Security Alert! Scotty, get us out of here fast!
Acquire these ten safeguards now before you surf the Internet. They will significantly reduce your online vulnerability!
Priority #1: Routers (Linksys is most common)
• Find out if they have NAT (network address translation) functionality, a must have.
• Don't get or use wireless routers until you understand how to secure them. Your wireless router should have RJ-45 ports for wired connections.
• Don't experiment, get a standard brand. Linksys is a division of Cisco, a world leader.
Priority #2: Anti Virus (Symantec or AVG are common)
• Don't experiment. Use a standard brand. The U.S. Government has used Norton and McAfee successfully.
• You must download current virus definitions regularly, or set the software to do these updates. You must use the "auto-protect" feature to warn of real time threats.
Priority #3: Firewalls
• ZoneAlarm, Comodo, or Tiny Personal Firewall offer free versions. Check these out. ZoneAlarm has a product with Anti-Spyware bundled with a firewall for $19.95 and a full version firewall suite for $49.95.
Priority #4: Use NTFS security correctlyDon't confuse NTFS security (Using the Security tab on a file's Properties sheet) with Share Permissions. Shares are convenient for making files visible over a network and they provide very basic permissions. fsmgmt.msc is the tool that manages shared folders. (Administrative account is required) Use NTFS permissions to secure your files. (Reminder: To use NTFS permissions, right-click on any folder or file, select Properties, then click the Security tab and choose your settings.)
Priority #5: Stop Sharing Folders
Be aware of what folders you are sharing. To see these, click Start, then click Run. Type in fsmgmt.msc then click OK. In the left pane, click Shares. All shares should appear. As a general rule, don't share folders. If you don't need to share, then right-click on the share and select Stop Sharing. Alternatively, you can see all shares by entering your computer name in the Run box preceded with double backslashes (no spaces) ( for example
yourcomputername (also known as system name, or hostname), or by running msinfo32 in the Run box. Look on the right for System Name.) (P.S. msinfo32 is usually slow to load.)
Priority #6: Are your files extended? Stop that!Scenario: You open a file named Favorite.jpg - obviously an innocent jpg photo, no security problem. But then - a small program executes. Why? The file's full name is Favorite.jpg.exe. Strange name for a file, and this one happens to be a virus! You didn't see the exe because your "file extension" view was set to HIDE extensions!
Fix this potential problem and see your complete file names by doing this:
Right-click Start - Select Explore - Click the Tools menu - Folder Options - View, - UNCHECK "Hide extensions to known file types"
Priority #7: Is Windows Firewall Turned On?XP has a built-in firewall that should be turned on IF you do not already have a firewall running. You can check your firewall status by going to Start - Settings - Control Panel - Windows Firewall.
Priority #8: Wireless Networking FundamentalsThere are many possible wireless configurations of hardware and software. Let's look at the most common and hopefully you can draw from this knowledge and apply it to your circumstances. As our example, let's look at the Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless Access Point (also known as a wireless router). You must at a minimum configure the routers Setup page by running http: //192.168.1.1, (Do this with the a "wired" network connection to the router!)
• Reset the admin password (default user name is blank, password is admin)
• Reset the default SSID
• Disable SSID broadcast
• Change the default channel
• Enable WEP with 128 bit key
• Change authentication type to shared key
This can all be explained in detail in your owner's manual or at your manufacturer's web site. For example the Linksys wireless security is explained at: http://linksys.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/linksys.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=4024&p_sid=UcVbWIYi&p_lva=3967#
Linksys also has a Support page at http://homesupport.cisco.com/en-us/wireless/linksys/
Priority #9: Do You Use Data Encryption?You should take advantage of XPs encryption feature for any sensitive files. File Properties, then Advanced, then Encrypt contents... There is one caveat. If you ever need to access your encrypted files from another account, you will receive Access Denied. Say your account is corrupted and you logon to the Administrator account to copy all your data. You will be unable to open or copy any encrypted files. Solution: backup all encrypted files to a FAT32 USB drive and they will always be available.
Priority #10 Always use the best data protection technique ever invented. What is that? Test yourself --
• NTFS file system
• Cisco firewall
• 128 bit encryption
• Backup to USB drive
Answer: Security is built in layers of protection and between those layers there will always be potential for data loss, corruption or attack. MAKING BACKUP COPIES OF YOUR DATA ON EXTERNAL MEDIA IS YOUR BEST PROTECTION. Test your backup! Statistics have shown that a large percentage of backups fail when needed.
P.S. I highly recommend to logon to your Windows system with a "non" administrator account. By default you will be using the built-in administrator account which is a huge liability. The XP Security Secrets guide at ebook-browser.com explains how to fix this.
Source by John M Eriksen
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