Internet Safety

Internet Safety
Keeping Your Computer Safe on the

Internet
Patrimonio | Dreamstime.com
Secure your computer

before it's too late.
by
Leo A. Notenboom
http://ask-leo.com
v1.01
Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet
2008 - Leo A. Notenboom - http://ask-leo.com
Page 1
Copyright and Disclaimer

The ebook is protected by US and International copyright law, and is
Copyright 2008 by Leo A. Notenboom and Puget Sound Software, LLC,
all rights are reserved.
Having said that, this ebook is FREE. If you wish, you are free to share
this ebook with others as long as you share it:
In its entirety (the whole book and only the whole book)
In its original form (no changes are made and no markups are
added)
You may not charge for this ebook when you share it. Furthermore, you
may not incorporate this ebook into any product or collection that is not
free.
This book is based on my experience and anecdotal evidence. I've tried to
ensure that everything written here is as accurate as possible at the time
of publication, but I cannot assume any responsibility for mistakes or
omissions.
On top of that, I know nothing about your specific computer, your specific
experience and your specific abilities to understand and act appropriately
on the information herein.
The bottom line is that you, and only you, are responsible for using this
information appropriately, safely and as you see fit, and for any of the
consequences of having done so.
Note that any trademarks, service marks, or product names are the
property of their respective owners. There is no implied endorsement
when I reference something by name. Endorsements, if any, will be clear
and quite explicit.
Finally, this book is intended to inform and entertain, but it's still not a
replacement for common sense.

Page 2
Contents
1.Virii & Spyware & Worms ... oh my! ................................................ 4
2.Use a Firewall .............................................................................. 6
What's a firewall, and how do I set one up? ...................................... 7
Do I need a firewall, and if so, what kind? ........................................ 9
Do I need SP2's Windows firewall or not? ........................................11
3.Scan for Viruses ..........................................................................12
Viruses: How do I keep myself safe from viruses? ...........................13
I run anti-virus software, why do I still sometimes get infected? .........16
When do I actually need to run a virus scan? ...................................18
4.Kill Spyware ...............................................................................19
How do I remove and avoid spyware? .............................................20
So just how sneaky can spyware be? ..............................................22
5.Stay Up-To-Date .........................................................................23
How do I make sure that Windows is up-to-date? .............................24
6.Get Educated ..............................................................................26
Phishing? What's Phishing?...........................................................27
How do I get rid of all this spam?!?! ...............................................29
7.Secure Your Mobile Connection......................................................31
How do I stay safe in an internet cafe? ...........................................32
Can hackers see data going to and from my computer?.....................34
8.Don't forget the physical ..............................................................35
How can I keep data on my laptop secure? ......................................36
What backup program should I use? ...............................................38
That's It, And Yet... ........................................................................40

Page 3
1.
Virii & Spyware & Worms ... oh my!
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These days the very concept of "Internet Safety" seems like an oxymoron.
Not a day goes by where we don't hear about some new kind of threat
aimed at wreaking havoc across machines connected to the internet.
While products other than Microsoft's are certainly vulnerable, antiMicrosoft sentiment coupled with the massive installed base make
Microsoft products and irresistible target for hackers and "script kiddies".
In this book we're going to cover the basics - the things you must do, the
software you must run and the concepts you need to be aware of - to
keep your computer and your data safe as you use the internet.
It's not hard, and once things are in place it's not even time consuming.
But it is necessary.
Let's summarize what we're going to cover:

Page 4
Firewalls - the first line of defense protecting your computers from

threats. Without a firewall your computer can be compromised
within seconds of simply being connected to the internet.
Viruses - the threat is real and changing every day. Machines get
infected quickly and easily if you don't take steps to protect
yourself.
Spyware - from popping up annoying ads to capturing your

sensitive data, spyware, much like viruses, continues to be an ongoing and growing threat.
Staying Up To Date - one of the most surprising statistics you'll

hear are how many machines are not protected simply by not being
up to date on patches. Many, if not most, malware infections never
need happen.
Education - Are you the weakest link? All the protective software
and hardware in the world can't protect you from yourself.
Mobile - Portability, Wireless technology and Wi-Fi hotspots open

up an entirely new venue for security and privacy related issues.
Physical - Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of all, a hacker

could "own" your computer in moments in very common and simple
circumstances.
This ebook is based on articles originally published on Ask Leo! which

represent real questions and real problems faced by real people just like
you.
I've collected these articles together to give you an overview of the basics
of what it takes to keep your computer safe.
And I'm giving it away because it's just that important.
And of course I hope that you'll be interested enough in learning more to
come visit Ask Leo! to read more about these topics and much, much
more, or to ask questions of your own.
Let's begin.

Page 5
2.
Use a Firewall
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A firewall is a piece of software or hardware that sits between your

computer and the internet and only allows certain types of things to cross
the wall. For example, a firewall may allow checking email and browsing
the web, but disallow things that are commonly not as useful such as RPC
or "Remote Procedure Calls". In fact, it's vulnerabilities in RPC that
allowed for one of the more recent worms to propagate.

Page 6
What's a firewall, and how do I set one up?

Viruses like the Sasser worm can be prevented simply by using a good
firewall. What's a firewall? Well, in your car it's the "wall" of metal behind
the dashboard between you and the engine that prevents engine fires
from roasting you and your passengers.
A firewall for your computer is much the same - it's to keep you from
getting burned.
A firewall's purpose is very simple: to block or filter certain types of
network traffic from reaching your computer. What do I mean by "certain
types"? There are things you want to get like the pages of web sites you
visit or the software you might download. And then there are other things
you might not want like people accessing your computer remotely or
viruses and worms infecting your machine.
A firewall knows the difference.
Firewalls are also usually configurable; they can allow you to say "this
kind of connection from the outside is OK". A good example is Remote
Desktop. A firewall will by default prevent it from working. But you can
also configure the firewall to allow that type of connection to come
through. That way you would be able to access your computer from
another, across the room, or across the internet. But other types of traffic
like viruses are still blocked.
Some firewalls will also monitor outgoing traffic for suspicious behavior.
One characteristic of many viruses is that once you're infected they
attempt to establish connections to other computers to spread. Many
software firewalls will detect and either warn you or simply prevent it.
And that leads to a very important distinction in firewalls - there are two
types: hardware and software.
A hardware firewall is just that - a

box that sits between you and the
internet that performs the filtering
function. Traffic that is filtered out
never reaches your computer.
Broadband routers perform the
function of a firewall quite nicely and
are typically what I recommend. The
downside for hardware devices is that
most will not filter outgoing traffic.
A software firewall is a program that
runs on your computer, and at the
very lowest level monitors your
If you're using a phone

to dial-in to the
internet, a firewall is
not quite as important,
though it doesn't hurt
to have one. A
software firewall may
be your only option,
though.

