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Security
Checkup
Help Desk USA, Inc. technicians are certified to
secure your systems. Call today for a FREE Internet
security evaluation.
What is computer security?
Computer security is the process of preventing and
detecting intrusions into your computer system.
Prevention measures help you keep intruders from
accessing any part of your computer system. Detection
helps you to determine whether or not someone attempted
to break into your system, whether or not they were
successful, and what they may have done.
Why should I care about computer security?
We now use computers for everything from banking
and investing to shopping and communicating with
others through email or chat programs. Although
you may not consider your communications "top
secret," you probably do not want strangers
reading your e-mail, using your computer to attack
other systems, send forged email from your computer,
or examining personal information such as financial
statements.
Who would want to break into my computer?
Unauthorized people who try to break into computers,
either in a local network or using the Internet
are called intruders. They may not care about your
identity. Often they want to gain control of your
computer so they can use it to launch attacks on
other computer systems. Having control of your computer
gives them the ability to hide their true location
as they launch attacks, often against high-profile
computer systems such as government or financial
systems. Even if you have a computer connected to
the Internet only to play the latest games or to
send email to friends and family, your computer
may be a target.
Other intruders cause trouble by reformatting your
hard drive, changing your data, or by watching all
your actions on the computer.
How easy is it to break into my computer?
Unfortunately, intruders are always discovering
new vulnerabilities (informally called "holes")
to exploit in computer software. The complexity
of software makes it increasingly difficult to fully
test. When holes are discovered, computer vendors
will make patches to fix them. However, it is up
to the user to find and install the patches. Most
of the incident reports of computer break-ins received
at Help Desk USA, Inc. could have been prevented
if system administrators and users kept patches
up-to-date.
Also, some software applications have default settings
that allow other users to access your system unless
you reconfigure the settings. Examples include chat
programs that let outsiders execute commands on
your system or Web browsers that could allow someone
to place harmful programs on your computer that
run when you click on them.
What types of threats are out there?
Trojan Horse
Trojan horse programs are a common way for intruders
to trick you into installing "back door"
programs that allow intruders easy access to your
system without your knowledge, change system configurations,
or infect your computer with a computer virus.
Back Door and Remote Administration Programs
On Windows systems, two tools commonly used by intruders
are BackOrifice and Netbus. These are known as back
door or remote administration programs; once installed,
they allow other people to access and control your
computer. Our technicians are trained to identify
and remove these malicious programs from your computer.
Denial of Service
Another form of attack is called a Denial of Service
(DOS) attack. This type of attack causes your computer
to crash or to become so overloaded that you are
unable to use it. In most cases, the latest patches
will prevent the attack.
What can I do to better secure a computer running
Windows 95/98/NT/XP?
Prevention
The best way to secure your computer is to prevent
intruders from attacking your system in the first
place. To do this, install current patches for your
operating system and your applications. Beyond patches,
be aware of the types of attacks and vulnerabilities
used by intruders, install only the applications
you really need, and back up your data regularly.
Firewall
As there is an increase in digital subscriber line
(DSL), cable modems, and T1 lines, more computers
are constantly connected to the Internet. Consider
setting up a firewall to prevent intruders from
breaking into your computer. We offer inexpensive
firewalls for your home office and stronger firewalls
for your business.
Virus Protection
Computer viruses are another wide spread problem.
They spread easily through floppy disks, email,
or by programs downloaded from the Internet. They
can cause problems ranging from reformatting your
hard drive to changing data. Once created, viruses
spread without help from their creators. You can
get them from people at the office, using computers
at school, or in a document emailed to you by a
friend.
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