Cyber-Security For The Non-Techie Home User
By Doug Edelman
Viruses and spam have long been an annoyance to both businesses and private Internet users, but the more recent spate of net-threats has expanded cyber-security issues well beyond the corporate IT world and into the private net surfer’s home turf. When it comes to the Internet, “Homeland Security” really starts at home! Whether it’s slowing your machine to a crawl, or inundating you under a sea of unwanted ads or porn, or putting you at risk for identity theft – no web surfer can afford not to defend against today’s threats.
Most everyone is familiar with Viruses and Spam, so we’ll focus on the newer threats:
Trojans/Trojan Horse: A trojan is a bit of malicious code, which finds its way onto your machine and surreptitiously runs a program much like a virus. The primary difference between a virus and a trojan is that a virus replicates itself and infects other machines with which you have contact. A trojan is not self-replicating. Just like the Trojan Horse of ancient Greece… they are usually presented as a “gift”, then once invited inside – they open the gates from the inside to allow invaders in! Often, they’ll come as the unwelcome payload along with a seemingly useful utility like a “clock synchronizer” or a Web Search Toolbar. Amazingly, sometimes they’ll even arrive as a supposed spyware CLEANER! The best rule of thumb is to NEVER accept ANY download you didn’t actively seek! A popup ad should be closed (click the x in the upper right corner) without clicking on the ad or any button contained on it! If you get a popup warning you that you have spyware on your machine… don’t be lured into downloading their advertised “fix”. There are 2 excellent free tools which can detect and clean spyware from your machine: Spybot Search & Destroy, and Ad-Aware. Both are reputable and safe, and effective if you keep them updated. They can be easily located and downloaded from the net.
Spyware/Malware/Adware: These are terms for net-pests which will usually arrive in your machine as a trojan, and are classified by their intended purpose. Spyware reports back information to “home base” and is a privacy threat. Malware will disrupt your productivity and rob your system resources. Adware will open your gates to allow intrusive advertising such as popups.
Browser Hijack: A hijacker will take over your Browser, redirecting your homepage and feeding you more popups than you can handle. Often they’ll actually destroy your ability to effectively use the net! This is because they open your doors to such ads, then advertise, “Here’s an open door” and anyone and everyone who wants to can feed you popups!
Phishing: By using social engineering and playing on the natural behaviors of the uninformed, con artists are gleaning personal information for identity theft by impersonating legitimate websites. The common scenario: you receive an email which looks like it’s from Ebay, Paypal, your bank or some other trusted e-commerce site. They tell you they need you to update your information, perhaps due to some expiration or error. The email provides a link which when clicked on brings you to a website that looks like it’s Ebay, Paypal, etc. – but isn’t! It’s a clever counterfeit designed to take your information so it can be used for fraudulent purposes. The easiest way to detect these is to hold your cursor over the link on the email till the link’s address pops up. If it points to anywhere else than www.ebay.com, www.paypal.com and the like… it’s a fraud!
What can you do to secure your PC?
A number of tools are needed to adequately protect your machine against today’s threats. Naturally, an up-to-date antivirus program is essential, but inadequate alone. A firewall should be installed and running whenever you’re online. Windows XP has a built in firewall, but must be turned on (XP’s soon to release update, SP2, will have it turned on by default). ZoneAlarm is excellent and has a free version downloadable from the web. McAfee and Norton also make firewall products.
A spyware killer is also needed. As mentioned earlier, Ad-Aware and Spybot are free and effective.
Make sure to keep your machine patched with the latest updates from Microsoft Update. There are worms like Sasser out there, which will find you and infect you without ANY action on your part, beyond being online with an inadequately patched machine. There is a link to Windows Update on your Start Menu, or you can go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.
Even with these tools installed, updated and running, it is wise to have a professional look at the machine periodically, and to optimize it.
Doug Edelman is a professional Network Engineer/Tech Support Specialist and is the owner of Edelman Computer Services – serving home users and small businesses since 1996. He holds industry certifications from Novell, Microsoft and CompTia and has taught PC Maintenance & Repair and Networking Fundamentals at St Charles Community College. He can be contacted at doug@pc-fixer-stl.com and you can visit his website at http://www.pc-fixer-stl.com
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