Safe Internet Surfing

 

Personal protection for your home or small office computer

If you use the Internet, either to surf the net or to send e-mail, chances are that you have been hit by unwanted software; viruses, spyware, SPAM, pop-ups, etc. These and other unwanted (and sometimes dangerous) people and programs have caused untold damage to user's computers. You can spend hundreds of dollars recovering from an atack that corrupts your computer. You can spend even more if critical data is lost (or worse, stolen) during such an attack.

Below, we list some of the most common ways you can protect your computer and it's data. Sewell considers these protection methods essential in protecting your PC from unwanted intrusion and software.

Naturally, if you need assistance developing a plan of attack or installing the necessary software and/or hardware, we'll be happy to help.

Computer Viruses

Virus protection software is your basic line of defense against viruses. Viruses generally enter your computer via. e-mail attachments, browsing malicious web sites, and/or direct through a network connection. Computer viruses can destroy the entire contents of your computer, including your operating system and personal data.

To protect yourself from viruses, software such as Norton Antivirus or McAfee VirusScan are excellent choices. Upon installation, you should make sure the software is set to update itself automatically - because new viruses come out daily and you need this software to be updated regularly. If you are mobile laptop user, you should consider using the Internet Suite version of Norton or McAfee software. These include a software firewall to help protect you from hackers (see "Firewalls" below)

Spyware

Spyware is a relatively new development. Spyware installs itself on your computer, usually while you browse a web site or install a program downloaded from a web site. The main purpose of Spyware is to track your movements and actions on the Internet, and report back to some central monitoring computer. For example, the very popular (now gone) Napster thrived by allowing other companies to "piggy back" on their "free" software download to install other monitoring software - unknown to the user. Though this does not sound very disruptive, some is not well written, and can crash your computer. Also, we often find traces of 10 to 100 pieces of spyware on client's computers, and the shear volume of spyware programs can bog the computer down to the point whee it is unusable.

Two pieces of free software are readily available to help you combat Spyware. Spybot Search & Destroy, will find and remove detected spyware as well as "immunize" your PC against known threats if possible. Once installed, you need to "update" the software first, then let it "check for problems". Once it finds the spyware, let it "fix problems".

The other popular freeware program is AdAware. Similar to Spybot Search & Destroy, you download it, install, update, then run a check. AdAware has several versions, from free to "professional", depending on your needs.

Neither Spybot Search & Destroy or Adaware run all the time, so you have to do it manually on a regular basis. The more you browse the internet, the more often you need to run the program. You CAN install both, but sometimes one will recognize the other as Spyware. You need to be aware of this in case one disables the other.

(Added 1/05) More recently, Spy Sweeper has emerged as a PC Magazine top pick. Spy Sweeper not only scans your system for spyware and cleans it, it runs in the background to prevent spyware from ever installing itself on your computer. At the time of this printing, Spy Sweeper cost only $29 for an annual subscription - a nominal cost for a lot of protection.

Pop-ups

Have you ever visited a site only to be presented with another window that pops over the one you are interrested in? Some sites even produce multiple pop-ups. Not only are these pop-ups annoying, they are a popular way for malicious web sites to deliver viruses and/or spyware. Several commercial programs have emerged, designed to prevent pop-ups for around $20-$40, but we prefer two free programs.

If you use Internet Explorer, Google makes a toolbar add-on that blocks pop- ups. Surf to http://www.google.com and install their "Google Toolbar". Then check the "Options" (on the new Google bar) to make sure "Popup Blocker" is checked. Very nice. Better yet, (added 1/05) with the release of Windows XP SP2, Internet Explorer now also comes with built in pop-up blocking. You just have to make sure it's enabled. Click "Tools" -> "Internet Options".

Our favorite pop-up blocker, however, is to use Netscape. If you surf with Netscape (version 7 or above), there's pop-up protection built in, you just have to enable it. Click "Edit" -> "Preferences", open the "Privacy & Security" area, and click on "Popup Window Controls". Click "Supress Popups. Also available here is a way to allow popups from only certain sites should a site you are browsing require popups to function properly. Versions 7.1 and above have the pop-up blocker built in. (Added 1/05) The new kid on the block, Firefox, also has built in popup protection.

Be aware, however, that some sites require pop-ups to be enabled in order to use their functionality. On-line banking sites are notorious for this. If you find something is not working right, you'll have to disable pop-up settings for a bit, or enable popups for just that site.

Firewalls

With the advent of broadband, always-on internet service, came programs designed to atack these always-on connections. Well, truthfully, these hacking programs have been out there for quite a while, but corporations have been aware for years, and those in the know have firewalls to prevent unwanted intrusion from the internet. And dial-up users are at risk too, but because they are not "always on" the internet, the risk to dial-up users is far less.

Most broadband Internet Service Providers (ISP) will NOT tell that you need to protect your PC from unwanted access. A broadband provider will most likely happily install your fast internet connection, and never hint that you have now become at risk. Their job is to get you a fast internet connection. Beyond that, you're typically on your own. Unfortunately, there are people on the Internet constantly scanning public Internet Addresses for "holes", ways to get into a computer", and will violate your PC without notice. What's worse, they can use their own PCs and software to automatically scan at regular intervals, thereby automating the process.

