Shielding your Computer and Being a Good Citizen

Running software that protects your PC is no longer optional.
If you don't, you're part of the problem.
- Konstantinos Karagiannis

 I'm sure you've seen or been affected by the rash of computer viruses that have been showing up lately.  I just checked the activity log of the anti-virus program on my laptop, and in the last week I received 43 virus-laden e-mails.  And I'm sure you've been affected by the ever-growing amount of spam to hit your Inbox.  I usually receive about 150 e-mails a day, of which about 10 are e-mails I want. 

No doubt you've been seeing lots of pop-up windows when browsing the Internet.  These annoying pop-ups are caused by spyware, which can also slow down your computer. And are you aware of the number of computers that are trying to get inside of your computer?  Spyders are programs that crawl the web finding out which computers are vulnerable.

These four types of programs (virus, spam, spyware and spyders) are a fact of everyday computing.  It is your responsibility to keep them out of your computer.  If you don't take care of your computer, you could be making the problem worse for everyone else.

If your computer gets infected, it then sends the infection to other computers.  Your PC can act like a mail server sending out gobs of spam, or it can contribute to a coordinated attack on a specific web site.  I'll discuss these four forms of malware and show you how to keep them off of you computer.  This is so you can be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

Anti-virus Software: Your First Line of Defense

Everybody knows about anti-virus software.  But do you know if your software is working and up-to-date?  Myth:  My computer came with an anti-virus program already installed, so my computer is protected.  Fact: These anti-virus programs need to be activated and updated, so unless these steps were done, your computer may be completely vulnerable to becoming infected.

Myth:  I activated and updated my anti-virus program, so my computer is protected forever.  Fact:  Most anti-virus programs that come on new computers are trial versions with a subscription lasting only 90 days or so.  Brand new anti-virus programs come with one-year subscriptions.  When the subscription expires, your program is no longer updated.  This means that the program will not protect your computer from new viruses. 

So every year you need to either renew your subscription or buy a new program.  It's just a cost of being on the Internet, like changing the oil in your car.  We recommend alternating between purchasing a new program one year, then renewing the subscription the next year.  And we recommend Norton AntiVirus û it receives more awards than McAfee VirusScan.

Spam: It's Not Just for Lunch Anymore

My definition of spam is any e-mail that I receive that I don't want.  That kind of slippery definition makes it impossible for any spam-blocking program to be 100% accurate.  Either it will not detect e-mail as spam that I think is spam (false negative), or it will flag e-mail as spam when I really want it (false positive).  Most new programs learn and improve their effectiveness over time.  You can also tell them to flag e-mails that contain certain words or phrases as either spam or not spam.

Since I receive so much spam, I really enjoy using the Norton AntiSpam program.  It flags e-mails that it thinks are spam by adding Spam Alert: to the heading of the e-mail.  I added a rule to my e-mail program that automatically redirects any e-mail starting with Spam Alert: to a separate Spam folder.  Every so often I quickly go through the Spam folder to make sure it doesn't contain any false positives before I delete the whole lot. If I do see a false positive, then I modify the AntiSpam program to not flag e-mails coming from that individual or web site.

Spyware: The New Kid on the Block

The difference between spyware and viruses is rather small.  They are similar programs that are spread in similar ways (e-mails, web sites, etc.).  But the main difference is that viruses are built to damage your computer or to cause problems, while spyware are built to track what you're doing and where you're going for marketing purposes.  Spyware is made for people who want to sell you something. 

There are lots of different spyware programs that work in lots of different ways.  But they all track where you surf on the Web and report that information back to their owners.  Then the owners can automatically send you e-mails (spam) or pop-up windows on your screen.  These spyware programs can really slow down your computer since they're always reporting back to their owners with more information, or receiving information from the owners to make more pop-ups.

The new Norton AntiVirus 2004 program is the first version that also detects and removes spyware.  A very good free program is Spybot û Search & Destroy, which you can get from www.shareware.com.  It can immunize your computer so the spyware won't come back, but you have to manually update and run it every month or so.

Firewalls to Stop those Pesky Spyders

Some spyders are very good û Google uses them to search the Web to catalog new or changed web sites.  But others ones are very bad.  To keep these programs from delving into your computer, you need a firewall.  It acts like a barrier between your computer and the Internet.

There are two kinds of firewalls: software or hardware.  Software firewalls are programs that monitor all of the information coming into and going out of your computer.  They then ask you if you want the communication to continue.  The problem with software firewalls is that if you answer the question incorrectly, you either allow a bad program into your computer (false negative) or stop something you want from going out (false positive).  I have encountered several situations where the computer was completely messed up because the user answered the questions incorrectly.

We recommend a hardware firewall such as a Linksys router for anyone who has a high-speed Internet connection (DSL or cable).  It automatically prevents any incoming attempts to detect your computer, while allowing all outgoing messages to proceed unimpeded.  It is relatively inexpensive (less than $100), easy to install, is required when sharing a high-speed Internet connection between several computers, and can be used to protect just one PC. 

A dial-up analog modem does not need a firewall, since it gets a new IP address every time it connects to the Internet Service Provider.  Windows XP includes a built-in software firewall that is pretty good since it works well without asking a lot of questions.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Safe computing isn't just good for you and your PC; it also reduces problems for everyone else.  Your computer really can affect other people's computers.

For the best protection while being easy to use, we recommend Norton Internet Security 2004 by Symantec.  It includes the AntiVirus program, a pop-up stopper, a personal firewall (not necessary to activate if you have a hardware firewall or router), Privacy Control (prevents confidential information from being sent out without your permission), AntiSpam, and Parental Control (also not necessary to activate).  Symantec also makes a variety of similar programs for businesses with file servers.  Linksys has different routers for single PCs, Local Area Networks (LANs), wireless networks, and phoneline networks.