Page 7
network traffic. The firewall prevents filtered traffic from getting

through to the operating system. All network traffic reaches your
computer but the firewall prevents your system from actually doing
anything with it.
The good news is that if you're running Windows XP, you already have a
firewall built-in. It's a simple matter of turning it on to get the protection
you're looking for.

Page 8
Do I need a firewall, and if so, what kind?

The very short, very easy answer is: hell yes! With all that's happening on
the internet these days it's simply too risky to sit "naked" on the internet
unless you really know what you're doing.
The real question is: what do you need? It's even possible you already are
behind a firewall and don't need anything additional.
First, realize that a firewall is about protecting you from them, where
"them" means "the malicious folk on the internet". A correctly configured
firewall does not block your access out to the internet so you should be
able to browse the web, for example, without interruption. The firewall
prevents access from somewhere on the internet to you. That's not to say
people can't send you email; they can because you access your mail
through the internet when you retrieve or download it. It does mean that
people can't copy files directly to your PC or cause programs to be run on
your machine.
Step one is to check with your ISP. Some actually do provide a certain
amount of firewalling. AOL, if I'm not mistaken, is a fairly good example:
they've set up their own private network and internet access is tightly
controlled. The good news is that you may be well-protected. The bad
news is that you have no control over it, and you may not be protected
from other AOL users. Most ISPs, however, do not provide any kind of
firewall. What you get from them is a direct connection to the internet.
That gives you the most flexibility and control but it also places the
burden of protection in your lap.
The next question is do you need a hardware or software-based firewall?
In my opinion, if you connect via broadband such as cable or DSL then
there's no question at all: broadband routers are inexpensive and provide
an exceptionally high level of protection out of
the box. They're typically easy to set up and also
Ask Leo! - You can
have the flexibility to be carefully configured for
read more about how
more advanced uses such as running a web
I'd set up a home
server from behind your firewall. I like the
network using a
hardware approach because the routers are
router in the article
devices dedicated to their task and do not
How should I set up
interfere with - nor can they be compromised by
my home network?
- your computer. Remember, a router will work
fine even if you have only one computer.
If you are on dialup or have some other reason for not wanting to go the
hardware route there are software firewalls as well. In fact, Windows XP
includes one by default: on the properties page of any network
Page 9
connection, click the advanced tab and you'll find the Windows Firewall.
Even if you do nothing else and you're not sure what you really want to
do, you should turn this on. Other popular firewalls include ZoneAlarm,
Comodo and BlackIce Defender.
Finally, when you believe you're protected or even if you know you're not
you should visit Gibson Research and run "Shields Up", a vulnerability
analysis. It will try to access and analyze your computer from the internet,
list for you exactly how you are vulnerable, and tell you the potential
steps you can take. It tends to be a little techie but it's worth the effort.

Page 10
Do I need SP2's Windows firewall or not?

There's a lot of misunderstanding about firewalls, routers, and other
security software. Windows XP2 SP2 definitely puts security and
particularly the firewall, "in your face", so it's a great opportunity to find
out what you need and what you don't.
As discussed earlier, a firewall filters incoming traffic. The bottom line is
that a firewall protects you from certain classes of incoming problems.
Everyone should have a firewall of some sort.
In general hardware firewalls, typically provided by NAT routers, keep
malicious traffic from ever reaching your computer, whereas software
firewalls, such as the Windows firewall, discard malicious traffic after it
has actually arrived at your
computer.
But you don't need both.
If you have a router with NAT
enabled, then there's no need to
enable the Windows firewall. In
fact, you can tell the new
Windows Security Center that
you'll manage your firewall
yourself
If you're not behind a router or
other firewall, you'll want to turn
on the Windows firewall. This is
what I do when I take my laptop
with me on the road.
Now, one word that arises when
discussing the difference
between firewalls: "outbound".
Firewalls typically handle
protecting you from incoming traffic. Neither a typical router, nor the
Windows firewall, will filter or manage outgoing traffic. For that you need
either a significantly more expensive industrial strength router, or one of
the more complete firewall and security packages such as ZoneAlarm.
Personally, I'm quite happy behind a router, and if you're behind one, I
don't commonly see a real need for the added expense.

Page 11
3.
Scan for Viruses
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Sometimes, typically via email, viruses (or virii) are able to cross the wall
and end up on your computer anyway. A virus scanner will locate and
remove them from your hard disk. A real time virus scanner will notice
them as they arrive, even before they hit the disk, but at the cost of
slowing down your machine a little.
Important: because new virii are arriving every day, it's important to
keep your virus definitions up-to-date. Be sure to enable the scanning
software's automatic-update feature and have it do so every day.

Page 12
Viruses: How do I keep myself safe from viruses?

