|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Internet Security: Are You Armed?When I think of Internet Security I think of 'a bicep,' or A.B.I.C.E.P. Why? Your computer has to be strong against the dangers that can take all the fun out of surfing on the Web. (Yeah, I know ... it's cheesy, but most acronyms are!) I still remember my first 'newbie' days on the Internet. I didn't know where to begin! I soon realized that instead of bumbling around, I should, ironically, first read up on it. That help-book led to 'computer tips' sites; those led to 'surfing tips' sites; and eventually I discovered the 'be very careful on the Internet' sites! No worries! The only dangerous thing about using the Internet
is ignorance. And ignorance is only dangerous when it's not recognized!
I sincerely hope my explanations of what 'a bicep' stands for will help
you as much as learning about them has helped me. After all, without the Web
I never would have met you!
We've all read the headlines, but it's a shame there isn't more news coverage of how easy it is to protect your computer from the potential damages caused by viruses. What are they? They are typically self-extracting files that get inside your computer's 'body' and begin rapidly 'infecting' your important files. How important? How about enough to make your machine inoperable? (Which is why backing up your files is so important - more about that later!) The most common way for a virus to enter your computer is via an email attachment. I'll also cover that further, but there are other doors open to them as well. Believe it or not, there are web sites designed by hostile people that only require you to visit them to become infected! You have no idea it's happened until days later when you can't access any of your files! Yikes! I don't mean to frighten you though, because you can easily surf the web, and safely open your email, with no worries when you have anti-virus software installed and properly updated on your computer! These 'white horse' programs know what to look for and are produced by companies that stay in tune with what's happening on the Internet on a minute-by-minute basis. The software works in the background as a type of 'monitor' and quickly brings to your attention any files it believes may be of risk. They can also scan your disks and other removable media, as well as your incoming
email for dangerous hidden files. Products by McAfee
and Symantec's Norton
Antivirus are the two most publicized, but you can check out many anti-virus
options at CNET.com.
(I enjoy CNET because you can read the reviews of both professional critics
and actual users of the products.) Regardless of your final choice, choose
and install one of them today if you haven't already! Please! Pour moi?
How often do you back up your computer files? If you're like I was for way too long, the answer is, "Not often enough!" I'd like to share with you what happened to me personally so you'll understand why backing up files is important. (It was also the inspiration behind my writing this article for you. After all, this is a Walt Disney World information site isn't it? Why all the talk about computer safety?) For over five months in 2001, I spent day after day roaming every inch of Walt Disney World taking as many photos as I could. When I returned to my office in the evening, I uploaded the photos to my computer's hard drive because there were hundreds of them each day! If the weather wasn't nice, I would stay in the office all day and evening and use that time to optimize the photos so they were as pretty as possible. It's amazing how much digital pictures need to be tweaked before they are truly ready for publication. You also have to make their file sizes smaller so users that access the Internet through dial-up modems don't wait forever for each page to load! (They won't!) At one point I was finally finished with all my picture taking and TourGuideMiKE.com was ready to open with well over 4,000 photos of everything at the Resort. I believe that visuals are vitally important, and words can never properly convey everything you need to know about an attraction, hotel, restaurant, or activity. One horrible morning I entered my office and quickly noticed a 'burnt plastic' sort of odor. I tried to turn on my powerful, one and a half year old computer and it just sat there. Nothing! Even though I had a top-rated power surge protector, both of my hard drives were somehow completely fried! All of those beautiful, painstakingly prepared photos were gone forever! (And so was most of my written content for the site!) If not for the events I just described, TourGuideMiKE.com would have opened at least seven to nine months earlier. And why did all this happen? Because I had never taken the time to understand how my CD-writing drive worked. I figured that my computer was new and I had a surge-protector, so everything would be fine, wouldn't it? "I'll figure these things out later when I have a chance." Sound familiar? Back up your important files today! Make a new folder in your Documents folder and label it "back up." Copy and paste your important files to it and then burn it to a CD at least every week or so. Too busy? Fine. How about once per month? Take a few moments and think about the number of files, addresses, pictures, letters, etc. that could vanish - forever. All you have to do is right-click over the folder you want to save, select
'copy,' right-click your new 'back up' folder, and then select 'paste.' It only
takes a few minutes! And learn how to use that darn CD-writer if you haven't
already. I was even more frustrated when I later realized how easy it all was!
