The Triangle

Issue date: 2/4/05 Section: Sci-Tech

Media Credit: The Triangle Kevin Lynch

As we enter another new year and progress further into the digital age, technology is becoming more efficient and more people are learning how to use this technology. As a result, viruses, trojans, and worms are becoming more prominent, as are the crimes of identity and data theft. Unfortunately, the apathy and laziness of the connected populace do nothing but help further these nefarious actions. No matter how much I try to teach people about computer security, people just don't seem to listen or care. One of the most often used excuses is that taking the necessary precautions takes time, and is rarely worth it. In reality, however, many security measures take no time at all with little or no time needed for initial configuration.

Most of you who make New Year's resolutions probably have already made them by now, but for those who have yet to make resolutions, or if you want a more secure computing environment, perhaps you should start mending your ways and take a more proactive approach to computer security. I have several suggestions that will improve privacy and security that range from minor alterations to major changes affecting how you use your computer.

Virus Protection: If you are tired of constantly finding new viruses on your computer or if you are not even sure what a virus is or if you have one, then the first thing you should do is install a virus scanner. Drexel IRT provides Norton Antivirus for students and faculty through their software server (ftp://software.drexel.edu) for free. In addition, there are several other virus scanners available either commercially, such as McAfee or for free, such as AVG Antivirus. However, merely installing an antivirus is not enough. New viruses that can cause havoc on your computer are released every day. The software's virus definitions must be updated often so that it can accurately detect these new viruses. It is best to set this to automatically check for updates daily in order to minimize the risk of a new virus affecting your computer due to human negligence.

Media Credit: Lavasoft Sweden A screenshot of Lavasoft´s Ad-Aware, which identifies any running adware and spyware.

Adware/Spyware Viruses are not the only threat that your computer faces on a daily basis. Adware and spyware are constantly trying to find their way onto your computer. The functions of these programs are not always the same from program to program, but the effects are rarely desireable. More often than not, these applications barrage your computer with pop-up ads or report back valuable information about your computer and Internet habits such as your surfing habits, e-mail addresses, or more. In order to avoid having tons of spyware bogging down your system, you should install and run Lavasoft Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/) or Spybot Search & Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org). Periodically running these will remove most, but not all, adware and spyware.

Get Firefox! You've heard it many times before in the Triangle as well as from many other sources. Unfortunately, chances are that you still have not downloaded it. By using Mozilla Firefox, you are not only preventing a large amount of adware and spyware from infecting your computer, you are also avoiding many other security holes that plague Microsoft Internet Explorer. In addition, Firefox offers many useful features such as the ability to view many different webpages with tabbed browsing, block banner ads, and many other features with the help of extensions. No matter how much anyone tells you to get Firefox, though, if you haven't gotten it yet, you probably won't.

Security Updates: No matter which operating system you are using, there are always new security updates to install. Many security attacks target holes that were discovered and patched long ago. As a result, being on top of these updates helps to further ensure the security of your computer, save mistakes made by users. In most operating systems, it is possible to schedule security automatic updates and if you are forgetful, I recommend you do this.

Media Credit: http://free.grisoft.com One of serveral anti-virus programs available.

Limit File Sharing: It is important to watch any files that your computer is sharing to the public. You may not even know it, but there is a chance that you are sharing sensitive files for anyone to take through Windows File Sharing. Though this goes the same for any peer-to-peer software you may use such as Kazaa, DC++, or whatever, these are not the topic at hand. This service is probably useless to you and may even be unwanted. If this is the case, you should at least check to see if it is enabled. Limiting and disabling this varies from each version of Windows, so a quick search on the Internet will turn up several ways of disabling or limiting Windows File Sharing.

Start Over: Are there dozens of programs that start up as soon as you log in such as the infamous BonziBUDDY, Gator, or other useless "applications?" Does your computer's performance suffer because of all of these programs, whether trojans, spyware, or whatnot? Then it is probably time to accept defeat and rebuild. At this point, back up anything useful on your computer that you want to keep. However, when you reinstall your operating system, make sure to change your ways to avoid reinstalling again. Make sure to install and regularly update a virus scanner and scan for spyware.

There are many steps that you can take to creat a more secure computing environment. The ones listed in this article are the most basic steps that provide a small layer of security. It is up to you to use your own judgement when it comes to security. Depending on the importance of your files, you have the option of using encryption to encode files, emails, and any other data that could be sent through the Internet, allowing only you and the intended recipient to view the data. Though security can go a long way, it takes time and dedication to keep you secure. More importantly, security can only go as far as you trust it. If your computer is filled with malicious software, it is pointless to trust any data on it. If you get nothing out of this article, at the very least learn not to trust your computer with important data.



Kevin Lynch is a sophomore in computer engineering.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools