BASIC SAFE COMPUTING GUIDELINES by Steve Coker, Forum Manager May 2004 1. ALWAYS USE A FIREWALL. Last year I ignored this rule for 10-20 minutes and it burned me. I was setting up a new computer and didn't install the Firewall before connecting to the Internet to download program updates. In the short time I was online without Firewall protection, two malicious worm programs got into my computer. I had to wipe the computer clean and reinstall everything. NEVER NEVER NEVER connect to the internet without a Firewall. I recommend ZoneAlarm (http://www.zonelabs.com/). Configure it for High security. You can learn how to customize program and privacy settings if high security blocks certain programs or web sites you need to use. Your online safety is worth the minor hassle of figuring out how to "tweak" the Firewall settings. REGULARLY UPDATE FIREWALL SOFTWARE. Open ZoneAlarm, click on the OVERVIEW menu, then click on the PREFERENCES tab. Make sure that AUTOMATICALLY check for updates is turned on. Click on the "Check for Updates" button to confirm latest version is installed. 2. UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE. Hackers are always finding ways to break into computers using flaws in software. Especially Windows, Internet Explorer, and Firewall software. When such flaws are discovered, the publishers issue updates to "patch" the security flaws. If you don't install the patch (i.e. update), then your computer is highly vulnerable to hackers. 3. UPDATE WINDOWS. You do this online using MS Internet Explorer (aka the internet browser). Open Internet Explorer, click on TOOLS, then click on Windows Update. Follow instructions to check for and install updates. 4. ALWAYS USE AN ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM. I recommend Norton Antivirus (http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/). Antivirus software has to be updated very frequently to be effective. Most programs have an update feature, use it often (e.g. Norton LiveUpdate). SCAN YOUR COMPUTER WITH THE ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM. I recommend at least once a week. If you think you have a virus on your computer, then you need to boot the computer from a clean CD with updated virus detection software. Run a full scan after booting from the CD. If the scan detects one or more infections, carefully note what was detected, then let the Antivirus program try to remove the infection. After doing this, go to the Symantec or McAfee (http://mcafee.com/) web site and read about the infection you found. If it was simple and you feel it was removed completely, then do nothing. But, if you have any doubt, backup all your data files, then wipe the computer and reinstall everything. WIPING AND REINSTALLING IS A LAST RESORT. It is VERY time-consuming and you will have to make sure you update every program after reinstalling. But is the surest way to get rid of an infection. 5. TURN OFF FILE SHARING. This is one way a hacker can get into your computer over the net. You can find out how to do this in Windows Help, or on the web (http://www.wellesley.edu/Computing/FileSharing/Windows/winxphome.html). Or just search for "Turn Off File Sharing" at http://www.microsoft.com or in any search engine. 6. NEVER OPEN ATTACHMENTS in email or instant messaging UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE that they are safe AND they have been scanned by your Antivirus program. Don't trust anyone. Even people you trust can give you an infection without meaning to do so. Always scan attachments. Your AntiVirus program should be configured to automatically scan email attachments. You may learn that some attachments are safe. For example you may routinely get safe "text only" files from certain mailing lists. But, the rule is if you aren't sure it is safe, assume it is not. A little paranoia is a good thing when it comes to attachments. 7. NEVER BOOT FROM AN UNKNOWN DISKETTE OR CD unless you scan it first using updated Antivirus software. 8. Regularly clean spyware and Adware off your computer. I recommend using AdAware for this. http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ 9. Be careful with Instant Messaging (IM) programs. Make sure you don't allow "Buddies" or "Guests" to have unrestricted access into your computer. Take time to learn about how infections get in through IM programs. 10. DON'T TRUST PEOPLE. Password protect your computer. Set a boot-up password and use a password protected screensaver. Every time the computer is turned on, the user should be required to enter a password. Don't let strangers, friends, or almost anyone know your passwords. If you aren't present, then people shouldn't be able to just turn on and use the computer. 11. BACKUP - BACKUP - BACKUP. Even if you do most things right, most of the time, the computer will still get "messed up" from time-to-time. You need to regularly backup your data files. JUST THE DATA FILES, nothing else. You can always wipe the hard drive clean and re-install all the programs. But your data files are unique and can't be re-installed. To make this periodic backup easy, store data files under one main folder, with sub-folders, on your computer (e.g. "Files" or "My Documents"). If the data files are "spread around" in lots of folders, it will be almost impossible to backup the data. Data files include anything you created, received, downloaded, etc. Examples are word processing documents (*.doc, *.txt, *.wri), Excel Spreadsheets or Workbooks (*.xls), PowerPoint presentations (*.ppt), database files, image files (*.jpg, *.gif, *.psp, *.bmp), favorites lists, etc. Remember to backup your email too. Your email is stored in data files. If you use Outlook for email, then a file named outlook.pst is probably where your email is stored. You can find the file name and location for your Outlook email by checking the PROPERTIES for the email "personal folder" on your computer. The exact location of the property setting depends on the version of Outlook you use. Study the menus or help files until you figure this out. Try right clicking on the Personal Folder and see if you get the properties option. You can also locate all *.PST files using the SEARCH option in Windows Explorer. 12. If you feel capable, and you are careful, AFTER DOING ALL THE ABOVE - you might want to run a security scanner to test your system for POSSIBLE security problems. One good security scanner is Retina (http://www.eeye.com/html/index.html). Be careful to make notes so you can undo any "fixes" you make based on such scans. If you don't feel confident that you understand what you are doing, then don't do it.