1 / 33

Home PC Security & Internet Browser Tips

Home PC Security & Internet Browser Tips. Todd W. Jorns Senior Director for Educational Technology Illinois Community College Board. Topics. User Accounts Passwords Windows Updates Anti-Virus Software Anti-Spyware Software Email Browsers. Logging On to Windows.

tanaya
Download Presentation

Home PC Security & Internet Browser Tips

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Home PC Security & Internet Browser Tips Todd W. Jorns Senior Director for Educational Technology Illinois Community College Board

  2. Topics • User Accounts • Passwords • Windows Updates • Anti-Virus Software • Anti-Spyware Software • Email • Browsers

  3. Logging On to Windows • Do not run Windows as an Administrator • Increases vulnerabilities • Trojan Horse: a program that does something else than it appears to do • May reformat your hard drive, delete files, create another user with administrative control • Instead: • Create a User Account

  4. Creating a User

  5. Passwords • Pick a good password for all accounts—it’s your first and sometimes only defense • Password dangers: • Cracking • Social Engineering

  6. Passwords:Good Characteristics • Length • Number of characters • Longer is better and harder to guess • Width • Types of characters • Should include at least three of • Uppercase letters • Lowercase letters • Numbers • Special characters (e.g. ? ! @ #) • Depth • Challenging meaning • Phonetic: Imukat2 for I’m a cat, too • Mnemonic: FM2tM for Fly Me to the Moon

  7. Update Windows: Early & Often • Updates close known vulnerabilities that are targeted by hackers • Options for updates: • Automatically download and install • Manually download and install • To configure: • Control Panel | System | Automatic Updates

  8. Check Office Updates • MS makes updates available on its web page • Users should check here at least once per month: • http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdate/default.aspx

  9. Anti-Virus Software • A virus is: • Program or programming code that replicates; • Transmitted as attachments to an e-mail note or in a downloaded file, or may be present on a diskette, CD, or thumb drive. • A virus might: • Immediately affect you or lie dormant; • Be benign and playful or devastatingly harmful.

  10. Anti-Virus Software: Key issues • Most AV software can be configured to automatically update itself • Daily is best if possible • After expiration, no updates will occur • Why? New viruses every day! • Scan your computer automatically • Configure the software to run at a time when no one will be on the computer • At least once a week • If you use IM, try to find software that scans for IM viruses

  11. Anti-Virus: Free software • Online: • Housecall - http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ • Panda ActiveScan -http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/ • Downloadable: • AVG Free - http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5 • avast! Home Edition - http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html

  12. Spyware: What is it? • Strictly defined, spyware consists of computer software that gathers and reports information about a computer user without the user's knowledge orconsent. • From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  13. Spyware: Problems • Installs without user’s informed consent • Invades privacy and steals bandwidth • Often causes system instability • Crashes • Hanging • Slowing • May modify shared files • Causing other applications to fail • Making spyware difficult to remove • Interrupting Internet connectivity

  14. Spyware: Remedies • Numerous Anti-spyware programs and removal tools • Spybot Search and Destroy: • http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html • Adaware: • http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ • MS Anti-Spyware: • http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx • Various Anti-Virus programs

  15. Spyware: Prevention • Spyblaster: • http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html • Disabling Active-X • Using only reputable sources for software • Updating Software to fix known vulnerabilities • Windows operating systems • Browser software

  16. E-mail • Most frequently used tool • One of the most vulnerable tools “out of the box” • Issues • HTML • Attachments

  17. E-mail: Attachments • Never open any unsolicited attachments • Do not trust attachments from known parties • Scan all attachments • Executable code • Macros • Never open attachments that are programs (.bat, .chm, .cmd, .com, .exe, .hta, .ocx, .pif, .scr, .shs, .vbe, .vbs, or .wsf).

  18. How to see file extensions • In ME, 2000, and XP: • Open My Computer • Choose Tools | Folder Options • Choose the View Tab • Uncheck: Hide file extensions for known file types • Click OK

  19. Email: Spam • Never respond to spam • Signals a “live” e-mail address • May be added to list and sold • Consequence: MORE spam!

  20. E-mail: Phishing • The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identify theft • Microsoft, your bank, AOL, PayPal will never send you announcements about updates---and neither will most businesses. If unsure, use the telephone!

  21. Web: The World Wide Web • World Wide Web brought color, pictures, and motion to the Internet • Browser: Software application used to access the World Wide Web • Internet Explorer • Firefox • Opera • Popularity of WWW means that it’s a favorite for malicious activities

  22. Web: Making it safer • Consider disabling AutoComplete • anyone at your computer will be able to easily see where you've been on the Web • worse yet, anyone at your computer will be able to easily impersonate you at Web sites that require you to input information • In IE • Select Tools and choose "Internet Options ..." • Click the "Advanced" tab. • Scroll down and uncheck the box next to "Use inline AutoComplete for Web addresses".

  23. Web: Signals of secure site • Look for a site that uses a secure channel for transmission of credit card information • Key clues: • https • Locked padlock

  24. Test Browser Security • Jason’s Toolbox: • Online test of browser security • Leads you through each step • http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/BrowserSecurity/

  25. The Internet: A huge network • When you connect to the Internet, your computer is connected to all the other computers---and the good and bad users behind them • Understanding a little about that communication will help you to understand the need for something called a Firewall

  26. IP Addresses • IP or Internet addresses are like addresses for buildings • If you know the address of a building, you can locate it and send it information • If you know the address for a computer, you can send it information • Fortunately, we don’t have to remember the numbers because of an Internet service called Domain Name System which translates for us!

  27. Firewalls: Filters for packets • A firewall is a piece of software or hardware, which stands between two networks or computers and controls access between them • Controls the traffic flow in and out of networks or computers based on IP Addresses and Port numbers

  28. Router (Hardware ) • Hides your computer from the Internet • Internet address is given to your router • Computer receives a private Internet address • The harder you are to find, the harder it will be for someone—or something—to hurt you! • A must for broadband (cable/dsl) Internet connections • Key: Change the default password!

  29. Personal Firewalls (software) • Watches information going in and out of the computer – but you decide • Will allow you to monitor programs • Allow only programs of which you are sure • Watch for outgoing programs (e.g.,spyware) • Know how to shutdown Internet connectivity

  30. Personal Firewalls - Software • Zone Alarm • http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp • Sygate Personal Firewall • http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm

  31. Test Your System • HackerWacker: • http://hackerwhacker.com:4000/freetools.php • ShieldsUp: • http://www.grc.com/default.htm

  32. Online Resource • www.iccb.org/pchelp

  33. Questions Todd W. Jorns (217) 785-0144 Todd.Jorns@illinois.gov

More Related