I don't mean to scare you, but chances are that your home computer's security has already been compromised in some way. Earthlink, one of the world's largest ISPs (Internet Service Providers), discovered that the average computer had over 25 different instances of spyware installed. And 10% of PCs have either a Trojan Horse (see the movie "Troy" for more details) or Zombie installed, which allows your computer to be controlled by an evil hacker from anywhere in the world, like maybe Eastern Europe near Dracula's castle.
Here's what you need to do to keep your computer safe:
Firewall
Connect your broadband Ethernet cable to a firewall device and then connect your home network to the firewall. Never connect your computer directly to your broadband connection and be forced to rely on firewall software on your PC to protect you. If you aren't already using a firewall, you might as well buy one that has wireless capability. See last month's article for more details. Two feature buzzwords you'll want to check for are either "NAT" (Network Address Translation) or "SPI" (Stateful Packet Inspection). Get SPI if you can, but know that NAT is adequate for most home use. If you're using Windows XP, make sure "Windows Firewall" is turned on and working in addition to the firewall device.
Updates and Patches
A Windows computer that has not installed the most recent updates can be compromised in an average of 16 minutes and I can confirm that from personal experience. Some of the biggest break-ins have occurred because computers didn't have up-to-date patches. And just because you might have a Mac doesn't mean you can slack off on security updates. Go to Microsoft.com and Apple.com and read up on their security pages to keep your machine fully updated. My computers automatically download and install their updates, but I also manually check them about once a month just to make sure all is well and I strongly suggest you do the same.
Spyware
Spyware is software that tricks you into installing it on your computer and then pushes pop-up ads and malicious Web sites to your desktop. Other variants capture and report your online activity (such as Web sites you visit or products you research) to some evil marketing company. The nastiest spyware even logs your keystokes so that others can learn your passwords. Protect yourself by downloading the free Windows Defender from Microsoft's Web site. It's the top download (for good reason) and there's usually a link to it right off the home page. Install it, clean up your computer, and keep Windows Defender up to date.
Anti-virus/Anti-Spam
Chances are that a free 30-day trial of anti-virus software came with your computer and I'll bet that you probably let it expire. Don't even think of operating your computer without anti-virus software. Some packages provide combined anti-virus, anti-spam, and even anti-spyware features. Get name brand stuff like McAfee, Symantec or Trend Micro and you'll be safe. The most important thing is configure the software to automatically download the latest patches and make sure that every once in a while you check to see that it's up to date.
Secure Habits
Practice safe computing. Most spyware gets on your computer by offering something, like screensavers or cute toolbars, for free. Never install software, plug-ins or add-ons unless you know what you're getting into. If unsure, do a quick Google search for what you're about to install along with the keyword "spyware" and see what turns up. By following some pretty simple and common sense rules, you'll enjoy drama-free computing.
Peter Kay
