10-Step Security
If you have about an hour, you can batten down
your machine's hatches against Net threats new and old. Here's how.
Dennis O'Reilly
From
the November 2005 issue of PC World magazine
Posted Friday, September 30, 2005
Each new wave of computer viruses, spies, and spam may
have you ready to dust off your typewriter, but PC security can be effective
without being a chore. To keep your computing safe
from current and future threats, we've distilled our security advice down to
the basics. These ten quick and easy tips will help protect your hardware,
software, and data.
1. Patch automatically: Ensure Windows is set to
update itself. In XP, click Start, Control Panel, Security Settings (if
you're in Category view), Automatic Updates. In
2000, choose Start, Settings, Control Panel, Automatic
Updates. In both versions, verify that 'Automatic (recommended)' is
selected. You can also have Windows notify you before it downloads an update,
or you can install the update manually. (The steps and options are only
slightly different in Windows 98 and Me.)
2. Don't wait for Windows: If your PC has been off
for more than a few days, don't wait for Windows' automatic update to kick in.
Make the Windows Update
site your first Internet stop. Also, there may be a lag between when a patch is
available and when Windows Update pushes it to you. Microsoft releases Windows
patches on the second Tuesday of each month, so to be safe check for updates
manually every couple of weeks. And don't forget to set your antivirus and
anti-spyware tools to update automatically (or check
weekly for updates yourself).
3. Use XP's security monitor: Windows XP Service
Pack 2's most welcome addition is the
4. Make your file extensions visible: Some viruses
masquerade as harmless file types by adding a bogus extension near the end of
their name, as in "funnycartoon.jpg.exe," in hopes your system is set
to hide such extensions (the default in Windows XP and 2000)--you see '.jpg'
but not '.exe'. To make these troublemakers easier to spot, open Windows
Explorer or any folder window and click Tools, Folder Options, View. Ensure that the option 'Hide file extensions for
known file types' is unchecked.
Bonus Tip 1: To get the most complete picture of
your Windows setup, check Show hidden files and folders and uncheck Hide
protected operating system files (Recommended).
Bonus Tip 2: Click here to play Microsoft's video guide to Windows XP security
settings.
)
5.
Keep Internet Explorer safe: Many people find IE 6's Medium security level
too obliging to ActiveX controls and other small programs, or scripts, that the browser runs on your PC. ActiveX and
JavaScript enable such useful Web features as order forms and security scans,
but they also may run malicious code and give attackers access to your system.
To make IE safer, click Tools, Internet Options, Security, Custom Level,
select High from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the Security
Settings dialog box, and click Reset, Yes, OK.
Unfortunately, setting IE to the High security setting can
lead to the browser's unleashing a fusillade of warnings and permission pop-ups
every time you visit a site. The solution is to add the sites that you access
often to IE's Trusted Sites list: Choose Tools, Internet Options, Security, click the Trusted Sites icon, and then
click the Sites button. Enter the Web address, click Add, and
repeat as necessary (see the Trusted Sites screen below). Be sure to uncheck Require
server verification (https:) for all sites in this
zone. When you're finished, click OK twice.
)
6.
Make Firefox more secure: The only way to block JavaScripts on a site-by-site basis in the Mozilla
Foundation's free Firefox browser is to download and
install the NoScript add-in that was created by Giorgio Maone. NoScript places a warning
bar at the bottom of all the Web pages you visit that use JavaScript. Click the
bar to see options for allowing scripts on the site (permanently or
temporarily), blocking scripts, and other operations (see the NoScript screen below). The program can also stifle Flash
animations and other Firefox plug-ins, but keep in
mind that going Flash-less means you'll be missing out on some of the Web's
richest content (along with all of those great dancing ads). Although NoScript is freeware, the author does accept donations at www.noscript.net.
7. Handle e-mail links with care: If a virus
infects your PC, chances are good it arrived piggybacked on e-mail. To reduce
your risk of an e-mail-borne infection, don't click links in suspicious
messages (the text in the message may mask the actual Web address). Instead,
enter the URL in your browser's address bar manually, or go to the site's home
page and then navigate to the page in question.
8. Scan attachments for viruses: Run each of the
e-mail attachments you receive through your antivirus software before you open
them. Rather than double-clicking the attachment to open it instantly, save the
file to a drive on your PC, open Windows Explorer, right-click the file, and
choose the option to scan it for viruses. (Better yet, set your antivirus
software to scan incoming and outgoing e-mail automatically.)
9. Close the preview pane: Some maleficent messages
need only be opened in your e-mail program's preview window to do their dirty
work. That's why we recommend that you close the preview pane in all of your
inboxes. In Microsoft Outlook 2003, click View,
10. Read your mail in plain text: Since many e-mail
pests rely on HTML code to achieve their nefarious goals, you can stop them in
their tracks by viewing your messages as plain text. In Outlook 2003, click Tools,
Options, Preferences, E-mail Options and check Read all standard mail in
plain text. In Outlook Express 6, choose Tools, Options, Read and
click Read all messages in plain text. In Mozilla Thunderbird, select View,
Message Body As, Plain Text.