There's been a lot of talk in the press lately about the security
of computers on the Internet, and with good reason.
Unfortunately, most reporting on the subject fails to make the
distinction between the vulnerability of personal vs. corporate
computers; and this leads to a great deal of misplaced concern.
The single most important security issue the individual Internet
user needs to understand is that the vast majority of computer
vandalism is perpetrated against corporate machines - those that
are connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.
The reason for this is simple: constant Internet connections have
a fixed "IP Address" (an identifying "location" on the web) which
presents "hackers" with a fixed target. This means that those
with ill-intent can spend hours, days or even months trying to
commandeer these systems.
By contrast, the typical individual user accesses the Internet
through a "dial-up" account. The key difference is that your
personal computer is assigned a temporary IP Address each and
every time you "connect" to the Internet through your ISP. Each
time you connect, you get a different IP Address. For all
intensive purposes, you're a constantly moving target; difficult
to attack and really not of much interest to the average hacker.
As such, you're primary vulnerability is limited to your
computer's network settings. If you simply go to the "Network
Settings" section of your "Control Panel" (Windows users) and
ensure that your "file and print sharing" are disabled, you
won't have much to worry about.
Extra Protection
On the other hand, if you are accessing the Internet via a cable or
DSL connection, (or potentially if you simply never disconnect your
"dial-up" account) then you most likely do have a permanent IP
Address, and should take additional steps to protect your system.
Not to worry, protection is neither difficult nor expensive!
The two most common tools for protecting systems with fixed IP
Addresses are the ZoneAlarm from http://www.zonelabs.com and
BackIce Defender from http://www.networkice.com
While they approach the problem of Internet security in slightly
different ways, both have been highly reviewed in the popular
computer magazines.
For a couple of reasons, my personal preference is the ZoneAlarm.
It's free to personal users, and can be used by corporate users free
of charge for 60 days. It's very easy to install and configure, and
it allows me to choose which of my software applications are allowed
to access the Internet - sure fire protection from an number of
threats, including Trojan Horses that can be sent via email.
For a bit more sophisticated user, BlackIce Defender not only
protects against Internet intrusions, but can create log files that
can help trace hackers and thus is probably more likely to be of
value to network administrators or small corporate users. At $39.95
it's an incredible value to the security conscious!
Also See:
How to Handle Theft of Your Content
Published: February 21, 2000
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