Computer viruses are a fact of modern, internet-connected life. At best,
they're annoying performance sucking beasts, but at worst ... kiss all your
data good bye.
We all need to take steps to make sure that our computers are safe, or
we risk infection. Complacency is not an option.
And yet, even after all the news, and all the warnings, and after all this
time...complacency remains all too common.
There are four important steps:
1. Install and Run an Anti-Virus Program
There are many out there.
Personally, I run Computer Associate's eTrust AntiVirus. It was the
corporate standard solution where I used to work, and has served me
exceedingly well for several years now. I have it scheduled to update
signatures and scan every night.
I've also heard good things about Panda Antivirus, AVG Anti Virus, and
Kaspersky Anti-Virus. Symantec maintains one of the best reference sites
for virus related security issues.
Free and On-Line Virus Scanners: I've learned that not all virus scanners
catch all viruses. I recommend having a selection of free virus scanners to
run as a "second tier". AVG has a free product. Trend Micro's Housecall,
and Panda's Active Scan are on-line scanners that download as an ActiveX
control in your browser. Most downloadable virus scanning solutions often
include free trial periods that can also come in handy as one-time secondlevel scans.
2. Update the Anti-Virus Database
Your first step should be to update the virus signature database that came
with the installation. New viruses are being created every day, and the
databases that the anti-virus programs use are being updated as well. You
need to get the latest database for your program right away.
Most of the programs have update functions that will locate, download and
install the latest databases automatically. Make sure that this is enabled.

Page 13
3. Run Regular Scans

Most of the anti-virus programs work automatically. Once installed they
are configured to scan all incoming and outgoing files, and often hook into
your email, in some way, to double check that your received email is clean
as well.
Unless you know what you're doing, make sure that this "real time"
scanning is enabled.
I also recommend periodically running scans of your hard disk(s).
Certainly when you first install the software you should run a full scan.
Then, depending on how heavily used your machine is, you should run a
scan periodically as well.
Some programs will allow you to schedule such a scan to happen
automatically. In my case, for example, since my computers are on 24
hours a day, I schedule full virus scans nightly, while I'm asleep.
4. Keep Windows Up-To-Date
We'll talk more about this later, but visiting Windows Update regularly, or
simply enabling the automatic update feature in Windows is an important
part of avoiding many viruses.
All software has bugs. Some of those bugs
are used to create the exploits that virus
writers take advantage of to create viruses
that can infect your system. As these bugs
are found, Microsoft fixes the affected
components in the operating system, and
makes those fixes available for download
and install using Windows Update.
The "problem", is that even once the bugs
are discovered and publicized, and even
when the fix is available, virus writers get
busy writing viruses that still exploit them.
Why? Because they know not everyone
stays up-to-date.
Ask Leo! - One of the

most popular articles on
Ask Leo! is being read by
thousands of people each
month who are still being
affected by a virus using
an exploit that was
patched over two years
ago:
What are "LSASS",
"LSASS.EXE" and
"Sasser" and how do I
know if I'm infected?
What do I do if I am?
Keep Windows up-to-date. Let someone else

have the "fun" of being infected with the
latest viruses. Visit Windows Update weekly, or enable automatic update.
Additional Notes
Sadly, there is no "best" anti-virus program. Each may miss some
something that the other's catch. That's one of the reasons I list several.
Page 14
The best advice is to use one, any one, and have the others "on call" for
those cases when malware sneaks past the one you use regularly.
If you do install more than one package, you should not enable the "real
time" scanning for more than one at the same time - they will conflict with
each other, and will cause unpredictable results.

Page 15
I run anti-virus software, why do I still sometimes get

infected?
It's a good question. And the answer is partly the nature of anti-virus
software... and partly the nature of "the race".
The Race - And Bad Luck.
I use that term on purpose. Combating viruses is a race between virus
writers looking for vulnerabilities, the team of anti-virus software vendors
looking to catch them, and system software providers looking to plug the
security holes that viruses exploit.
So the first answer boils down to bad luck. It's possible to be doing
everything right, and still get infected if you catch a new virus before your
anti-virus software knows how to detect it and before your system
software has been patched to disable it.
All Anti-Virus Software is the Same, Only Different.
Sadly, as far as I can tell, there's no "best" anti-virus package. Most all of
the name brands are good, but I've not run into one that really stands out
above the crowd as detecting absolutely everything.
What that means to you is that no matter what anti-virus package you
run, it may miss something. Different packages may miss different things,
but there doesn't seem to be a single package you can count on to catch
everything. So it's possible to still get infected even though you're up-todate with your package.
The Internet - Wear Protection Before Touching It
One of the more frustrating scenarios in recent months involves going
through great lengths to clear a machine of viruses, only to get infected
again within seconds of connecting to the internet. Some viruses exploit
operating system vulnerabilities that are present simply by connecting to
the internet. You don't even have time to download your operating system
update, or anti-virus software, before your machine is once again a victim.
As we've already discussed, firewalls help. That's one of the reasons folks
like me harp on putting your computer behind some sort of a firewall.
Firewalls understand the difference between certain types of legitimate
internet traffic, and types that you'd never need. They block out the
unwanted stuff before your computer ever really sees it, or has a chance
to be infected by it.

Page 16
A Virus is a Trojan is a Worm is a Virus

All viruses are not created equal - hence all
Ask Leo! - All the
the different terms used to describe them.
different terms don't help
Some exist merely to propagate, others
clear the confusion
exist to do damage, while still others start
either. If you're curious,
to blur the line between virus and spyware
check out this article on
as they install monitoring or additional
Ask Leo!: What's the
vulnerabilities on your system. Some travel
difference between a
by email, others by downloaded
'Trojan Horse' a 'Worm'
applications, and as we just saw, others can
and a 'Virus'?
travel from unprotected computer to
unprotected computer directly through the internet.
Anti-Virus programs have a hard time protecting you from yourself. For
example, if you open an email attachment you don't recognize and run it,
you may install a virus before your anti-virus software has a chance to
act. If, when downloading a file, you choose to ignore a warning that your
anti-virus package or firewall throws up, you're telling the software that
you know better than it does what is or is not safe. Let's hope you do.
Why?
Why is it like this? It's hard to say. Ask 10 people and you'll get 10
different answers. Hackers with too much free time. Operating systems
that aren't robust enough. Success in the marketplace makes for a bigger
target. And more.
What we do know is that it is like this, and will be for the foreseeable
future. That's why, ultimately, you and I are responsible for keeping our
computers safe on the internet.

