Online Safety and You: Protecting your Computer

[Hyper Sonic]

Online Safety and You: Protecting your Computer
by Jer

If you spend time online, you know how great the Internet can be. Through the Internet you can access games, music, movies, books, educational resources (like dictionaries and encyclopedias), online communities and their members, market sites (like eBay), and of course, just about any bit of information you could need.

However, even with all the advantages of using the Internet, there exists a darker side. Hackers that patrol the Internet seek to break your computer's defenses and gain access to your private information. Spyware and malware will try to install themselves on your computer. Viruses could even try to wreck your hard drive, more or less destroying your computer. This guide will give you some basic defenses and practices to use against these threats.

What Are The Threats?

• Adware, possibly the least malicious of Internet threats, is "any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used[src]." Adware will automatically put advertisements on your screen, and although typically more annoying than dangerous, can be classified as spyware or malware (see below).
• Spyware is "computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent[src]." This essentially means that spyware is a program installed by someone or something other than you and is designed to monitor your computer usage and, in some cases, gain control over your computer. A spyware program could, for example, disable your firewall and expose your computer to just about any threat out there.
• Malware, "a portmanteau from the words malicious and software, is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent[src]." Malware finds its way onto your computer somehow and wreaks havoc with your settings, files, other software, etc. Malware includes computer viruses, which are "computer program[s] that can copy itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user[src]." Viruses replicate themselves and spread out over computers, oftentimes damaging their host computers in the process.
• Let's not forget hackers, which are people who break into your computer and essentially give themselves control over your machine, giving them access to everything you would normally have access to. Fortunately, most hackers can be stopped by a good firewall (see below).
• However, the biggest threat is likely to come from the computer user, whether is it falling prey to a phishing scam or installing an infected program. Vigilance is your best defense; follow the Prevention section below to educate yourself.

Protection and Cure

In order to protect your computer from external threats, take the following measures:

• Install a good firewall program and an antivirus program. Firewalls keep hackers out of your computer, and antivirus programs will deal with any malicious software, viruses, etc that might make it onto your machine.
• Install and use a secure web browser. Whether you run Windows, a Macintosh OS, or a Linux distro, you can find a free web browser that offers excellent security. Both Mozilla Firefox and Opera run on Windows, Mac and Linux. If you run Linux, Konqueror and Epiphany are secure web browsers for KDE and Gnome, respectively. All of these are great choices if you're looking to improve your browsing security without sacrificing a browser's features.
• Clean your computer regularly. For Windows users this means regularly performing Disk Cleanups and the occasional defragmentation of your hard drive (which compacts files, freeing up extra space). In addition, regularly run your antivirus program(s) to flush threats off of your computer and keep them up to date so they can deal with the latest threats. Not only will this remove spyware and adware, but it will also remove system clutter, improving your computer's performance.

Do you use Internet Explorer?

Approximately 90%[src] of home computers use a Windows-based operating system. About 70%[src] of users run Windows Internet Explorer, the default web browser program preinstalled on all Windows operating systems. However, Internet Explorer is not secure. A majority of the malicious software and viruses out there are able to circumvent Internet Explorer's security system[src]. If you run Internet Explorer, it is strongly recommended that you look into switching to one of the safer web browsers listed above.

Prevention

Browse safely. This means:

• Do not run normal tasks as Administrator/root. For Vista, Mac and Linux users this is the default but in XP the first user is always Administrator. It is wise to create a second, non-privileged account on XP. Running normal, day to day tasks as Administrator/root is considered dangerous since any malicious software can compromise your system instead of just your user account.
• Do not download software from sources you do not trust. Trusted sources are usually the manufacturer's website or Microsoft Download Center for Windows users, Apple - Downloads for Mac users and your package manager for Linux. Cross platform downloads can be obtained from Sourceforge and Softpedia.
• Do not give out personal information to sources you don't trust. “Personal information” includes, but is not limited to, last name, address, telephone number, cell number, Social Security number, credit card number, name of your school, your picture, etc. People could use this information to locate you, to steal money from you, or even steal your identity. Some information, such as credit card numbers, is actually better off never existing on your computer at all because a slim chance exists that someone will see that information and use it.
• Passwords. Password-protecting your user account on your computer is important, even if nobody else uses the computer but you. If you want extra security, you could encrypt your files on your computer or protect them with a password. Most, if not all, accounts you have on websites will require a password to login along with your username or email address with which you registered. Many browsers, for convenience, have a feature that lets you save passwords you type in so you don't have to retype them each time you visit a site. If you choose to use this, remember to never save passwords for important websites (such as PayPal). You should always ensure that your password is "strong" (ie contains numbers, mixed case letters and symbols such as %); it should not be a common date such as date of birth or a birthday, anniversary, place name, mother's maiden name, etc. If possible it should not be a word at all but rather a collection of random characters. See this page on how to create a strong password.
• Take care with email attachments. If an email from someone you don't know, or an address you don't recognize, contains an attachment (a file), be extremely careful with opening it. Such attachments can contain adware, malware or viruses. If you suspect that an email carries one of these threats, delete it.
• Beware of phishing. Phishing is when a website impersonates another website in order to get you to enter your personal information. MySpace has been susceptible to phishing in the past; phishers would gain access to someone's account and send messages, post comments, and post bulletins that contain advertisements. Some emails can also lead to phishing; for example, an email that claims it comes from your bank claims that your account will be frozen unless you go to the link provided (a link to the phishing site) and enter your information for “confirmation” purposes. If you suspect phishing, check a website's URL, located in the address bar near the top of the window. For example, a site that might phish MySpace may have the URL "http://www.nyspace.com/" which looks like “myspace” but isn't. (Note the n.) Also, as a general rule, any site whose URL begins with “https:/” instead of “http:/” is more secure. If in doubt, type the real page address into the address bar, and then send an email. Most banks now have a dedicated email account for reporting phishing (such as phishing@bank.com).

While the fear of a malicious bit of software or a hacker infiltrating your computer is certainly a real one, it's important to keep in mind that these threats operate on a random basis. Most threats won't specifically target you; they just happen to wander across your computer and decide to cause some trouble. Putting these measures into effect, along with following fundamental common sense, will ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable time online each time you log on.