secure browsing.
Auto-update
Even if you employ the toughest security policies on your PC, program security flaws can often terrorize you. History is replete with such instances. For instance, the Blaster worm wriggled its way only onto PCs where the security patch released by Microsoft several weeks before hadn’t been applied.
In essence, you should make a habit of installing all critical updates released by Microsoft via the Windows Update feature whenever possible. For receiving automatic updates in Windows, XP, right-click My Computer and select Properties, followed by Automatic Updates. Then check Keep my computer up to date, have a look at the settings and hit ok. Also, you should ensure that your anti-virus program (if you use one) is set to stop the latest viruses, worms, etc., by updating its virus definitions from the program options.
Perfect password
To break into your PC, crackers need a username and password. Whenever you log in with a password on your Windows 2000 or XP based computer, you make their job of accessing your files easier said than done. Bear in mind that if you have Windows 98 or Me, the password feature is ridiculously easy to bypass.
If you’ve been using the Administrator account all along for general use and haven’t password-protected it yet, virtually anyone can take control of your PC and use it to their advantage. So what you need to do first is to password-protect this account along with any others, leaving no account unprotected.
To enable password-protection in WindowsXP, open User Accounts in Control Panel, select the account you wish to protect and click Create a password. However, never choose passwords that are easy to surmise. Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers instead.
Encryption
If you’ve got valuable data on your PC’s hard drive, consider encrypting it using Windows2000 and XP Professional’s integrated encryption feature. That way, you’ll make it difficult for someone to steal all your private info.
Keep in mind that the encryption process is extremely slow, specially if you have large files. Only use this feature if you really have extremely sensitive data that has to be kept away from prying eyes. To encrypt a folder in WindowsXP, right-click it and select Send To Compressed Folder. Next, open the folder, select File, followed by Add a password. In the two boxes that appear, simply type your password and click ok.
Utilities
— Ad-aware; 1.7MB
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— Opera Browser; 16.2MB
— System Mechanic; 34.0MB
— Zone Alarm; 5.5MB
The writer