Page 17
When do I actually need to run a virus scan?

Virus scanners are best used to prevent viruses from ever reaching your
machine, but this raises an issue that most folks don't realize.
There are two types of scans.
One type of scan is the continuous "real time" scan that watches for
viruses in data as it arrives (or possibly as it leaves) your computer.
Typically the scanner will hook into your network connection and simply
watch the data coming and going to and from your machine, watching for
viruses. If it sees one then it takes action and alerts you. These are
definitely the safest. For example, a virus in a download will be caught
before it's ever had a chance to run on your machine. Some will also
prevent email-borne viruses from arriving in your inbox as well.
It's important that there be only one real time scanner running at a time,
as they can conflict with each other. But one is all you need.
The other type of virus scan is an "on demand", or scheduled scan. This is
when you ask your virus program to scan the contents of your hard disk
for viruses. It then scans your machine, reading every file for possible
viruses. Naturally reading everything on your hard drive can take a little
while.
The free virus scans are typically this type. You initiate a scan, and a while
later the scanner tells you whether or not your machine was infected and
whether or not it was able to remove the infections.
Most anti-virus programs include both types of scans; real-time and ondemand. I advise having a couple of additional on-demand scanners ready
(or at least selected) when it comes time to track down a particularly
nasty virus that perhaps your regular virus scanner misses.
For what it's worth, I normally don't run a real time scan since I'm fairly
well protected in other ways. I do, however, run an on-demand scan
which is scheduled every night.
Critical to all this, of course, is that you make sure that the database of
virus definitions your scanner uses is as up-to-date as possible. I make
sure to downloading the latest database for my anti-virus software every
night.
Whether you run a real-time scanner or a nightly or periodic scan,
remember that it's critical to do something. The days of being blissfully
ignorant about viruses is long past. Without virus protection you are
setting yourself up for some serious problems down the road.

Page 18
4.
Kill Spyware
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Spyware is similar to virii in that they arrive unexpected and unannounced

and proceed to do something undesired. Normally spyware is relatively
benign from a safety perspective, but it can violate your privacy by
tracking the web sites you visit, or add "features" to your system that you
didn't ask for. The worst offenders are spyware that hijack normal
functions for themselves. For example, some like to redirect your web
searches to other sites to try and sell you something. Of course some
spyware is so poorly written that it might as well be a virus, given how
unstable it can make your system. The good news is that, like virus
scanners, there are spyware scanners that will locate and remove the
offending software

Page 19
How do I remove and avoid spyware?

It's a modern scourge. It's certainly on the top 5 list of topics I deal with
on a regular basis. Some actually live up to the name - "spy" ware that
actually monitors what you do. Others are worse: acting almost like
viruses, hijacking your web browser, popping up ads, or just generally
wreaking havoc. Unfortunately the reality is that it requires vigilance on
everyone's part to control it.
Besides taking normal precautions, you must scan for spyware.
There are three important steps:
1. Install and Run an Anti-Spyware Program
There are many out there, but popular recommendations usually boil
down to:
Windows Defender - Microsoft's entry has received good reviews and

some are reporting that it's catching more spyware than other
entries in the anti-spyware arena. It's free.
Spybot Search and Destroy - Spybot is free and does a great job of
ferreting out and removing spyware. Spybot is one of the most
commonly recommended tools when people are dealing with
spyware issues. It also includes options that will help "immunize" or
prevent certain types of spyware issues from occurring in the first
place.
Lavasoft's Adaware - Adaware is the other most commonly

recommended anti-spyware tool. Adaware's personal edition is free
for non-commercial use.
Download and install the package of your choice. Now. Before you forget.
2. Update the Spyware Database
Your first step should be to update the spyware database that came with
the installation. New spyware is being created every day, and databases
the anti-spyware programs use are being updated as well. You need to get
the latest database for your anti-spyware program right away.
Most of the programs have update functions that will locate, download,
and install the latest databases automatically. Microsoft's anti-spyware
program will do it automatically for you.

Page 20
3. Run Regular Scans

Some of the anti-spyware programs don't work automatically - you have
to run scans regularly yourself. Do it at least weekly. Use that as an
opportunity to make sure that the databases is updated as well.
If your scanner supports scheduling, as some do, make sure to set that up
so that the spyware scans happen regularly.
Additional Notes
Some programs support advanced forms of protection that can prevent
spyware from installing. For example they may lock your browser home
page so that it cannot be changed, or can't be changed without your
approval. These techniques are very valuable, and I recommend turning
them on.
Sadly, there is no "best" anti-spyware program. Each of them will miss
some spyware that the others catch. That's one of the reasons I list
several. The best advice is to use one, any one, and have the others "on
call" for those cases when spyware sneaks past the one you use regularly.

Page 21
So just how sneaky can spyware be?

I was asked the following question:
Suppose someone had an MSN instant message conversation on a
computer that had spyware on it (unbeknownst to them). Could a
hacker access these messages, without access to the computer that
had the spyware on it, where the messages were sent from? In
other words, from an unrelated computer source?
The scenario you outline is a little unclear, but the short answer is
probably ...
Yes
Most of what we call spyware is relatively benign. Annoying and intrusive,
but not particularly malicious.
Then there's the other kind.
To get to your question, it is very
possible that spyware could, while you
are conversing in an instant messaging
program:
Write your conversations to a

hidden file and leave open a "back
door" that allows the hacker to
retrieve that file at a later date.
Intercept everything you type and

everything you receive, and send a
copy to another computer
somewhere else on the internet as
you type it.
Or any of a number of other

things...
Ask Leo! - Good Spyware?

There are commercially
available packages that can
be used by parents to
monitor or control their
children's internet use. Is it
spyware? Technically yes. It
could be used to do exactly
the types of things we're
talking about here. On
purpose. How can I keep my
kids safe from internet
garbage?
As you can see, it's just another reason keeping your machine safe from
spyware and other malicious software is so incredibly important.

