Custom Gaming Computers and Computer Hardware Upgrades
Here at Forbidden Computer Services, we specialize in
building affordable custom gaming computers and computer hardware
upgrades, as well as spyware/malware removal, and computer repair.
Check out our standard builds or contact us for a custom order. Let
us help you Upgrade Your Computer
Security
A little about computer security
These days, computer security
is EXTREMELY important. If you do not take measures to keep your
computer secure, vandals, thieves and other criminals WILL get into it, in
some cases, within minutes of connecting to the internet. Your computer may
become a home to someones porn collection, or it can become a spam
relay sending out hundreds of thousand of spam Emails. It can
become a 'zombie', quietly participating in internet attacks known
as 'Denial of Service' (DOS), helping to literally knock websites off the
'net. Lists of such compromised computers are actually becoming a
commodity, selling for as much as ten cents per computer. Viruses/Trojans that can
damage or erase files or steal your passwords are prevalent, as
are spyware programs that spread like viruses, but either track and
report your footsteps on the net, or allow spam messages (popups) to be sent
to your desktop via Windows Messenger, or Internet
Explorer. Ironically, many of these popup ads are for anti-popup programs. How these
companies avoid being charged with extortion is a mystery to me. Another malware
tactic is programs that 'hijack' your homepage and search pages.
Some estimates place the rate of spyware/virus infection at around 80% of
computers connected to the Internet.
So....What to do?
Well, the one sure way to avoid these pitfalls is
to simply not plug in - but of course then you
would not be able to read the many words of wisdom that the Internet
contains. For those of us that simply must plug in, there are
solutions - and none of them will cost you a dime.
First off is your choice of operating system -
its your first line of defense. The best choice here is one of the many
flavors of Linux. Its security is much better than any version of Windows,
but it DOES require some learning, it can be incompatible with some hardware
and you won't have much luck playing your favorite games on it. If
Linux is not an option, I recommend running Windows 98 IF it will serve your
needs. Many people disagree with me on this point, saying that WinXP is
so much better, but I make this recommendation based on my own experience.
In seven years of using the Internet I did not recieve a single
virus or spyware infection on my Win98 system, and thats with no anti-virus
program. With WinXP systems, however, I have been infected within
minutes of connecting a fresh installation to the Internet. The fact is,
that while Win 98 had its share of exploits, with only one notable
exception, they ALL required somehow tricking the user into running an
infected file. The one exception to this was the VBS script exploit which
was spread by email and only required the Outlook Express preview pane to
be on in order for the virus to be launched. However, users that kept
their system updated (via Windows Update) had nothing to worry about
since Microsoft had quietly patched the hole seven months before a virus
was ever written to take advantage of the exploit. WinXP however, is quite
a different story. There may indeed be fewer exploits, but the ones that
are there are a hackers dream. The biggest one is the RPC-DCOM exploit,
which allowed the MSBlast virus to virtually cripple numerous large
business networks throughout the country. This virus and all of its
variants needs nothing more than an active Internet connection to spread.
Another severe hole in Windows XP was the LSASS exploit, which led to the
SASSER virus. It too, required nothing more than an Internet connection to
spread. In short, if Win98 will satisfy your needs, use it.
Ok, so you have now determined
that you simply must run the latest version of Windows. How to go about
securing it before your hard drive is filled to the brim with
viruses, trojans and spyware? The first step is to be prepared with
up-to-date copies of necessary utilities such as a good firewall (I like
Sygate), an anti-virus program (AVG from Grisoft is a good one) and an
anti-spyware program (Spybot S&D is my personal favorite). Burn these
utilities to a CD so you can install them offline - this is critical since
WinXP is so vulnerable in its raw state. Its much easier to prevent
infestations than it is to clean them out once they are there.
Once the system is installed and you have installed all of
the drivers that you have available on CD's, the next thing to install is
your firewall. I use to use ZoneAlarm, but I have found it to be a bit
buggy. It doesn't always let things through that it should, particularly
network shares. I never could get printer sharing to work with ZoneAlarm.
So I recently switched to Sygate**, which seems to be a much better product,
in my humble opinion. Once you have your firewall up, install your AV
program and then get online. the FIRST thing you want to do when you get
online is your Windows Update. Install ALL of the critical updates first,
then the service packs. (if you expect to do future installs I recommend
'slipstreaming' the service packs - learn how to do that
here.) Once you've got
the system updated, then you can update your AV files if needed, and then
update your motherboard drivers, and video drivers if needed. And finally,
download either the Mozilla or Firefox web browser and stop using Internet
Explorer for everything except Windows Updates.
**Note - Sygate was purchased by Symantec
(Norton) a few years ago and they discontinued the Sygate Personal
firewall. It is no longer available for download on their site. If
you want to try it out and have trouble finding it - here it
is:
Sygate
Personal Firewall
|
