September '03 Tools

Recent weeks have brought an onslaught of attacks by worms and viruses which have shut down major operations. The Maryland Dept. of Motor Vehicles had to close its doors when its computer system was crippled by the Blaster worm. It's more important than ever to be vigilant in your efforts to keep your system safe from attack.

Four important steps...

Every Internet user needs to assume responsibility for keeping their system protected. Although the steps needed to protect yourself may seem annoying at times, its an unavoidable part of the evolution of the Information Super Highway. Your computer can be damaged by a malicious program sent through e-mail or through a program downloaded from the Web. If you are at work administering a network, the threat becomes even more serious. If everyone does their part to keep their systems protected, worms and viruses cannot be spread in such a devastating manner.
.
There are four areas you need to pay attention to in maintaining your defenses against attack...

#1 Use a Firewall...

Yes - you really do need one. It's easier than you think - just try it!
.
Windows XP has an option to Firewall your Internet connection. To enable the Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall...

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network Connections.

Right Mouse Click the Dial-up, LAN or High-Speed Internet connection that you want to protect.

Select Properties from the fly-out menu

Click the Advanced tab.

Under Internet Connection Firewall, check the box that says "Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet".

If you clear the "Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet" check box, the firewall on your computer is disabled, and your network is vulnerable to intrusions.

You should not enable Internet Connection Firewall on virtual private networking (VPN) connections or on client computers because ICF will interfere with file and printer sharing.

If you don't use Windows XP as your operating system, you should use a software program such as ZoneAlarm to keep hackers at bay with protection against worms, Trojans, spyware, and malicious email attachments. ZoneAlarm is easy to configure and very affordable. A free version is also available. Visit http://www.zonelabs.com

#2 Use an AntiVirus program and keep it up to date...

AntiVirus programs scan e-mail and other files on your system for viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. If a malicious program is found, the AntiVirus program either quarantines the virus or deletes it entirely, before it damages your computer and files.
.
Always update your virus definitions. When your AntiVirus software is updated, information about new viruses is added to the list of viruses to check for. If you don't update your definitions, your AntiVirus program it is worthless to protect you against attacks by new viruses. Most AntiVirus programs have an option that sets them to check for new definitions automatically, but you should not rely on this. Make it a practice to run a check for new definitions every morning before you check any email. It only takes a few seconds and could save you hours of heartache.
.
Renew your AntiVirus subscription so you will be eligible to receive the updates to your virus definitions. If you are going to be online you must actively use an AntiVirus program and keep it up to date.

#3 Install Windows Updates as soon a they are available - don't wait...

The newest Blaster Worm exploited a hole in Windows that was easily fixed by a Windows Update. Computers that already had the appropriate Windows Update installed were not vulnerable to the Blaster worm.
..
Windows Update is the online extension of Windows. You can use Windows Update to download items such as security fixes, critical updates, the latest Help files, drivers, and Internet products. New content is added to the site regularly, so you can always get the most recent updates and fixes to protect your computer and keep it running smoothly.
.
The Microsoft Windows Update Web site is located at http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com. When you click on Scan for updates the program scans your computer and provides you with a tailored selection of updates that apply only to the items on your computer. .
.
Any update that Microsoft considers critical to the operation of your operating system, programs, or hardware is classified as a "critical update" and is automatically selected for you to install. Critical updates are provided to help resolve known issues and protect your computer from known security vulnerabilities.
.
If you are using Windows XP, you can follow a simple, four-step process to get the updates you need to keep your computer up-to-date: Open Windows Update in Help and Support Center. Click Scan for updates. As you browse through the available updates in each category, click Add to select the update of your choice and add it to the collection of updates you want to install. You can also read a full description of each item by clicking the Read more link. When you have selected all the updates you want, click Review and install updates, and then click Install Now.

#4 Use webmail to check your email...

If you use an email client program like Outlook, Eudora, Netscape, IncrediMail, or many others, your email is downloaded onto your computer system when you check it.
.
If you use a webmail program to check your email, your emails stay on your Internet Service Provider's (ISP) computer. A great way to reduce the amount of hazardous email getting onto your computer is to check it with a webmail program during the day and delete all obnoxious emails. At the end of the day, when you check your email with you regular email program, only the messages you have not deleted will be downloaded onto your system.
.
Even if your ISP does not provide webmail service, you can check your email quickly and safely for free at http://www.myemail.com. Just enter your email address and password and you're on your way to a safer way of processing your email. Their service is secure - they provide a SSL (secure sockets layer) login to protect your email and passwords from prying eyes and they don't store your passwords on their servers; they only securely pass them along to your regular mail server. They don't store or copy your emails, unless you decide to move an email folder into their system. All your email stays on your ISP's server until you decide to download it. You can also set up filters and blocks, check multiple accounts, and set up email signatures.