Page 22
5.
Stay Up-To-Date
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I'd wager that over 90% of virus infections don't have to happen.
Software vulnerabilities that the viruses exploit usually already have
patches available by the time the virus reaches a computer. The problem?
The user simply failed to install the latest patches and updates that would
have prevented the infection in the first place. I still see this constantly,
as some of the most popular articles on Ask Leo! deal with exploits that
were patched nearly 2 years ago. The solution is simple: enable automatic
updates, and visit Windows Update periodically.

Page 23
How do I make sure that Windows is up-to-date?

It seems like every week there's news about some newly discovered
vulnerability or bug fix in Windows. And of course the stories tell us that
we should all rush out and install the fixes immediately or the world will
come to an end.
Or something like that.
In fact, Microsoft does announce updates regularly. How should you stay
on top of things and make sure that your system is up to date?
There are two answers.
For Windows XP and later,
Microsoft created a service
that runs on your machine
and - on terms you can
control - checks for updates
to Windows automatically
and can download and
install them for you.
To configure automatic
update, right click on My
Computer, select
Properties, and click on the
Automatic Updates tab.
Make sure it's turned on by
ensuring there's a check
mark in the box where it
says "Keep my computer up
to date." You have three
options controlling how
Automatic Update works:
Notify on everything - with this first setting, Automatic Updates

will only check the Microsoft web site for updates, and if there are
any that apply to your machine, it will alert you, and nothing more.
You can then choose to download and install, or not.
Notify after download - with this approach, Automatic Updates

will check the Microsoft web site for updates and actually download
any that apply. Once downloaded, you're notified that they're
available and can initiate the install.
Notify after install - finally, you can just have Automatic Updates
do it all, on a schedule you can define. Check, download, and install
as soon as updates are available.
Page 24
For what it's worth, I like to know what's happening to my machine(s)

before it happens so I select the second option.
Many people find the concept of Automatic Updates a little too spooky or
intrusive. Others just want to have even more control over exactly what
happens when. And of course there are folks who are using older versions
of Windows. For all these people there's the Windows Update web site.
The first time you visit Windows Update, it'll download a component onto
your machine that handles the inspection of your current Windows
component versions. That list is then compared against the latest releases
and you'll be informed of the differences. You can then select which
components to install.
One important difference is that Automatic Updates focuses on Critical
Updates only - those issues that typically represent security or other risky
issues. Windows Update, on the other hand, includes both Critical Updates
and other updates including newer versions of components and device
drivers.
For that reason I recommend that everyone visit Windows Update
periodically.

Page 25
6.
Get Educated
Vojtechvlk | Dreamstime.com
To be blunt, all the protection in the world won't save you from yourself.
Don't open attachments that you aren't positive are ok.
Don't fall for phishing scams.
Don't click on links in email that you aren't positive are safe.
Don't install "free" software without checking it out first - many

"free" packages are free because they come loaded with spyware,
adware and worse.
When visiting a web site, did you get a pop-up asking if it's ok to
install some software you're not sure of because you've never heard
of it? Don't say "OK".
Not sure about some security warning you've been given? Don't
ignore it.
Choose strong passwords, and don't share them with others.

Page 26
Phishing? What's Phishing?

Phishing is a word you hear a lot in the news these days. This question
brought it to mind:
I've received an email from "suspend@msn.net" asking for billing
details and threatening the end of my MSN service. Contacting MSN
resulted in referral to a support alias, but no answer. Is this a
problem, or a forgery?
Well, you're right to be suspicious.
This definitely sounds like a phishing expedition.
Phishing is very much like fishing, except that you're the fish and that
threatening email is the bait. If you bite, you run the very real risk of
identity theft and all the hassle that entails.
What happens is this: phishers create email that looks VERY much like an
official email from some important entity, like eBay, MSN, Paypal, or
perhaps a bank. The email asks you to visit some site, which again, looks
very official and proper. There you're then prompted to enter all your
personal information again in the guise of "verification".
The problem is that you've just handed over all your personal information
to a thief.
The single biggest clue is simple: legitimate businesses simply shouldn't,
and the majority don't, ask you for your private information via email.
Ever.
The second clue is the link they're asking you to click on. It may look like
it links to eBay, but in fact is goes somewhere else entirely. Here's an
example:
In most browsers if you hover the mouse over that link on a web page,
you'll see that it does not go to eBay, (you'll see the real destination
either in popup text, or in the browser's status line near the bottom of the
window as shown above). But it looks like it does. If you click on it, you'll
be taken somewhere else entirely. The same tricks work in HTML
formatted email, which is what most of these phishing attempts use.
Page 27
Now, in the example above, it's obvious you're not at eBay if you click
through. But if the destination site looked like eBay, you could be fooled
into thinking it was legitimate.
So if you're tempted at all, hover your mouse over the link, and look
before you click!
The actual destination should match what you expect. Exactly. If the link
claims to be eBay, http://ebay.hacker.com is not where you want to go.
Nor is http://www.ebay.cc (note that it's not ".com"). In the original
question, "msn.net" as a return address is not the same as "msn.com".
That's a big red flag.
The actual destination should be a name, not a number. If the destination
of the link takes you a link that has numbers, such as
http://72.3.133.152, chances are it's not valid.
The actual destination should probably be secure. That means it should
begin with https:. If the target destination begins with the regular,
unsecured http:, chances are it's not legitimate.
The single, most important rule regarding these emails is simple: if they
provide a link to click on, ignore them. Never click a link in the email
itself.
If you must satisfy your curiosity, then type what you know to be the
correct URL into your browser by hand, and login to your account as you
normally would. If there's something you need to do or verify, then you'll
probably see it then.
And if you're still not sure, then give the institution a call. Trust me;
they'd rather have you ask than have to deal with the possibility of
identity theft.

Page 28
How do I get rid of all this spam?!?!

