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If you were to believe all the hype reported in the
media, you'd probably never use your PC again for fear of getting a
virus/getting hacked/personal info read/credit card number obtained,
etc. However, with a few precautions the risks can be
minimised. Read on...
VIRUSES...
The biggest threat to your computer's security comes from computer
viruses. If they get onto your PC they can infect
various applications, deleting or overwriting files and can reproduce
themselves to pass on to others, usually via your email address
book. Years ago they came in via floppy disks, today they're
mainly introduced via email attachments, dodgy websites and unsavoury
downloads. Never open an attachment if the email has an
odd title such as 'A poem for you', 'Load this great screensaver now!',
etc, even it appears to come from a known contact. Delete it off
your PC straight away (shift, delete).
Purchase, set-up and keep up-to-date good quality anti-virus
software. It's worth reading the user guide to set it up
correctly and get updates automatically in the background.
They're some good free anti-virus products available (check out avast! and AVG), but you're
better off purchasing one from a respected internet security software
provider.
Only download files you trust, from known sources,
and if you're at all unsure run them through your virus checker before
installing. A searchable database of known
viruses and a remove tool for certain ones can be
found at Symantec.
F Secure provide latest security alerts via their RSS
feeds and Trend Micro have a good online virus scanner.
Don't get taken in by virus warning hoaxes (see Hoax-Slayer), usually forwarded to you via email
from well meaning friends. They're easy to spot as they usually
contain lots of exclamation marks, big bold red text and dire warnings
of what will happen if you don't delete certain files and it urges you
to forward the mail onto everyone in your address book. Check at F-Secure or Net Security first to confirm the
hoax and gently inform the sender they were had! Don't
pass on the hoax warning; it's nothing but a chain email designed to
spread panic and bring down email systems! Although many are
harmless, it's best not to pass on chain (or joke) email anyway, your
friends won't thank you if you pass them a virus or cause unnecessary
worry.
Latest online scams here.
Another risk is from spyware, usually unknowingly introduced from
freeware or unsavoury websites. Lavasoft have a good free spyware
scanner called Ad-Aware
and Windows Firewall is available for
Windows XP SP2/3, Vista and 7.
Windows Security Centre in Vista
and 7 can monitor your computer's firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware,
anti-malware and Internet security settings for you and alert you if
attention is required.
HACKERS...
Hackers try to access your PC's files, destroy them or access your
personal information. Your first line
of defence against hackers is a good firewall. Many broadband
routers incorporate a reasonable firewall (check it's set-up correctly)
and Windows XP SP2 has an updated version of the original ICF XP
one. Windows Vista and 7 also incorporates a much improved
firewall, called Windows Defender. However,
these can't control which applications on your PC are allowed Internet
access, so treat these as a bare minimum. The free ZoneAlarm has
application control and the Pro upgrade option is well worth
considering. However, you're better protected by purchasing a
good quality firewall (or complete Internet security package) and
keeping it up-to-date. Read the guide to set it up correctly.
A good firewall will stealth unused ports on your PC, the route in that
hackers usually take, and render them invisible on the Internet.
They'll also prevent Trojans (a program that allows a hacker to look at
your PC as if it were their own) from operating, control which
applications on your PC are allowed Internet access, control the
sending of personal information and the running of Active X and Java
Applets. With an 'always on' broadband connection and Wi Fi, a
good firewall is essential; best of all is a Security Suite that
includes anti-virus, firewall, anti-spyware, spam filtering and network
intrusion detection.
Having said all this, even a good firewall can be broken through by a
determined hacker, but as with other types of crime, they'll more than
likely look for an easier target. See Get Safe Online.
To see if your PC is vulnerable to attack
you can run the security check from Symantec.
COMPUTER
MAINTENANCE...

