Home Computer Security Desktop Network Services Tom Ishimitsu Beth Tillinghast March 10, 2004

Why protect my computer at home? Intruders want access to your stored information: •credit card numbers •bank account information •social security numbers Identity theft is stealing another person’s identity, usually to leverage the victim’s credit rating to obtain personal loans, credit cards,or instant credit, and run up debts that are never repaid. Money can even be siphoned directly from a victim’s existing bank account. Social Security numbers might be used to establish identity by those entering the U.S. illegally for employment, renting an apartment or for utilities, or for establishing credit.

Why protect my computer at home? Intruders want your computer’s resources •your hard disk space •your fast processor •your Internet connection for attacking other computers on the Internet.

Your goal should be to keep intruders and their programs off of your computer!

How do they break into your computer? Via email with attachments containing a virus Via a weakness in a program that you have installed on your computer Via files that you might download off of the Internet

The First Step in creating a safe computing environment is to understand how the Internet and some of its technologies work.

Background on the Internet What is the Internet? Computer to Computer Communication Internet Protocols

How can Anti-virus programs help to secure my home computer? Install and use anti-virus programs Program looks at a virus signature and decides what to do with the file Update your anti-virus program as it includes the most recent set of virus signatures Besides checking specific files, schedule all of your files for periodic checks by the program

Steps in evaluating anti-virus programs: Demand: Can you check a file on demand? Update: Can you update the virus signature automatically? Respond: What are all the ways that you can respond to an infected file? Can the program clean a file? Check: Can you check every file that gets to your home computer? Automatically? Heuristics: Does the virus check do heuristics tests?

How can Patches help to secure my home computer? Regularly install patches for important programs and the operating system Free patches from vendors’ Web sites Sign up to receive patch notices via email Automatic updates bundled in program Warning about patches The “Undo” feature

Windows Update

Office Update

How can email awareness help to secure my home computer? Use care when reading email with attachments Social Engineering technique Know: Do you know the sender? Received: Have you received email from them before? Expect: Were you expecting email with an attachment from this sender? Sense: Does the contents in the Subject line make sense?

How can Backups help to secure my home computer? Make Backups of Important Files and Folders What files should you back up? How often should you back them up? What should you back them up to? Where should you store the media?

To start Backup, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.

How can Passwords help to secure my home computer? Use a unique password with every account you have Strong: Is it as strong (length and content) as the rules allow? Unique: Is the password unique and unrelated to any of your other passwords? Practical: Can you remember it without writing it down? Recent: Have you changed it recently?

Taking care when downloading and installing programs can help to secure my computer. How do you decide if a program is what it says and how do you gauge the risk of running a program? Learn as much as you can about the product before you purchase it. Understand the refund/return policy. Buy from a local store or a national chain with an established reputation.

What about free programs? Which programs deserve your confidence and are worth the risk of installing and running? What does the program do? You should be able to read a clear description of what the program does. What changes are made on your system when the program is installed? Who is the author? Contact this person for verification. Learn what you can from others about the program before you install it.

Installing and using a Firewall Program. Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall Zone Alarm Hardware vs. Software based firewalls

Using Encryption Programs and Access Why encryption? HTTPS, SSH, SFTP PGP

25 Steps to Safe Computing 1. Turn off file sharing 2. Enable Windows Logon 3. Don’t use Administrator account as an everyday account 4. Use strong passwords 5. Install a NAT/router for DSL/Cable connections

25 Steps to Safe Computing 6. Install a personal firewall 7. Install a real-time anti-virus checker 8. If you use IE, set security settings for the Internet Zone to High 9. Use Mozilla or Opera instead of IE 10. Turn off preview mode in Outlook Express

25 Steps to Safe Computing 11. Don’t download free software, especially from Kazaa or Morpheus 12. Don’t use free “download assist” programs 13. Don’t use RealPlayer 14. Run WindowsUpdate frequently 15. Run spyware removal tools

25 Steps to Safe Computing 16. Update IE/OE to the latest version 17. Never reply to spam or unsolicited email 18. Avoid posting your email address anywhere on the Internet 19. Use secure Webmail 20. Turn off html email in OE

25 Steps to Safe Computing 21. Avoid opening unknown email attachments 22. Don’t let anyone connect to your network 23. Change .vbs file type to open with notepad 24. Change View to show all hidden files 25. Change View to show file extensions

Resources Home Computer Security Home User Security: Your First Defense National Cyber Security Alliance The Simplest Security: A Guide To Better Password Practices Stomp the Identity Thieves