If it seems like it's been getting worse lately that's only
because it has. The amount of spam has only been
increasing, and latest attempts to legislate a solution appear
to have had little if any impact.
So what's a poor user to do?
The unfortunate bottom line is that there is no magic answer and no silver
bullet. There is no solution today that will guarantee you get only the
email you want while also guaranteeing you get all the email you want.
There are many partial solutions that have varying degrees of success,
depending on your needs and your willingness to accept some of the
restrictions or some additional steps.
Email filters work by analyzing your email's contents prior to your seeing
it and then flag or delete the email that it thinks is spam. You can
probably guess the problem with most filters - sometimes they guess
wrong. It's typical to continue to receive a reduced number of spam
emails even with filtering in place. What's worse is that filters will
occasionally mark as spam email that you truly wanted. In a business
situation this is simply unacceptable. The good news is that most spam
filters are "tunable" - meaning that you can adjust how aggressively they
filter spam.
I don't have any formal recommendations for spam filters. Not because
there aren't good ones out there, but because they are very specific to
either your email server or ISP or to your email client. I will note that
many of the more popular filters are based on SpamAssasin technology.
Also, my wife and I have recently been having very good results with
Microsoft Outlook's junk mail filter.
If you can't use a filter, what then? The most common solution is to have
multiple email addresses. One approach is to select one to be your
"private" guarded email address - much like an unlisted phone number that you never use in situations where the email address would be
harvested for spam mailing lists. The other approach is to generate
"throw-away" email addresses that you use only for a limited time (say
when registering a product), and can safely ignore thereafter. And of
course both approaches can be used at the same time.
A recent entry into the fight against spam is something called
challenge/response. It's available as a service from various companies and
is now also sometimes offered or required by some ISPs.
Challenge/response as its name implies is a challenge sent in response to
Page 29
email from an unknown source to prove that the sender is human. If the
respond and confirm that they are, a) they are remembered and never
have to see a challenge again, and b) the mail they sent you is delivered.
If they do not respond then you never see the email.
The problem with challenge response relates to any mailing list you might
sign up for, any on-line purchase that might result in sending you an
email confirmation, or any legitimate organization that might send you
valid yet automated email. This is email you want. Yet senders to such
lists do not have the time or the resources to respond to a challenge for
each of their recipients. Typically they'll simply ignore all challenges. The
result: unless you remember to proactively white-list them beforehand
then you won't get the email you request.

Page 30
7.
Secure Your Mobile Connection
Cyrano | Dreamstime.com
If you're traveling and using internet hot spots, free Wifi or internet cafes,
you must take extra precautions. Make sure that your web email access is
via secure (https) connections, or that your regular mail is over an
encrypted connection as well. Don't let people "shoulder surf" and steal
your password by watching you type it in a public place. Make sure your
home Wifi has WEP security enabled if anyone can walk within range.

Page 31
How do I stay safe in an internet cafe?

Anyone within wireless range of your laptop could be monitoring your
internet usage.
Scary, huh?
Here's what you need to do:
Use a firewall! You may already be doing this, but this is critical. And it
doesn't have to be difficult; for
example I simply enable the Windows
Ask Leo! - Trust your ISP?
firewall when I'm in an open WiFi
situation.
Your ISP can monitor
everything you do. I'm not
Yes, there may be a router or firewall
saying that they do, but they
at the hotspot protecting you from
can.
threats from the internet, and that's
fantastic. It's also not at all what I'm
talking about here. In an open WiFi
situation and in any "internet
provided" situations like hotels you
need to protect yourself from
everyone else that's on the same side
of the router as you are. They can see
and connect directly to your machine
unless you enabled your firewall.
Use httpS! That's https, note the "s"
at the end. An https connection is
encrypted. That means that while
someone can see that you're accessing
a particular web site, if you're using
https they cannot see any of the data
you send to or receive from that site.
This is the only safe way to do online
banking. If you can't connect via
https, or the "s" disappears at some
point in your exchange with your
bank, then stop. If it's not https, it's
not secure and anyone in the room could
doing.
When you're using a wireless

hotspot such as in an internet
cafe, they are your ISP for that
connection. Again, I'm not
saying that Starbucks or their
wireless provider is spying on
you, but I would take care to
make sure you trust the
provider you're using. If you're
at "Joe's Cafe" and it's Joe's
teenage son that's just slapped
a wireless access point on their
DSL connection - yes, he could
be monitoring what you're up
to.
But that's not really the biggest
threat. The people we shouldn't
trust are the other users
nearby, within range of that
wireless connection.
be monitoring what you're
Secure your Email! Email is perhaps the biggest open security hole in
these situations. If you use a POP3/SMTP email client, the default
configuration for most is totally unsecure. I could sit in a corner of the
internet cafe and not only read your email with you, but also steal your
account name and password. It really is that unsecure.
Page 32
With POP3 and SMTP you should contact your email provider and see if
they support SSL connections. If they do, it's a slightly different
configuration in your email program but once done all of the
communication between your email program and email servers are
securely encrypted.
Online or web-based email services deserve special consideration. Most do
not support https connections. The one exception is Gmail, which will use
https if you make sure to login through an https connection.
Consider a VPN. Not all sites support https, as it takes extra work on
their part. For example there is no https version of ask-leo.com, you can
only access it through unencrypted http, and that's the norm for most
sites that don't process confidential information. But that means that
someone could still be watching where you go. If you don't mind them
seeing that you're visiting ask-leo.com, or what you might happen to
search for on Google, or whatever other sites you're visiting in the clear,
then you don't need to do anything.
And not all email providers will provide secure connections.
However, if you're a "road warrior" and spend a lot of time in internet
cafes, have an unsecure email configuration, or browse a lot of sites that
you'd rather not be so easily sniffable, you might consider a VPN (Virtual
Private Network) service. I've never used one personally, so I can't
recommend one specifically but there are several. HotspotVPN is just one
example. Using these services you create an encrypted connection to the
service and route all your internet traffic through them. When you do this
the folks in the cafe see only encrypted data which they can do nothing
with.
So, how big is the risk, really?
It depends.
I'd expect busy hotspots near sensitive areas to run a fairly reasonable
risk. Busy coffee houses, airport WiFi, libraries and the like seem like
"target rich environments" for the potential hacker. These are certainly
places where I'd make sure to take these safety measures myself.
Less busy hotspots? Perhaps not so much.
But it is possible, and more frighteningly, it's not all that hard for someone
who's technically savvy.
And every time you use public internet facilities and hotspots, you may be
at risk.

