In our first installment we introduced you to Malware breaking it down into its various types such as spyware, adware, hijackers, and we introduced you to toolbars. Now it’s time to look at malware prevention by way of firewall usage, anti-virus software protection, maintaining operating system updates (patches), and backing up your data. To begin, let’s first take a look at firewall installation and the usage of such a tool.
Install a Firewall
A firewall is hardware and/or software that is designed to be your first line of defense against unauthorized users accessing your system. For most home users a personal software firewall will do the intended job very nicely. A personal firewall will allow you to create rules as to what software on your system may access the Internet and when. It will also let you create different security levels for different areas of the Net leaving the control in your hand. It will also alert you as to when an unknown or unauthorized intruder is probing your system. You’d be surprised and dismayed as to how often it really happens. A personal firewall differs from a conventional firewall in terms of scale. Personal firewalls are typically designed for use by end-users. As a result, a personal firewall will usually protect only the computer on which it is installed.
There are number of free personal firewall software available for download. Only some of them are worth your time and your effort. We’ll discuss some of these in next month’s article.
Whatever is your choice, if you are using Windows XP version, please note to turn off the built in firewall before you install the new firewall. Never use two software firewalls at the same time as they may conflict with each other.
Install Anti-Virus Software
More than any other kind of malware, computer viruses are one of the single biggest threats facing computer users today [viruses are often a malware payload]. The simple act of opening a seemingly benign email attachment can be enough to bring a computer to its knees. In order to protect your computer from such attacks, it’s wise to use good quality anti-virus software! AntiVirus software is designed in such a way they detect and remove harmful viruses before they can do any harm to your data and the computer. They do not need to be expensive to work well — indeed, there are some highly reputable anti-virus programs that are available totally free of charge. We’ll introduce you to some of those next month.
Since new viruses are being written everyday it is essential that any anti-virus software is regularly updated to protect your system from these new viruses.
Windows — Updates and Patches
A typical Microsoft OS now contains over 50 million lines of code and due to its complexity, it is inevitable that unintentional elements will have crept into the programming. This may mean the OS not functioning as it was designed to, but more critically it may also mean that a security vulnerability has been created, which could be exploited. Microsoft continuea to test the OS even after its launch and release periodic updates and critical updates (patches). Microsoft also releases Service Packs to support their various applications. They are a cumulative rollup of all Critical Updates and fixes-to-date, released in one convenient package. The various updates and service packs are provided free of cost to Windows users.
Every month Microsoft also publishes security bulletins that detail the latest known vulnerabilities. These security bulletins are also monitored by malware creators who write viruses and other malware — within days usually — designed to exploit published vulnerabilities. When these malware are released, they are able to infect computers not patched with the latest updates. So it becomes imperative to download and install the security updates and patches as soon as they are announced.
Security updates are delivered on the second Tuesday of each month, “Patch Tuesday,” but security updates can be delivered whenever a software update is required to prevent an exploit targeting Windows users. Windows Update can be configured to install updates automatically, ensuring that a computer is always up-to-date and not vulnerable to computer worms and other malware.
This regimen of dutiful updates are also recommended for patches released for Internet Explorer, Outlook Express and Microsoft Office suite.
The Importance of Backup
Unfortunately, there are some things that people only take seriously after they have experienced personally the pain of. Backups definitely fall into this category. Most people are relatively nonchalant about them until disaster strikes — thereafter, they are much more diligent about backups (but after the damage is done.) Here’s a mental exercise that you can do to help you understand how important backups are. Take a look at your PC and think about what is on it. Think about your data and your programs. Consider how much time it took to create the data, and to set up and tweak your PC so that it works the way you like. Now imagine that one morning you go to your desk and the PC has vanished without a trace. What will you do?
Not having a backup is a frightening prospect. If the worst happens, how much data will you lose? How much time will it take for you to re-create data that has not been backed up? With a proper backup routine, you can recover your data from the clutches of a full system failure. Plus, you can recover your OS (operating system), applications, documents, e-mail, and other settings.
Securing Internet Explorer
There is a big chance that you are using the browser that came with your operating system. As more than 85% of the desktop users prefer running or are forced to run a flavor of the Windows OS and as IE is tightly integrated into the OS, it becomes imperative that you take precautions to secure the browser by modifying its default behavior.
If you ask a geek about how to secure the Internet Explorer, the immediate reply would be “Don’t bother, use an alternate browser like Firefox or Opera” as they are more secure by default. It’ll be worthwhile to switch over to an alternative browser and keep Internet Explorer for the “must use” situations.
Why should you consider switching over to an alternate browser and minimize the use of Internet Explorer? There are many disadvantages to using IE as your primary web browser, mostly security related (Active X and Active Scripting makes it relatively easy to install Malware on your computer without you knowing about it and the numerous issues/vulnerabilities that existed and still exist) and incomplete and incorrectly implemented core standards used for web authoring. This is despite the fact that Windows XP Service Pack 2 introduced many new security features for Internet Explorer.
Check out the third installment.
More to Come
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