Please don't allow what happened to me to happen to you!
Your computer comes equipped with thousands of electronic 'openings' called ports. They are necessary to allow software programs to work and interact with the operating system. When you're on the Internet, your computer is only using one of them. However, hackers have programs that can quickly scan your computer from the Internet and look for a way to get inside through any of them. And do you have more than one computer networked together like I do? Once they get inside one, they have access to every file you've decided can be shared between them! Do you use broadband access? We broadband users praise the convenience and speed, but it also means our computers are always exposed to the Internet whether our browser is open or not. Users of dial-up modems are less exposed, because the only time they're vulnerable is when they're actually surfing the Web. Regardless, it only takes a few minutes for an invasive hacker to enter your ports once they discover your IP address! (That's the series of numbers automatically generated by your computer's location when you're surfing.) Wouldn't all this be terrible if there was nothing we could do about it? Again, there is! Install a Firewall. These software programs block unauthorized access to your computer, and can even warn you when someone or something is attempting to scan your computer for openings! ZoneAlarm
is one of the most popular because there's a free version for personal home
use. You might also have a look at this list of Firewalls available on ZDNet.com,
another computer-help site that's a favorite of mine! Once again, you can read
reviews from users like yourself before you decide which one is best for you.
The 'Internet World' changes daily, and that's one of the things I enjoy most about it! The negative side is that the dangerous activities of hackers do as well. For this reason, the makers of your computer's operating system (OS) and the browser you use to access the Internet constantly improve them to keep you protected. These two systems are made up of thousands of pages of complex code. You should understand that the word 'hacker' does not always mean a bad person. Some people make it a hobby to find 'security holes' in code and Internet sites, and they enjoy notifying the software designers when they do. It's a challenge. When a security risk is discovered, the makers come out with free 'security patches' you can download and install. Most of them are self-installing and only take a few seconds. What is important to realize is that the longer you allow your computer to go without them, the more you are opening yourself up to needless problems. I have Windows XP, so it automatically installs any security updates after letting me know it's ready to do so. If you have Windows and don't have an automatic system setup, please visit the Windows Update site to run a test of your computer. It will quickly scan everything and tell you what you need. (And it also checks Internet Explorer if you have that installed as well.) No matter your OS or browser of choice, please keep them updated! It's free!
Viruses most often enter computers from unsuspecting users that open email attachments. You should never open an email attachment of any kind from someone you do not know! And even if you know the sender, his or her computer could be infected with a virus designed to spread to other computers through the email system. Scary, huh? Well, don't be scared; be smart. Use your Anti-virus software I discussed above to scan any email attachments you receive. I have mine set to scan ALL email that arrives, but you can easily have yours scan any attachment individually. And one more tip! All of my family and friends know to always
inform me in their text that they have attached a file, what its name is, and
what it is. If you ever receive an attachment from someone you know and they
haven't even mentioned it, you may have a virus waiting to unleash itself on
your computer! Don't think about opening it unless you scan it first with up-to-date
anti-virus software!
More and more sites are utilizing user names and passwords to allow registered visitors to access special content or features. My TourGuideMiKE Automated Vacation Planner™ is an excellent example! I've made my public site as helpful as I can for basic information, but my A.V.P. users have access to a completely different site with fully automated features and valuable content! Please review the following tips to keep your passwords safe and secure:
Now that you know what A.B.I.C.E.P.
is all about, I hope you will use this information to keep your Web
surfing safe and secure!
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Are
you using a public or office computer? Don't forget to log out of
any site that requires a password to enter it. Someone can use
the computer after you and simply use the browser's 'back' button to
return to your private information! (And be sure that if a public
computer asks you if you want it to remember the password, the answer
is always, "No!")