Many users assume they've got a virus when their PC
starts malfunctioning. Often, it's just poor maintenance that can
cause anything from it refusing to boot, applications refusing to run,
freezing up, strange things happening or it just taking a long time to
do things. You wouldn't expect a car to run trouble free if you
didn't maintain it and the same is true for your PC. A bit of
time spent in TLC now will save a lot more time, worry and probably
expense in the future!
Remove clutter - keep files and folders organized
and tidy and delete those no longer required - remember to delete from
the recycle bin too! Back-up vital files to removable media such
as CD/DVD/USB pen drive/ext. hard disk, etc. Uninstall unused
programs with the program's own uninstall utility where possible,
removing manually any files it reports it couldn't remove.
Maintenance utilities - most versions of Windows
allow you to set-up and run routine tasks automatically at intervals
you set. Some tasks need doing often, like the Scan Disk utility
and virus/firewall updating and scanning, others like the Disk
Defragmenter need doing less frequently depending on how much use your
PC gets. See your user guide/manual for information.
Many applications can be updated via the manufactures' websites.
Often, issues discovered after initial release are fixed and small
improvements made. You should have automatic updates set to 'on'
or regularly check the Microsoft website for critical
updates to the operating system, Internet Explorer/Outlook
Express/Windows Mail and Office. Many security loopholes are
patched on an ongoing basis! For other browsers and email client
programs, see the relevant companies' websites.
See TuneUp for
further maintenance utilities.
CHILDREN'S PC SECURITY...
Blogging, forums, chat rooms,
newsgroups, gaming, podcasting and P2P TV are all modern social
networking facilities popular with children and adults alike.
They aren't dangerous places in themselves, however the anonymous
nature of the Internet means the portals are often exploited by
paedophiles to groom and meet children. It's vital parents and
children understand the risks. The Harm Reduction initiative of
the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) launched Thinkuknow in
2006 with info and advice for kids, parents and teachers and Chat danger has
some useful info too.
Parents should make themselves aware of the social
networks and blogs used by their children and make them aware of the
risks. They should take an interest in what their kids are doing
on the web and watch out for anything untoward. Be aware that
much of what can be accessed at home can also be accessed via Wi-Fi/3G
enabled mobile devices too. See Directgov Internet safety.
Children and young adults should never give
out personal information such as their name, address, phone numbers or
school/college to people they meet online and should be very wary of
the information they post on their Facebook profile and other social
networks / blogs such as Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, MySpace, Bebo,
etc. Also they should be wary of uploading any media (podcast,
video, images) that could compromise themselves. What might seem
fun now could come back to haunt them in years to come.
The Internet can be a valuable source of information for children with
virtually unlimited resources for homework and school projects.
In fact, it's a valuable resource for everyone!
Software can be purchased to control what can be viewed, sometimes it
doesn't do much more than you can already do by careful setting
up. The help menu files are always worth a look to see what can
be done to increase web security. See Net nanny
too. A simple action to restrict web access on your home network
can be made by setting a time window and/or inbound and outbound
policies in your router for the LAN port(s) used by your kid(s) PC(s)
or game consoles.
Please also see Web Security up
there on the right >
Sussex Police have an Internet Guide for
parents (now seriously dated!) which can be downloaded here:
Download Internet Guide
(182KB)
Downloading and Printing info here.
Alternative web browsers
and email client programs - many open source and free - are available
that are much more secure than Microsoft, sometimes just because
they're not Microsoft so don't get targeted as much! The open
source Firefox is
a well regarded modern browser, as is Google Crome,
both fast and with many security options plus lots of other
benefits. Opera
is another web browser worth a look, as is Safari for
the Mac. At the very least ensure you're using the latest Internet Explorer 8 - it's much
more secure than previous versions! Both Thunderbird
and Pegasus Mail
are good, secure email client programs.
For help setting these up see Wurd and select 'browsers' or 'email' on the left
menu.
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ONLINE FRAUD...
