Are you safe on the Internet? Is your personal information safe?
The people who want to break into your computer don't care who you are or where you live. They may be "script kiddies" using malicious code they find on the Internet to wreak havoc on others' computers, or they may be computer criminals with cutting edge technology to sniff out unprotected computers anywhere in the world and exploit their vulnerabilities. An attack can come at any hour of the day or night. When your computer is connected to the Internet, it receives traffic from a wide range of sources, most of it benign. Your instant messaging client alerts you that a friend has signed on; your mail client finds new mail waiting for you and downloads it; a weather site refreshes its rainfall map by telling your web browser to reload a page. All of this traffic is handled invisibly by your computer, which is listening to a large number of "ports." A port is a specific connection point through which applications on your computer connect to the Internet. And a hacker only needs one open port through which to mount an attack. Your computer is just one machine among the millions connected to the Internet at any given moment. And a moment is all it takes for a hacker to get in.
The Internet is crawling with threats to your privacy. Advertisers can track you across thousands of sites. Hackers can plant malicious code on your computer. Web sites keep permanent logs of your visits. "Private surfing" gives you protection from these threats and many others. Read on for more details.
Virus Protection is NOT Enough!
Antivirus software comes installed on most new PCs, and most people think that it protects them completely from Internet-borne threats. But virus protection is only as good as the latest virus definitions, which are created in response to the latest viruses. It's a game that the hackers always win, in a sense; someone (potentially many thousands of people) must be infected before the makers of antivirus software can create a defense. Antivirus software does nothing to secure your computer against direct hacker attacks.
Firewalls
What is a Firewall and How does it Work?
A firewall is a piece of software that monitors all incoming network traffic and allows in only the connections that are known and trusted. Port 80 is open so that you can browse web pages; port 1863 allows you to engage in instant messaging with friends; port 443 gives access to secure web pages used by online merchants to encrypt purchases.You could manually grant or restrict access to each of the 65,535 ports available under the Internet Protocol. Every time you add a new program that requires Internet access, you would need to determine which port(s) it uses, and reconfigure your computer accordingly. You've likely got better ways to spend your time.Firewall software takes on this burden for you, allowing access to the ports you need open, and closing off those you don't. It also makes your computer "invisible" on the Internet; if hackers can't find you, they will have a hard time attacking you. More advanced firewall software also monitors outgoing traffic. This is crucial since malicious code spreads by accessing the Internet and pushing copies of itself to other computers (often those of your friends and family!). Outbound protection can keep even brand-new Trojan horses and spy ware from doing their damaging work. The ultimate protection is program-level control, so that only those applications that you trust are allowed to access the Internet.
You need a Firewall Because....
Without a firewall, your computer is operating under an "open door" policy. Bank account information. Passwords. Credit card numbers. Documents and photos that you don't want to share with the world. They are all available to anyone with bad intentions and basic computer skills. Hackers can get in, take what they want, and even leave open a "back door" so they can use it to attack other computers. Every minute that your computer is connected to the Internet, either through a dial-up (modem) connection or through a broadband (DSL or cable) service, it is at risk.
There are two types of Firewalls
- Hardware
- Software
A hardware firewall is a physical device that is connected between the Internet source (DSL , Cable modem) and the computer system. Hardware firewalls offer a more extensive level of protection and are primarily used in larger networks. They are more costly and must be programmed to function. Hardware firewalls are not usually for the beginner. It takes some know-how to program one and a professional will typically charge a reasonable fee for this service.
A software firewall is a program installed on the computer system. There are several popular available (ZoneAlarm, Norton, Black Ice). A software firewall can offer reasonably good protection and is cost effective for most home to small office users.
How Safe Are You On The Internet? Find Out with Symantec security scan
http://security.symantec.com/ssc/home.asp
There are a few FREE simple things you can do to help protect yourself.
(1) When using a site where confidential or private information may be exchanged such as Bank or credit card numbers, make sure the site is secure. Look for the "Pad Lock" symbol in the lower right corner of the Internet Explorer Browser.
(2) Change your browser settings for a more secure profile. One of the features in Internet Explorer 6 and higher is the PRIVACY feature. Setting it is Medium High (Medium is default) will block more cookies. Setting it to high may cause some sites not to function correctly but you will have to experiment with the settings based upon your Internet usage.
(3) Before entering into a site where personal or other sensitive information may be exchanged, make sure you get the standard Window advising that you are entering into a secured site.
(4) Make sure the Windows software on the computer system is up-to-date with the latest patches and security enhancements. With Windows versions 98 and higher, the Windows Update feature will allow the computer to be checked for missing updates. These can then be installed offering a more secure computer system and likely fix some of the bugs that affect performance of the system.
(5) Unless needed, disable FILE SHARING on the computer system.
(6) Watch for file attachments to E-mail. An attachment may compromise the security of the computer if is contains some malicious code. Only open attachments when they are expected from someone you know or agree to received the file from.
(7) Enable The Window XP Firewall and/or (strongly recommended) install a software firewall product. If you have the money, buy a hardware firewall such as WatchGuard. A firewall will block threats and make surfing the Internet much safer giving you more security and control over your personal information. There are a few FREE firewall products available but the paid editions have much better features.
(8) Regularly delete TEMPORARY files. For Windows XP, there are two locations. (A) c:\windows or c:\winnt
AND under each user account C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Local Settings\Temp (this is hidden by default).
PROXY is really a service. While using the Internet, all the communications are routed through another computer to access WebPages, E-mail, etc. This method ensures more privacy from the websites visited preventing them from tracking your activities (EX. previous pages visited, location) which are used (in other ways to) to promote products and services to you.
When you connect normally to the Internet, your transactions are relayed through several servers before reaching their final destination. These servers have the ability to collect information as your requests are routed through them. The most common example of a server that can collect information about your Internet activity is your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Since your requests are not encrypted, any server between you and your final destination can "see" what you are doing.
How Does it Work?
Proxy software such as Total NetShield uses powerful encryption technology that runs silently in the background, encrypting all transmissions to and from your computer. The software works by creating an encrypted "virtual tunnel" to and from your computer to shield you from even the most sophisticated methods of online spying and snooping. It is simple to set up and use, and it works silently in the background, without slowing down your Internet connection.
• Industrial-grade security now available for individuals
• Includes secure, encrypted email, newsgroups, and IRC
• Protects against the most sophisticated forms of surveillance
IDENTITY THEFT
PRIVACY IS THE NEXT IMPORTANT FACT: Protect your identity. Many people never think about Identity Theft (is only happens to someone else or not on their computer) until it occurs.
Every keystroke and click you make is registered by Windows!
The most widely used web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, or Mozilla, store all activities of your Internet surfing, including images you have viewed, URLs you have typed, web pages you have visited, and information you are interested in.
You surfed, created and deleted multiple files on your computer - are you absolutely sure these data traces and deleted files are gone? The answer is NO! Any deleted files or data, or any information you would like to conceal, can easily be recovered.
While working on a PC, you leave thousands of bytes behind that track all your actions (recorded in various system files) that you do not even know about.
Acronis Privacy Expert Suite thoroughly checks Windows system areas for evidence of user activities and completely removes and wipes these areas to assure your privacy. Unlike it's competitors, Acronis Privacy Expert Suite is equally effective in keeping Internet data and system tracks clean and secure.
Acronis Privacy Expert Suite is the only product of it's kind to completely wipe out and annihilate all data without possibility to recover through the use of 7 powerful data destruction algorithms.
Acronis Privacy Expert Suite also increases PC performance by cleaning out temporary files.
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