Security And More


First lets review some subjects and what they mean to you in relation to system protection. Next we will discuss some of the many various threats such as: hackers (crackers may be the actual correct term, or both...grin...), viruses, and spyware and what they mean to you and why you should take measures to protect your computer. As we explore the threats there will be suggested links and programs to use to help you better secure your system. Which of course is the purpose of this book.


ALWAYS have a current backup when installing any new software or programs.

Please bear in mind any programs mentioned are not endorsements but simply research being presented to you by the author.

I have not tested every program or software package mentioned in this book so it is up to the reader to do additional research to decide which means may be the best for their set of circumstances. Please see our disclaimer at the end of this publication.

I have included some additional resources and links for that purpose as well at the end of this book.

Ok, now that all that legal talk required by our lawyers is out of the way, lets move on....grin....

Lets backup to "backups".

That is the First Step in protecting your system from any hazard, be it a virus, security breach (hacker breaks into your system) or even the failure of your hard drive. ALWAYS have a recent backup of your system! Actually it's better to have a couple of backups in the event one of your backups is corrupt. Believe me from personal experience, it happens.

If by chance you are saying "Backup, what is a backup?" then we will make that our first "quick" subject. Basically a backup is any file(s) on your system that you would not want to lose, and you have made a copy of those files on some type of storage media.

This media could be:

Floppy disks (though I hope not, there are better methods with more shelf life) but still better than no backup.

Zip drives (small compact tape like disks, good for smaller size backups and files, however sometimes long term reliability is in question by some people).

Tape drives (similar to audio cassette tapes and offer a variety of sizes from small to huge storage limits).

CD Drives (As you probably know, looks like a music CD and will hold several hundred meg of files. Their durability and shelf life is good as well.)

Several other methods are now available too, such as external hard drives you can connect via the USB or Fire Wire port and offers plenty of storage space and speed.

I won't go into explaining these since our focus is on security and not Computers 101. A quick search on the Internet for "computer backup software" will give you all the explanations and resources you can stand to read...grin..

Ok, so now: you have your computer and ISP (Internet service provider) and you are raring to go. But then you have heard about all this hacker and security stuff, not to mention viruses and spyware.

What's this mean to you? Well it depends on the type of ISP service you have as to the degree of protection you may need.

Dial Up Service - This is when you use your regular telephone line and a modem to manually dial up to connect to the Internet through your ISP.

This is the lowest type of security risk, but now don't start comforting yourself already, there's still plenty of reason for concern. If you use a dial up service, then because you are not connected to the Internet 24/7 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) then obviously your risk is less.

Even less if you only jump online for a few minutes a day to grab your email and thats about it. But still it can be only a matter of time (and timing) until you might get hit by a hacker or security risk, not to mention download a virus or trojan horse (more on them later) or be hit by a virus from your email.

Broadband - Broadband service refers to high speed Internet access such as by cable modem or DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). Now the risk increases much more if you have broadband service.

The primary reason is your connection to the Internet is live 24/7. Of course this increases the chances that a hacker will scan your computer with one of the many tools they use before actually trying to gain access to your computer. For the most part, many hackers are looking for the "easy mark", don't be one.

Once you have your computer protected by one of the programs we suggest in the Hackers section, you will be amazed by the many "access or communication attempts" made by the many computers and programs through the Internet connection.

Some of the suggested firewall programs provide alert logs so you can see the many attempts made. I get anywhere from 50 up to 250 alerts a day on a busy day, of course I'm online full-time about 10 to 14 hours a day.

Not all of these access attempts are hackers or snoopers, many are legitimate requests needed by some software programs in order to do their thing.

But remember it only takes one connect from the wrong connection (hacker) and disaster could easily follow.

There are several ways to protect your system from intruders and perhaps the quickest and probably simplest is called a firewall. Firewalls come in two forms, software programs like I mentioned above, and hardware in the form of electronic devices such as routers.

Basically a firewall provides a layer of security between your computer and the Internet by handling the communications between the two.

Programs such as Black Ice, Norton's Personal Firewall, ZoneAlarm (my personal favorite), and McAfee's Firewall are all software firewalls and run on your computer's hard drive. More details on some these programs will be discussed in the Hackers section and the Resources section.

Hardware firewall devices such as routers, are usually used in a network setting where several local computers all access the Internet. However now, some cable type modems designed for broadband connections have built in routers or firewalls for additional security protection. Consult with your ISP broadband provider for more details for your specific modem or the support team of the modem manufacturer.

So if I have a cable modem within a built in router or firewall then I'm protected, Right?

Well Yes, No, Some, Maybe and Maybe not! As you know hardware can vary from vendor to vendor. Don't assume anything. Consider testing your pc with the online security tests provided in the Hackers section to be assured you are protected.

For the home user the software firewall is a quick and simple solution versus setting up a router (hardware), so the software firewall will be the focus of the Hacker section as a solution.

Now lets move to the next section and discuss hackers and some of the tools they use, and why securing your pc is important. You will also discover how to test your pc for the current level of protection it has, and suggestions for securing it.


Click Here To Continue

Back To Index