Some years ago the media was full of security breaches such as online
bank customers being able to access other customers' accounts, credit
card numbers being collected by fraudsters and so on. Now things
are much more secure and the financial institutions far more pro-active
in identifying fraud, so there's no reason why online services cannot
be used with confidence. In fact, it's probably more secure to
shop and bank online than in the High Street if you follow simple
precautions.
When doing any transactions online always look for
the padlock symbol on the bottom right of the status bar in your web
browser and the 'https' protocol in the address bar - the 's'
signifying a secure site. This means the site uses at least 128
bit encryption and any information you enter into a field, such as your
credit card number, will be scrambled when sent. Also read the
site's security policy; the best ones require the use of Digital
Certificates for online banking. All the passwords and security
questions needed may seem like a pain, but it all helps to prevent
fraud and becomes quite straightforward with use. Don't
use AutoComplete incorporated into some modern web browsers for
completing sensitive personal information, such as bank details.
The websites of the major banks have plenty of information on Internet
banking and current scams, see Bank Safe
Online.
Latest online scams.
WEB SECURITY...
In order to maintain your surfing privacy, there are many things you
can do - the following just scratches the surface!
Always keep your operating system, browser and email programs
up-to-date by installing the latest security patches.
Many websites (including this one!) use analytical systems to retrieve
visitor information when you visit, such as what site you came
from, your operating system and web browser. This is often used
to improve the site and isn't usually a security problem!
Whatever browser or email client you use, you can set-up security
features. The bias here is towards Internet Explorer (IE),
Outlook Express (OE) and Windows Mail (for Vista) as these are by far
the most common in use by users of this website. Others follow a
similar procedure - see your application's menu bar help.
Note: directions to menu adjustments that follow may differ as this was
written a while back and refers to older software.
All websites that place cookies or use
visitor logging and tracking systems - including voluntary ones such as
this one - should have a clearly written Privacy Policy in place.
Further, they must inform visitors on their options for preventing
cookies being placed on their PC.
View our Privacy Policy here.
Cookies are usually harmless and are small files
placed on your PC by websites you visit. Among their uses is to
customise the web page to your preferences and to enable the page to
load faster. This site uses cookies to display the date of last
visit and preferred style (for accessibility), for instance. You
can control how cookies are handled in later browser versions - Firefox
and Opera are particularly good. In IE go to Tools>Internet
Options>Privacy>Advanced and allow first party and session
cookies, disallow third party ones as sometimes sites use cookies to
trigger pop-ups ads from third party sites. You can also control
cookies on a site-by-site basis. To delete them go to the general tab.
Temporary Internet Files are stored on your PC so
you can view pages offline, but these days broadband makes this largely
redundant. You should delete them: Tools>Internet
Options>General tab (in IE)>Delete Files, and clear history
content too. Set your browser to the minimum disk space to store
Internet files in Settings. To remove what you enter in online
forms, go to the Content tab and delete everything in AutoComplete
(forms and passwords) and personal info in My Profile. Modern
browsers can be set to clear private data on closing the browser window.
The Advanced tab in IE also has some security settings towards the
bottom of the list, ensure both 'use SSL' boxes are checked, also the
three 'warn about' boxes at the list end and uncheck 'enable profile
assistant'.
Internet Zones - to control what zone you browse
in, select Tools> Internet Options>Security. Usually the
Internet zone is adequate; for more precise control click 'custom' and
use the slider. For further control you can put sites you don't
want to allow access to in the restricted zone and operate in this
zone. This is useful for blocking annoying pop-up ads,
over time by putting ad sites in restricted you can reduce the
annoyance considerably! A good firewall can allow you to do this
as well as block cookies.
Pop-up ads - auto pop-up windows that appear when
you visit a website are not only a nuisance, they can be a security
risk too. They can install spyware/adware software on your
computer without your knowledge, an example is the installing of a
premium rate dialler that charges £1.50/minute, see
scams! Disabling JavaScript can prevent many pop-ups, but
it's a bit too brutal as many useful site functions can be prevented
from running. Both Firefox and Opera browsers afford more
precise control of pop-ups and JavaScript and pop-up blocker software
can be purchased too. Both IE and Firefox can be set
to block them (usually default setting), or installing the Google
toolbar with IE is yet another way to block auto pop-ups.