Page 33
Can hackers see data going to and from my computer?

Yes.
But most of the time it doesn't matter. On the other hand, there are times
when you really need to be careful.
Data traveling on a network such as the internet can be seen by many
other machines. Local machines connected via a hub, for example, all see
the data being sent to and from all the other machines connected to the
same hub. As the data travels the internet, it's quite possible that other
machines on the network can also see the data.
Sounds scary.
The good news is that it's really hard to find data transmitted to and from
a specific machine unless you're on the same network segment. For
example if you're connected to the internet via DSL, other machines
sharing your DSL could watch your traffic, but machines out on the
internet would have an extremely difficult time tracking it down.
It's not something I worry about much.
However, there is a scenario that you should be very aware of.
Wireless network access points operate much like a hub. Any wireless
adapter in range can see all of the network traffic in the area.
Visited any wireless hotspots lately? Anyone in the coffee shop, library,
other public places, or even just outside on the street or a nearby building
could be sniffing your traffic.
So, what to do?
Well, for one thing, make sure that any sensitive web surfing you might
choose to do - such as banking or on-line shopping - is always done via a
secure connection. Even better - wait until you're home to do those
things.
Email is particularly sensitive. For example it's not difficult to sniff your
email account information when downloading email via a normal POP3
account, or sending via SMTP. Web interfaces that use "https" secure
connections are actually safer.
And if your wireless network at home is within range of other houses, the
street, or other public areas, make sure you're at least using 128bit WEP
to ensure that the data that would be visible is encrypted.

Page 34
8.
Don't forget the physical
Stevebyland | Dreamstime.com
An old computer adage:
If it's not physically secure, it's not secure.

All of the precautions I've listed above are pointless if other people can
get at your computer. They may not follow the safety rules I've laid out. A
thief can easily get at all the unencrypted data on your computer if they
can physically get to it. The common scenario is a laptop being stolen
during travel, but I've gotten reports of people who've been burned
because a family member or roommate accessed their computer without
their knowledge

Page 35
How can I keep data on my laptop secure?

I have sensitive information on my laptop that I would prefer not to fall
into the wrong hands. I can handle losing the laptop, but the thinking
about the data in the wrong hands ... well, it just gives me the willies.
So, yes, I do have a solution, and it turns out to be fairly easy, secure,
and free.
Now, naturally, you can "encrypt" your data using a simple tool like
WinZip and assigning the resulting archive a password. The problem is
that it's fairly easy to crack the zip file's password, and get at the data. It
has its uses, though. Much like a cheap padlock, it's mostly about keeping
honest people honest.
I recently started using something
called TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt is free,
open source, on-the-fly encryption
software. It provides serious industrialstrength encryption while still being fairly easy to use.
TrueCrypt can be used in several ways, the two most common are that it
can encrypt an entire disk volume - such as a USB thumb drive, floppy
disk, or an entire hard disk if you like - or, it can create an encrypted
virtual disk. It's this later approach that I like to use.
An encrypted virtual disk is simply a file that TrueCrypt "mounts" as an
additional drive letter on your machine. You specify the pass phrase when
the virtual drive is mounted and thereafter everything you access from
there is automatically DEcrypted and anything you place there is
ENcrypted.
For example, you might have TrueCrypt create an encrypted drive as
c:\windows\secritstuf. If someone were to look at the contents of that
file directly, they would see only random gibberish - the result of
encryption. When using TrueCrypt to mount that file as a virtual drive,
(for example selecting the drive letter "P:") then P: would look and
operate like any other disk, and would contain the contents of the
encrypted drive. Encryption is as simple as moving a file to the drive.
The trick, then, is to never mount the drive automatically. When your
machine boots up, "P:", for example, would be nowhere to be found, and
the encrypted file c:\windows\secritstuf would be present, but only visible
as gibberish. If someone stole your machine that's all they would find.
Only after you've used the TrueCrypt program to select the file
(c:\windows\secritstuf), choose the drive to mount it as (P:) and supply
the correct pass phrase, would the virtual drive be "mounted" and the
encrypted data become accessible.
Page 36
TrueCrypt supports a number of different high-powered encryption

algorithms. The documentation for TrueCrypt is clearly targeting at the
seriously paranoid, including instructions on how to maintain "plausible
deniability" should a thief ever force you to supply a password. Let's hope
that'll only be of passing interest to any of us.
Now, a couple of caveats:
Encryption does not make a bad password any more secure. If you choose
an obvious password or pass phrase, a dictionary attack can certainly be
mounted that could unlock your encrypted volume.
An encrypted volume does you no good if the files you care about are also
elsewhere on your machine.
That being said, make sure you have secure backups, updated regularly.
Preferably keep them UNencrypted, but secure in some other way, in case
you lose your encrypted volume or forget your password. Without the
password, the data is not recoverable.
That last statement is technically inaccurate. You should always be aware
that things are never 100% secure. All encryption can, theoretically, be
hacked. The purpose of encryption is to make the cost of that hacking so
astronomical as to be impractical. For example, spending a calendar year
on a brute force hacking attempt is kind of pointless to discover next
month's sales forecasts. Similarly hiring the expertise required to attempt
such a recovery might also be astronomically costly.
Data encryption is an important part of an overall security strategy.
Keeping your sensitive data secure requires a little forethought and
planning. With viruses and spyware running amok, not to mention the
theft scenario that we started this article with, there's no excuse not to
take that time, and save yourself some serious grief later if the
unthinkable happens.

Page 37
What backup program should I use?

