Computer Security Computer Security Introduction But there is a big difference between this  and other more natural bad things.  Accidents are just that - accidents. But on  the internet, there are a lot of bad people, or  more accurately, programs created by bad  people, that are trying very hard to do any  manner of things to your computer.   When most people buy a new computer, it  will often come with a trial version of anti  virus, or anti virus / firewall software (you  need both).  This software should be set to  update itself regularly, as new threats  appear on the internet literally on an hourly  basis. Then the trial runs out and the owner  does nothing about it. And continues to use  the internet.   Recent versions of Windows (XP, Vista &  Windows 7) are very good at nagging you to  get the required software and keep it up to  date, but it’s worrying how often people  think that someone just wants to make  money out of them. It’s because it’s  essential, that’s why! You also shouldn’t be  using a version of Windows older than XP  Service Pack 3. WIndows 7 is ideal.  The Computer Security works on multiple levels. The first  thing that needs to be done is to make sure  that the operating system (OS) on the  computer is up to date. Again, Microsoft do a  good job of alerting the user when updates  are ready. They should always be done,  because these updates are almost always  done to plug security holes that have been  found.  Also, you should always make sure that you  have the latest versions of the software that  you are using, since this, like anything on  your computer, can have security holes that  will let the bad guys in.  Gone Phishing Email is a favourite way for the bad guys to  get access to your computer. They do it  using a technique called phishing - no, that  isn’t a mistake. They will typically send you  an email which they hope you will find  enticing enough to open. It will purport to  be from your bank, perhaps. (It won’t. They  never send unsolicited emails.)   Or it could be a rich Nigerian official who  needs your help with moving large amounts  of money - for a big fee to you, of course. All  you have to do is give him your bank  account details! Usually, it’s pretty obvious  that these emails are spam. But for someone who is new to computing,  all this may be anything but obvious. So  they need something to help them stay safe.  And this is where a good Internet Security  program comes in.   It goes both ways The most important reason, though, for   keeping your computer safe is not the above,  it’s so that your computer isn’t being used as  part of what is known as a ‘Botnet’. These are  large collections of private computers that  are being used without the owners  knowledge to spy on, infect or otherwise  harm other people’s machines. These botnets  are very big, very real and very dangerous. To  use an indelicate but accurate analogy; if  you’re going to an orgy you take a condom.  That way, you can’t catch anything, but also  you can’t give anything you’ve got to  someone else! Internet Security There are 3 main types of security programs;  firewalls, anti virus and Internet Security  products, which are a combination of the  other two. And that is what you want.   Imagine a brick wall - a ‘firewall’ - between  your computer and the Internet.  The  programs on your computer communicate  with the world through the wall, using a  series of numbered ‘ports’; a message  arriving at a given port is meant for a  particular program, and so on.   Imagine each brick is a port, with a number  on it. When a message comes in, the firewall  reads the destination port number, and then  consults a set of rules to see if that message  is allowed through. If it is, then the port  opens, and the message continues to its  destination. However, the firewall doesn’t  check what the content of the messages  might be. That’s for the antivirus component.  This uses a combination of techniques and  analysis of what a program is doing to decide  if it needs to take action to stop something  bad. Kaspersky  Our favourite is Kaspersky Internet Security.   It combines antivirus, firewall, anti-phishing  and many other abilities with an easy-to-use  interface. You will find that there is almost  nothing that you need to change because it  has all the most common settings already  done right out of the box. But it can be easily  customised if need be. It updates itself every  hour of the year, and their support people are  on the ball, unlike a lot of other companies.   We once contacted them on Xmas Day to see  if anyone was there. We got an email reply in  less than 5 minutes!   That’s how good they are. So we were hooked  from that moment on.  Frankly, even if you are using some other  antivirus / firewall / Internet Security  software, we think that when it comes to the  end of its’ license, you should uninstall it and  replace it with K.I.S. We doubt if you’ll be  sorry. Just click the banner below and you’ll soon be  protected by the latest just-released version,  Kaspersky Internet Security 2011.  Computer Security is one of those things that people seem to think involves bad things they read about, but will never happen to them - like car crashes, and so on. Remember: Safety isn’t just about having an internet security product. The bad guys are always looking for ways to exploit the software on your machine. And as they find a hole, so it gets plugged, in a never-ending battle. It’s especially important that your web browser is the most recent version. In particular, if you are using any version of Internet Explorer other than version 8, you are in great danger, and so are others, because your machine is easily compromised. You must upgrade at once, preferably to FireFox! HCR 07838 23 63 25 Click here to email us