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The Security Checklist
The following items are a
standard part of a good security configuration.
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Internet Security Suite
- The time has passed when running anti-virus software was enough to secure
your computer. You need to upgrade to an integrated security suite of
products. I have run Norton, McAfee, Panda, CA e-Trust, and they are
all fine products. My personal recommendation is
Zone Alarm Internet
Security Suite by Zone Labs. Zone Labs was purchased by
CheckPoint, a well know firewall manufacturer. They have been awarded
an Editor's Choice rating by PC Magazine many times for being the best
product of their type. you can purchase this product from me for $50,
a significant discount over their regular price of $69.95. If you
prefer to purchase from them directly, use this
link to save
$10. Please note - you can only run one anti-virus product.
Trying to install more than one creates system conflicts. The Internet security suite version provides a comprehensive
protection package including:
For a look at how much Norton and McAfee cause your computer to start more
slowly, see the article at
The PC Spy.
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Automatic Updates - You
need to make sure both Windows Update Service and the automatic updater for your
Security Suite are turned on and set to update at a time of day when you
computer is likely to be on. This setting can be changed in the Control
Panel. Zone Alarm will check for updates whenever you are connected to the
Internet.
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Automatic
Virus and Spyware Scans - Typically, your security suite will be set up to
perform automatic scans at 2 a.m. If your computer is not on at that time,
no scan is performed. You need to change the scanning time to a time your
computer is likely to be on, and change the interval from once a week to daily.
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Log on Credentials -
Create user IDs and passwords for each computer user. Most
computers you purchase at retail will boot straight into Windows without
requiring a User ID and Password. If you don't need a password, a cracker
will not either, so this is a setting that must be changed. You can create
user accounts and passwords in the Control Panel. Use the link to learn
how to create a bullet proof password. Passwords should be at least 7 characters long with a combination of upper and
lower case letter, numbers, and symbols (_- ! @ # $ %
& *). A hacker would have try over 8 trillion combinations to
crack your password and access the operating system.
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Additional Spyware Removal Tools
- The spyware scanning tools in most of the security suites are not fully effective,
yet. You can have several spyware removers running without creating a
conflict. Some of the best
products are:
 You need to take care, many
of the "free"
spyware removal tools, especially those you can link to from pop up ads, are
actually spyware themselves. When in doubt, do a Google or MSN search
on their name, and read the reviews.
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Leave Your Computer On All The Time (courtesy of PC
Magazine)
It's common to find security advice to turn off your computer when you're
not using it. The idea is that the more you are connected to the Internet,
the more time attackers have to work on your system.
This is turning out to be bad advice, at least from a security standpoint.
In fact, by shutting down your computer for hours at a time you are
increasing the vulnerability of the system at the time you turn it back on.
The longer it is off, the more vulnerable it will be when it comes back on.
Why? Because when the system is off your security software cannot update
itself. When you turn your system back on, if there is a relatively new
attack underway, the odds are reasonably good that your computer will be
attacked before it has a chance to update itself. On the other hand,
anti-virus companies and Microsoft usually have fixes available for
vulnerabilities before you are likely to encounter them.
So, ironically, you're better off, from a security standpoint, leaving the
system on, as long as your security update subscriptions are up to date.
This is a separate issue from whether you believe that it's better for
computers, from a wear and tear standpoint, to be on all the time or turned
off periodically, and certainly separate from the environmental and power
cost issues.
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