Doing backups is kind of like eating healthier; everyone agrees we should
and yet very few of us actually do. Much like the heart attack victim who
no longer visits McDonald's the most religious users of backup procedures
are those who've been bitten hard by a failure in their past.
Asking what backup program to use is very much like asking "what's the
best exercise program?" The best program for exercise or backup is
whatever one you'll actually do.
Do you know how you'd recover your data should your computer crash?
In order to choose what's right for you, there are several questions you
should be asking yourself.
Do I want to put a lot of thought into this? If not then prepare

to spend a little more money for some additional disk space and get
one of the stock backup programs. I'm currently quite pleased with
my external USB/Firewire Maxtor drive and while I run my own
custom backup (more on that below), it comes with Retrospect
which is a respected backup package.
Am I comfortable re-installing my system if something goes

wrong or do I want the backup to take care of that? This is
one of those comfort versus space tradeoffs. If you're ok with reinstalling your system, and that means your operating system as
well as applications and customizations and you can clearly identify
what does and doesn't need to be saved, then you can save a lot of
disk space by backing up only your data. This requires some amount
of diligence on your part because anything you don't specify to
whatever backup program you use will be lost in the case of a
catastrophic failure.
Is there another machine nearby? Quite often you don't even

have to go out of your way to get additional hardware for backup
purposes. Hard disks are so large these days that quite often simply
having another machine on your network with sufficient free space
can be a quick and easy solution. Many backup packages will allow
you to backup across a network. Having two machines each back up
to the other is a quick way to ensure that if either has a problem
your data is safe on the other.
How valuable is what you're doing? As much as we hate to think

of it we should: what if your building including your machines and all
their backups were lost in a fire? If the potential data loss just sent
a shiver down your spine then you should be considering off-site
data storage for your backups. That could mean burning a CD or
Page 38
DVD periodically and leaving it at some other location or if the sizes

are small enough or backing up across the network to some server
not in your home.
How important is incremental access? By incremental access I

mean; how important is it that you be able to recover a file from a
specific day and not a day before or after? If you simply back up all
your files on top of previous versions you'll only have the most
recent version. In many many cases that's enough. In some cases
it's not such as needing to recover an older version of a file that
became corrupt at some point.
What resources should I backup? Have you thought of all your

computers? All the drives therein? How about external hard drives
you're not using for backup? Do you have a web site? Do you have a
backup of it? What would happen if your ISP "lost" it? (It's
happened.) If you're a small business, do you have databases that
need backing up? Office machines that belong to everyone but no
one?
Let's use myself as an example for those questions:

I've put a lot of thought into this. And I should; it's my profession to do so
and my business relies on it. In my case I use my own scripts written in
Perl and leveraging a tool I wrote many years ago called SyncFile.
I'm very comfortable re-installing everything so I backup only my data.
Even so, just last week I discovered an overlooked directory that cost me
a couple of hours time when I had to reconstruct a missing file. That
directory is now part of my backup. Am I missing more? I hope not.
I have several machines on my LAN in the middle of the night there is a
flurry of activity as data gets copied from one machine to another and
another, each using at least one other as a backup.
What I do for my business is definitely valuable and worthy of off-site
backup. My solution is actually fairly simple - with computers at two
different physical locations I have two external Maxtor drives - each
location backs up to the external drive and roughly once a week we swap
the drives.
I do have external servers as well. For example the web site hosting Ask
Leo! resides on a server hundreds of miles from my office. So I've been
careful to ensure that it too is backed up in some appropriate way.
The bottom line for backup is simple: just do it. Understand what you
have and what you're willing to invest in but do something.
Before it's too late.

Page 39
That's It, And Yet...
Lisafx | Dreamstime.com
We've covered the basics, from firewalls and malware protection, to basic
education and even understanding the risks associated with anyone being
able to reboot your computer.
It's a great foundation, a good beginning, but in reality ...
It's only a start.
Things are changing every day. New tools, new threats and new situations
are showing up all the time. I don't want to sound like an alarmist,
because I'm not really, but it's important to build on what you've learned
here and stay aware of what's happening as you continue to use your
computer and the internet.
In fact, I hope you'll take advantage of the many resources out on the
internet. Yes, of course I'm particularly hopeful that you'll come visit
http://ask-leo.com, perhaps even sign up for my free weekly newsletter but even if you don't, realize that a lot of information is out there, and
there are a lot of folks out there just like you who are looking for, and
giving back, great help and advice.
And as for me? Well, you know where to find me. Drop me a line, or a
question, any time
Leo A. Notenboom
http://ask-leo.com
Page 40

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What are some important steps to secure your computer?

What are some important steps to secure your computer?

What are some common types of malware and how can you protect against them?

What are some common types of malware and how can you protect against them?

Internet Safety

Keeping Your Computer Safe on the

Secure your computer

Copyright and Disclaimer

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

Virii & Spyware & Worms ... oh my!

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

Firewalls - the first line of defense protecting your computers from

Spyware - from popping up annoying ads to capturing your

Staying Up To Date - one of the most surprising statistics you'll

Mobile - Portability, Wireless technology and Wi-Fi hotspots open

Physical - Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of all, a hacker

This ebook is based on articles originally published on Ask Leo! which

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

A firewall is a piece of software or hardware that sits between your

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

What's a firewall, and how do I set one up?

A hardware firewall is just that - a

If you're using a phone

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

network traffic. The firewall prevents filtered traffic from getting

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

Do I need a firewall, and if so, what kind?

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

Do I need SP2's Windows firewall or not?

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

Scan for Viruses

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

Viruses: How do I keep myself safe from viruses?

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

3. Run Regular Scans

Ask Leo! - One of the

Keep Windows up-to-date. Let someone else

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

I run anti-virus software, why do I still sometimes get

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

A Virus is a Trojan is a Worm is a Virus

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

When do I actually need to run a virus scan?

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

Spyware is similar to virii in that they arrive unexpected and unannounced

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

How do I remove and avoid spyware?

Windows Defender - Microsoft's entry has received good reviews and

Lavasoft's Adaware - Adaware is the other most commonly

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

3. Run Regular Scans

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

So just how sneaky can spyware be?

Write your conversations to a

Intercept everything you type and

Or any of a number of other

Ask Leo! - Good Spyware?

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet

Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet