Stop the Bad Guys: Net Security Update
Outline of an LPCUG program presented by Bob Warwick at the September 17, 2007 meeting.
First Line of Defense -- Wetware!
 | Don't open SPAM!
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| Don't open attachments!
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| Social Engineering
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| Don't respond to Internet offers like popup "You have Spyware on your computer!" | ||||||
| You don't get something for nothing--usually. If it's free, and you don't know about it, it probably contains Spyware. Also, don't buy programs without doing research to see if they are loaded with Spyware. | ||||||
| Don't say "yes" for "special downloading program". |
| Children and Internet Safety
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| Make sure your operating system is up to date with all critical updates installed. |
| Be very careful of Internet Explorer--had real security problems. However, the latest version has most of the glaring problems fixed. I no longer recommend switching to Firefox for security reasons, though it still is a good browser. |
| Consumer Reports has a nice little section of their web site discussing
general safe computing rules and hints here.
Read over this and you will know about dangers on the net, and will not be
afraid to use your computer. |
Second Line of Defense -- Protective Software
Consumer Reports, September 2007 issue, has an excellent review of all protective software for the home or small office computer. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, we will look at their work and discuss their conclusions.
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OverviewLets take a general look at where we are going with protective software. Here are the protective software suites that CR recommends.
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Anti-Spam |
Most of the bad stuff arrives in your mail incoming folder in the form of unsolicited email, in other words Spam. The current issue of Consumer Reports (Sept. 2007) rates programs that will identify and remove most Spam from your mailbox before you open it. The Spam will be put in a separate folder so you can review it, and make sure that it is not removing something that you wanted. Take a look at CR's recommendations here.
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Antivirus |
The September, 2007 issue of Consumer Reports shows an exhaustive test of most of the antivirus programs on the market today. I have used the free version of AVG (see below) for years and it has never failed to detect a virus (and I have given it lots of practice!). Here are CR's ratings.
avast! from ALWIL
Software
One-click
download link
(note: clicking this link will begin the download)
Cost: Free
AVG Antivirus from Grisoft
Download link
Cost: Free
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Spyware & Adware |
The September, 2007 issue of Consumer Reports also tells about extensive testing of Anti-Spyware and Anti-Adware programs that have the capacity to trace what you are looking at on the web. These programs can report back to the bad guys all kinds of information about you that you may not have wanted to share. While they rate Lavasoft's commercial Ad-aware program, again, curiously they omitted the free version listed below. The free version works as well as the commercial version, but you have to tell it to check your machine, rather than having the bad stuff blocked automatically. While you cannot have two antivirus programs on your machine at the same time, you can have two anti-spy/adware programs on it. Running both Ad-aware and SpyBot Search & Destroy (one at a time) seems to catch just about everything in this category of bad stuff. Look at CR's ratings here.
Windows Defender from Microsoft
Download
Link
This program was rated pretty high by Consumer Reports, but it will require a genuine copy of Windows XP or Vista to download it.
Ad-aware from Lavasoft
Download
link
Cost: Free
Hijack This! from Merijn.org
Download
link
Cost: Free
Spybot Search and
Destroy from PepiMK
Download
link
Cost: Free
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Firewalls |
Curiously Consumer Reports did not evaluate Firewalls as a part of their software review. This decision was probably made because Vista has a real firewall built in. Windows XP, however, has half a firewall. To get a real firewall, use one of the selections below and turn off the XP firewall.
ZoneAlarm from Zone
Labs, Inc.
Download
link
This is my favorite firewall. Made by Zone Labs, it will render your computer
invisible to hackers’ probes. Hackers run scanning programs over the
Internet, looking for computers with electronic openings, called ports. A good
firewall such as ZoneAlarm makes your computer invisible to the scanners.
The goal of these intruders is to place a Trojan horse on your computer. The
rogue program uses the open port previously identified by a scanner. However,
ZoneAlarm blocks those transmissions. They can only go through if you agree.
Always say no, unless you recognize the program.
Cost: Free for personal use
Kerio Personal
Firewall from Kerio Technologies
Download link
Kerio Personal Firewall
makes your computer invisible to hackers on the Internet. Additionally, it
shows which programs on your computer are accessing the Internet. The full
version offers more features, such as pop-up blocking.
Cost: Free for personal use
Outpost Firewall from
Agnitum
One-click
download link
(note: clicking this link will begin the download)
The free version of
Outpost Firewall offers a basic protection solution for casual web surfers and
low budget systems. There is also a "Pro" version with more robust
features.
Cost: Free for personal use
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Free Software |
While we have been providing links to free software throughout this presentation, Consumer Reports gives us a list of free software that they have evaluated. When you look at the ratings carefully, you will find that most of it does the job it is designed to do, but lacks a lot of bells and whistles. You can review their research here.
| Finally, check with your Internet Service Provider for free software.
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