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What are the biggest security threats to my PC?
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Security threats vary greatly depending on who uses a computer and how
they use it. Users without internet access who rarely install
software should have little to worry about. Everyone else (the
majority) must be careful to avoid being victimized by the huge tide of
viruses, spyware and malware out there. Here is a quick (by no
means complete) list of things to be wary of:
1) Sorry, but the most serious threat is probably you. Time after time, viruses spread because people are careless or misinformed about basic PC security. Who uses your PC and what do they do? What software gets installed? What web sites are visited? Keeping track of these things is an important start.
2) Exploitable and out of date software.
Don't install software you have no reason to trust and keep the
software you do use updated. Most "hacks" exploit security problems
which have already been fixed, but users never install. Set Windows
Update to automatic and turn on "autoupdate" on all software which
supports this. Regularly check vendors for updates to your most used
programs.
3) Spyware/Adware/Malware. For a
"multimedia rich" online experience, browser plug-ins are sometimes
required. Unfortunately, some plug-ins (aka "Browser Helper Objects")
can be used by web sites to install software on your machine without
your knowledge. [Have someone] set your browser security settings to
the most restrictive possible settings which still allow browsing
functionality. Pop-ups and scripts should be blocked by default and
only enabled if you explicitly allow them for specific (trusted) sites.
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How can I secure my PC?
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First,
understand a PC will never be completely secure on a network. The only
truly secure environment is unplugged from the net and physically
protected from any unauthorized access. That said, you can stay
reasonably safe by keeping your software up to date and installing firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.
Firewall: A firewall 'shields' your
computer from the internet by blocking ports and programs from
unauthorized access. There are 'hardware' and 'software' firewalls. A
'hardware' firewall is a dedicated box between your computer and
DSL/cable modem. If you have a router, it may act as a firewall, but
check the documentation and make sure. A 'software' firewall is a
program which runs on your computer and inserts itself between programs
and the network, asking your permission when a new program wants to
connect to the net. A software firewall has an advantage in that
it can enforce what programs on your system can access a given port...
but unlike a hardware firewall, it use system resources (ram, cpu)
to run. One well known software firewall is ZoneAlarm.
Most others have been discontinued as Microsoft has substantially improved the built in
firewall in Windows (which we recommend using).
What about Norton/Symantec? They work, but we consider them over-rated
bloatware with more PR value than anything else. Symantec has a proven track record
of buying other company's products and ruining them. Recent versions of Norton Antivirus
have been improved, however we can NEVER recommend any version of 'Norton Internet Security'.
Anti-virus: Anti-virus software scans your computer for virus infected files by comparing the files on
your system to known virus signatures collected by the antivirus software. Antivirus software can (and should) be configured
to run all the time and monitor files you download from the internet so it can warn you before you inadvertently run an infected file.
A few good (and non-resource hog) antivirus programs are Avast, Avira and AVG .
Microsoft has a very effective (and *FREE*) antivirus program called Microsoft Security Essentials.
It is newer on the market, however all reports indicate this is a very good antivirus program.
Again, due to numerous incidents of system corruption and failure attributable to their products, we do NOT recommend Norton, Symantec or McAffee consumer antivirus products.
* Anti-spyware: Anti-spyware software
checks your computer for spyware programs and tracking information used
to report your online activities to 3rd parties for marketing purposes.
It also will typically keep track of websites distributing such software and allow you to block them at the browser.
All software should be kept up to date, but anti-virus and anti-spyware
programs should be updated much more frequently (daily) in order to
protect you from newly released exploits. |
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