What can you do? Take your lead from corporations who have been through it - get a firewall. A firewall is a piece of hardware or software that stands between your Cable Modem (or other broadband device) and your PC's data. Firewalls come in two basic forms: A Cable/DSL Router or a piece of Software, like McAfee's or Norton's Internet protection products.

Our personal pick for broadband users is a Cable/DSL Router. Both Linksys and Netgear make firewall/routers that costs around $70. The firewall connects directly to your Cable Modem or DSL connection. Your PC then connects to the Router instead of the Cable Modem or line. The thing that gives your PC protection is that the router converts your public Internet Address into a Private one. With a public address, anyone can reach out and touch your PC from the Internet. With a private address, no one can (unless you configure the router otherwise). Routers also have the added perk of being able to use multiple PCs over the same Internet connection without added cost from the ISP. Wireless routers are also available that let you connect to the internet from anywhere in your home without running a network wire to the PC.

Dial-up users must resort to our second choice, a software firewall. Both Norton's "Internet Security" (at this publication, $69) and McAfee's "Personal Firewall" ($39) will do the trick. They both handle the most important security functions, keeping unwanted traffic away from your computer. The upside of these solutions is that they give you more control over which applications can use the internet connection, both on the inbound and outbound sides; routers only block inbound traffic (unless configured otherwise). Also, both vendors often bundle Virus Protection together with Internet Protection, making the package financially attractive. The downside is that software solutions can get in the way of your surfing without necessarily telling you about it. Often, the first step in troubleshooting such internet problems is to shut down the firewall software, which defeats the purpose.

If you are considering Broadband, ask your provider if they will be protecting you with a firewall. If not, get a firewall BEFORE you connect your PC to the broadband connection.

If you already have Broadband, check with your ISP or installer to see if you already have a firewall (router or software). In fact, some DSL connections already provide a router with this functionality built in, but you'll need to check with your ISP to make sure it's enabled. If you are on a company network, ask your Network Administrator about it.

SPAM

SPAM is unwanted e-mail. For the most part, it's the telemarketing equivalent of internet promotions. Someone somewhere got your e-mail address from a vendor, web site, etc., and uses your e-mail address to send you an advertisement. Many people ignore such messages, but some get more SPAM than real e-mail.

When you get to the point that it's actually making you unproductive to sort through the SPAM yourself, you may want to look at ways to get rid of the SPAM automatically. Like pop-ups, several programs have sprung up (for around $20-$40) to help you manage your SPAM.

There are currently two kinds of programs to help you manage SPAM. The first kind checks your mail against published lists of known SPAMmers, and stops the mail from coming to your inbox. This is OK, but has the adverse effect of stopping mail you actually want to receive. For instance, an anonymous Internet Access Provider in our area often finds itself on SPAM lists, and it's customer's mail can be blocked without the recipient knowing.

We prefer the second type of SPAM software. Statistical packages read your mail, and "learn" what YOU consider good mail and what YOU consider bad mail. This has two advantages over list-based products: First, it puts YOU in control, letting you decide what gets marked as SPAM and what doesn't. Second, if something DOES inadvertently get marked as SPAM, you can go back and get it because it's not gone, just diverted to a special SPAM folder! Also, the statistically based packages are documented as more effecient at categorizing mail properly.

One such statistical program is K9. K9 acts as an e-mail proxy, downloading your e-mail on behalf of your usual e-mail program, marking your e-mail as SPAM (or not), and then passing it off to your usual e-mail program. If the e-mail is thought to be SPAM, K9 adds a special header to the e-mail. Your e-mail program can then filter your mail based on the existance (or not) of K9's special header. K9 is free (as of this writing).

If you are a Microsoft Outlook user, you should check out InBoxer. It's another statistical SPAM filtering program, but has the distinct advantage of working INSIDE Microsoft Outlook instead as a secondary application like K9. You don't have to remember to check because it's always in front of you when Outlook is open.

One downside to such statistical programs, is that you need to "train" and watch it. Occasionally (once a day in the beginning), you need to open K9 (or Norton's SPAM folder) to see how it "scored" your e-mail. In the case of InBoxer, you need not open it because it is embeded in Microsoft Outlook. If it tagged your e-mail incorrectly, you'll need to correct it. It will learn from it's mistakes and do better next time. And even after it's "trained" you'll need to check back regularly to make sure it's performing up to snuff. But in about a week, you'll be amazed how well each decides what is SPAM and what is not.

Note: K9's installation and configuration is not intuitive. You need to read, understand, and follow the documentation carefully. Also, it only currently works with POP servers, so web based solutions like Hotmail, AOL, and Yahoo are currently not supported. InBoxer works with all mail protocols supported by the particular version of Microsoft Outlook (2000 and above) you are using.

(Added 1/05) Norton's Internet Security Suite 2004 & 2005 both contain statistical spam blockers, and integrates with MS Outlook and Outlook Express.

 

The bottom line is that you need to be aware of what is out there, and how to protect yourself. Whether you protect your own computer or whether you ask Sewell to help you, it needs to be done to prevent downtime later.

Computers should just work. None of us need to spend time fixing them.

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DISCLAIMER: Installing any of the hardware or software mentioned above is not a 100% guarantee that everything will be fine. If someone or something wants accesses to a computer, there's no stopping them/it. This does, however represent an excellent defense against the kinds of attacks mentioned. Also, due to the nature of such solutions, Sewell will not be held responsible for any damage caused by the installation or use of the above solutions.