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Confused?
Is it any wonder that most PC users are confused by all the jargon and technology. Yes, computers are complicated, but they are logical and only do what they are told. Most of us now realise that the much misused term “Computer Error” really means that some human made a mistake and blamed a computer instead. Hopefully, on this page I’ll clear up some other misconceptions.
Computer Security
One particular area that is shrouded with mystery is Computer Security. Mainstream journalists concentrate on their sensational “Virus attack” headlines, security firms play on user’s fears and software developers are slow to admit problems. The usual advice is to, “buy a security suite, install a firewall and secure your wireless network”. However, is this all really necessary and are we all missing the point?
Consider the security of your home for a minute. At night before we go to sleep, most of us lock our front door, close the windows and turn on the alarm. Frequently, however, burglars will enter a house through an open window or unlocked door. The alarm may sound but the burglar will already be in your house. There  are parallels with computer security here. Anti-virus and Anti-spyware software work just like an alarm. They won’t stop malware getting onto your PC, instead they just detect the malware once it is there, sometimes! So, how did that virus get on my PC in the first place? Through an open window or unlocked door perhaps? You may have a few dozen windows and doors in your house, but a PC has tens of thousands! On a PC they’re called Ports.
So how do Ports affect PC security? The computer’s Operating System (Windows XP, Vista, Mac OS X, Linux) and Applications (Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, MSN, etc.) use Ports to send and receive data. For instance Internet Explorer normally uses Port 80 and most other applications have standardised on different Port numbers. However, all Operating Systems and Applications have bugs, especially older versions. And these bugs can be exploited by hackers and script kiddies to enable them to have access to your PC. A firewall can monitor the Ports but it won’t stop a program using Port 80 pretending to be Internet Explorer, because it trusts Internet Explorer and you probably told it to! An Anti-virus program might detect it, but chances are it won’t even know it exists yet. Remember the TV add, “Kills all known germs”. What about all the unknown germs then?  So, a critical part of PC security is to make sure that your PC has as few security bugs as possible or at least the bugs that people know about are fixed as soon as possible. Now, it’s in this area that Microsoft has worked really hard at recently, but every application running on your PC must also be secure. So use Microsoft or Automatic Updates and keep all your other applications up to date.
The important point
The single most important point crucial to PC security is usually overlooked and that is how you actually use your PC. If you frequently share files and load programs sent to you by others without questioning the source, then you are asking for trouble. If a family share a PC, is everyone using the PC in the same way, to the same rules? If you have a network of PCs, when one PC is infected it won’t be long before they all are. Use PCs sensibly by installing software only from trusted sources, avoid dodgy websites, avoid the temptation to click [OK] each time a new window pops-up on screen, don’t click on website links within emails (see phishing) and don’t respond to or even open emails that you know are Spam - just delete them.
Wireless network security
Most people know of the need to secure their wireless network. On most domestic routers you can use two different specifications, WEP or WPA. Sorry to be technical, but one is a straw house and the other is made of bricks. A wireless network using WEP is NOT secure. Using easily available tools one can overcome this system in less than five minutes. WPA is a lot more advanced and for the time being can be regarded as secure.
PC Security software
If you keep Windows up to date, configure your network correctly, use your PC sensibly and install a firewall, then why would you have any need for anti-virus software? Surely, few viruses will be able to infect your PC in the first place. But you’ve always been advised to spend £50 each year and buy the newest version of the same old security suite you’ve always bought. Well, the truth is you don’t need to. Some of the newly established security suite developers made their names producing free security products. Many of those products are still available and function adequately, in some cases much better than the big-name suites. These include  ZoneAlarm (firewall), AVG Free (anti-virus) and Ad-Aware (anti-spyware). AVG Free will certainly be much less demanding of your system than several £30 anti-virus products and just as efficient. Some security suites even behave worse than the malware they are supposed to protect us from and can be very difficult to uninstall should you decide to change your mind and install a different package. If you want my advice on which one is the best then I’d recommend Kaspersky.
Internet safety
This really should be a whole section in itself, but you will find the CommonSense.com website already contains some good advice on this topic. Remember, if you have children, take an interest in what they are doing on a PC, be open and communicative and become involved in what your kids do online. Explain to them the risks and how you expect them to use the computer. Don’t put your trust in Parental Control Software, because it can be by-passed easily. Remember, educate not regulate.
My advice then is to ….
• Use your PC sensibly and responsibly. Avoid running or installing software from un-trusted sources.
• Enable Automatic Updates to ensure that your PC installs all the latest Microsoft security fixes.
• Ensure that other application software is also kept up to date, for example, your Internet Browser, email program, VOIP (Skype), media players, even iTunes.
• Use a firewall, but before you install any anti-virus or anti-spyware software please see my comments above.
plus ....
• Are you logged on as an administrator? If you’re not sure, then the answer is probably yes. That means you, and any program that you run, have full access to your PC and files. So will any programs that you didn’t intend to run, like viruses.
• If you have a network, wherever possible use a network cable to connect devices, instead of wireless connections. A cabled network will be more secure, faster, more reliable and won’t interfere with your cordless telephones.
• If you use wireless, then use the WPA option to secure the network and never give your wireless network a name based on either your name or address.
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