 | Allen Graham,
owner of DragonTECH Solutions, has been in the IT industry for more than 6 years, and holds 30 certifications. DragonTECH Solutions joined AmerIIT in 2003 as a silver member. You can reach Allen through AmerIIT at (316) 264-5599. |
Internet Software, Hardware, and Computers
2004-05-01 15:26:00
‘Always on’ isn’t ‘always safe’
ANSWER: There really isn't a way to be 100% safe, but there are ways to protect yourself and your investment. The best way to start is by placing a firewall/router between your computer and the Internet. These are inexpensive and easy to get from most stores that sell computer accessories. You simply connect your computer to the "LAN" side of the router and connect the Internet to the "WAN" side. The only thing you need to do, once it is connected, is change the default password of "admin" or "password" to something you can remember.The next step to securing your computer is to keep your operating system up to date. Most software companies offer free updates. These updates may seem like a waste of time but often patch security breaches that hackers exploit. These updates also help you resolve issues with compatibility. Check them at least once a month and install them as soon as they are available.The most obvious recommendation is to install and keep up-to-date virus protection on your PC. Updated definitions come out on a regular basis and virus software can often be configured to automatically download and install these updates. I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping this protection up-to-date in today's environment. Things will still get by, even after protecting yourself. NEVER open email attachments from people you don't know. In fact, make sure you scan every attachment you receive for a virus. If you blindly open email attachments then you are just looking for a nasty virus infection. Email worms have been known to infect thousands of files on the same PC taking hours to remove. In some cases there is no way to clean these infections up, resulting in data loss.Like email, websites can cause problems for you. They can transfer viruses to your computer just by accessing them. They can also "Hijack" your default page and add unwanted search bars to your browser. This happens when you answer yes to certain pop-up windows or accept certificates. Make sure you read the pop-up windows before answering and make sure you only accept certificates from trusted sites. Hijacker programs can be difficult to remove and in some cases may take a special program to remove them. They are not considered viruses so most virus scan programs do not block them. These programs can also cause you to experience performance problems.