Using Windows Defender or Ad-Aware
software from Lavasoft
can dig out and remove any spyware that may have been installed without
your knowledge. Also check out browser add-ons for ad blocking
ones.
Parents can set-up their web browser to prevent
undesirable content from displaying, in Internet Explorer have a look
in Tools>Content>Content Adviser, enable it and click on settings
and set-up the level of what to allow, then protect your settings with
a password. Note that this ratings feature relies on the websites
employing this rating system, not many do now.
Email - every email you
send also sends information about you and your computer. Select
an email message and have a look in File>Properties on the details
tab. This info can be useful in tracking
mails sent to you. To make Outlook Express (OE) more secure,
select Tools>Options and the security tab. Make sure you check
'restricted zone' and check the next two boxes to 'warn' and 'not
allow'. Go to the connection tab and click the change button -
this takes you to the IE settings again where you should click the
security tab and restricted zone, make sure it's set to high, then
click custom level and ensure scripting, active scripting is
disabled. This goes a long way in protecting your PC from email
viruses. Back on the general tab of OE options, uncheck
'automatically log onto MSN messenger', any other IM service you
use should also be disabled as they can present a security risk.
Microsoft Outlook is supposedly a bit more secure than OE and you can
use Word to compose your messages. For further info on
customising OE, see Wurd
and select email on
the left menu.
An EEC law came into force on 11th December
2003 which outlawed the sending of unsolicited email within Europe,
however this has proved rather ineffective as much spam originates
elsewhere.
Blocking spam and phishing attacks
- of course it's better to not get spam (junk email) in the
first place. Only give out your email address when necessary and
to trusted friends and organisations. Always tick the 'I do not
wish to receive mailings that may interest me' box (opt out), where
provided, when you have to give your address to a company. If
your email address appears on any websites ensure that appropriate web
technology is used to present it in such a way that makes it difficult
for automated address harvesters to collect. Although relatively
harmless, spam can be extremely annoying, however filters can be set-up
within many email programs to filter it out. In OE go to
Tools>Message Rules>Mail, set-up a rule and enter common words
found in spam mails and set another rule to only allow mail with your
email name in the 'to' line. See the help menu for more
info. Consider using spam filtering software, or
the open source Thunderbird
email program has an excellent 'learning' spam/phishing filtering
system. Windows Mail has built-in junk and
phishing mail filters. Finally, never tick the box or
click the link to be removed from the spammers mailing list - this just
confirms to them they've reached a working email address and you'll
get a whole lot more! See Wurd (select 'email' on the left menu) for more
info on filters and blocking spam.
Finally, if you find you're not receiving expected email
check your spam filtering as it could be removing wanted mail. Or
it could be your ISP's filters removing it - log-in to your account to
check and adjust. Despite what you may think, email rarely just
vanishes into cyberspace!
If you ever receive abusive, threatening, racist or
pornographic email, inform your ISP without delay, they can
trace it and inform the police. You can trace an IP address too,
see DNS Stuff.
Use a more secure email client, such as Thunderbird.
Don't forget that any laptop, netbook or
mobile device with web access should also be kept secure from nasties
too! Ensure any apps you download are from a trusted
source. Protect use with a strong password and be particularly
careful with personal information kept on it in view of the relative
ease of theft.
Don't get paranoid about computer security!
Unless you're using your computer for anything illegal or dodgy, no
one's really that interested in it. Out of the millions upon
millions of PCs worldwide, the chances of a hacker uniquely picking out
yours to attack is very unlikely, you've probably got more chance of
winning the lottery! If you run a good anti-virus and firewall
software, keep it and your installed software up-to-date and spend a
little time checking security settings as above then you'll go a long
way to avoiding trouble.

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Page last updated March 2010
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