Protecting your Computer

COMP1260 > Using the Internet

Introduction The Internet contains a great many things, but it is not without its threats. Protecting yourself online is important and you should be aware of the various threats, how to spot them and how to keep yourself safe. The most important part of protecting your computer is simply using your common sense and thinking about things before you do them. Using secure software and keeping it up to date is important, yet many people are still ignorant of this fact, which can cause problems that could have easily been avoided. If you are unsure if your computer is sufficiently protected, you'd be surprised how much the kid down the street might know.

...by students In Highschool I worked in a local computer repair shop. We spent most of our time cleaning viruses and spyware out of infected computers. There was one specific case that stands out in my mind. A customer called in one morning complaining that his computer was slow and unresponsive, and that he was getting absurd amounts of popups and virus warnings. When I scanned the computer, I found over 70,000 files infected with spyware, over 250 distinct viruses and, surprise surprise, no anti-virus protection. I fixed the problems over the next few hours and found that it was KaZaA, a popular P2P filesharing program at the time, that was causing his problems. I removed KaZaA and replaced it with a better, spyware-free alternative and some anti-virus protection. The next day he calls again, absolutely furious. Upon visiting his house again, I discover he has removed the software I installed and put KaZaA back on his computer, bringing back all of his previous problems. Next time you have a computer problem and you ask the kid down the street to help you, do us all a favor and listen to him. He knows his stuff.

Viruses

A virus is defined as 'a software program capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of causing great harm to files or other programs on the same computer'. It is this ability to replicate or reproduce that makes viruses potentially difficult to remove. You can download or purchase anti-virus software to help protect your computer from viruses and other malicious programs. Some of the best are actually free, including Avira AntiVir, Avast!, and AVG.

Virus protection has come a long way recently and is now generally very good. Simply installing an anti-virus application and keeping it up to date on your Windows computer is usually all you need to do to protect yourself from infection.

Spyware

A piece of software running on your computer that collects and transmits information without your knowledge or consent is known as Spyware. Spyware typically does not directly harm your system, however it often has unwanted side effects such as decreased performance, excessive popups and advertising, and e-mail spam. These side effects often make it easier for other threats, such as viruses, to infiltrate your computer. Although spyware isn't directly harmful, it is important to remove it quickly.

Installing a spyware protection aplication, such as Spybot Search & Destroy, and keeping it up to date on your Windows computer is typically enough to prevent and/or remove spyware infections.

Phishing

Figure 1: A typical Phishing E-Mail

Phishing is a type of internet fraud that aims to steal sensitive information credit cards, passwords, banking info, etc. Phishing often leads to identity theft, and so falling victim to it can be much more serious than any virus or other computer threat. However, this is an easy threat to spot and avoid. A typical phishing e-mail pretends to come from a major company, such as eBay or PayPal and will ask you to click a link within the e-mail and verify your information. You will never be asked to verify your information by any of these companies, especially a bank. If they need something, it will be on their website in your account section or on the front page.

Phishing may also appear in other online communication mediums such as instant messengers (MSN, AIM, etc), social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, etc) and other places. In this case, a friend of yours may be infected with a virus that makes use of that person's friends lists or e-mail contacts to Phish for information. The easiest way to spot this kind of Phishing is to look for behavior that seems odd or different that what you would expect from that friend. When in doubt, call them and ask if their request is indeed legitimate.

The easiest way to protect yourself from phishing is never click a link in your e-mail, or on a social networking site. Always visit the website directly.

E-Mail Scams

E-mail scams are sent the same way as most phishing scams, but they are not the same. E-Mail scams are usually trying to convince you to send money to someone for some illegitimate reason. Examples of this are charities that do not exist, people claiming to be poor when they are not, and other falsified stories to convince people to give money or other goods and services. You can protect yourself from e-mail scams in a similar way that you would protect yourself from Phishing: Visit websites directly instead of clicking links in your e-mail, and call or do some research if you are suspicious. A simple Google Search can often tell you whether something is legitimate or not.

Another popular medium for e-mail scams are online listings websites for apartments and other property. These scams can be harder to spot, but will typically sound too good to be true, and will invite you to look at the property but not actually go inside. You can also spot an e-mail scam if you receive two or more nearly identical messages. If the messages are the same, but the name at the bottom is different, you're probably looking at an e-mail scam.

The best way to stay safe from e-mail scam is to be cautious, watch for duplication or unlikely requests or offers that have specific or odd instructions, and do your research if you suspect that someone is trying to scam you.

Conclusion

The best way to stay safe online is to use your common sense and be cautious clicking links, installing software, and giving out your information. Most internet threats can be avoided by simply thinking twice before you click on something. Protecting your computer is also very important and you should feel secure before you take your computer online.

Windows users should protect themselves with a form of Anti-Virus protection, such as Avast! or AVG, as well as spyware protection, such as SpyBot Search & Destroy. A software firewall is optional, as Windows has one already installed and many Anti-Virus applications also have firewalls built in.

Mac, Linux, Solaris and other UNIX based operating systems are more secure than Windows by default, and require less protection to safely browse the web. Most viruses and spyware these days are written for Windows and will not run properly on other operating systems. It is important to note, however, that these users are still vulnerable to Phishing and E-Mail scams.

In all cases, you should keep your computer up to date with the latest software from your vendor.

References

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