Parental Control
Anti-Virus Software
Viruses can be very destructive since they modify your programs without your permission resulting in the loss of data or other disastrous results. Every time that you boot your PC or execute a program, the virus may also be executing and spreading its infection. Take a look at some of the more popular Anti-Virus software programs by reviewing the following links:
McAfee
(www.mcafee.com)
Norton Anti-Virus (www.norton.com)
Parental Control Software
To prevent your children from accessing some of the dangerous and pornographic content on the Internet, several companies have developed specialized software that block or filter certain Internet sites. Take a look at some of the more popular Parental Control software programs by reviewing the following links:
Surf
Watch, Surf Control and Cyber Patrol
(www.cyberpatrol.com)
Net Nanny (www.netnanny.com)
Cyber Sitter (www.cybersitter.com)
PEP Directory (www.microweb.com/pepsite/Software/filters.html)
provides a summary of many products on the market.
Computer Security 101
Making sure that your personal computer is safe from intruders is as important as it is for your home. And like securing your home it isn't difficult to do but it does require some work on your part. It is very important to ensure that your computer system is secured. A machine that has not been secured can result in a lot of trouble. It can be used to send Spam or transmit a virus. It can also be used by a third party as a jumping point to hack into other networks or allow them access to your personal information including financial information that you have stored on your machine.
Securing your PC
Securing your personal computer can be as easy as these steps:
1. Make sure your software is up to date
3. Install Anti-Virus and check for Trojan software
If you are using a Microsoft operating system information on how to secure your specific version can be found on Microsoft's site at this link:
< protect security www.microsoft.com http:>
Common Sense Security is a third party site that contains a lot of good information on computer security that is written in terms that many non-computer oriented people can understand. This site can be found at http://markkaren.com/markkaren/security/
Keeping your system up-to-date
One of the most important things that you can do to secure your PC is to make sure that all of your software is up-to-date. This includes your operating system as well as anti-virus and firewall software. Hundreds of new vulnerabilities are found every month. It is important to make sure that your software is updated to prevent one of these from being used to access your PC. Updates for Microsoft operating systems can be found at http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp and for Microsoft Office products at http://office.microsoft.com/OfficeUpdate/default.aspx These sites allow you to scan your system to see what updates are needed for Microsoft products and then tell you which ones you need to download and install. In November 2003 Microsoft began releasing software updates on the second Tuesday of each month. You should check your system on that day, or shortly after, to ensure that your system is constantly updated. You can also use the Automatic Updates software that is included with later versions of Microsoft Windows. This option can be found and configured in the control panel area.
It is also extremely important to make sure your Anti-Virus software is constantly updated. There are new viruses discovered every day and Anti-Virus vendors routinely release updated virus definitions. Most vendors release new virus definitions once every 1-2 weeks. Many Anti-Virus software packages allow you to schedule definition updates to occur automatically. Check the documentation for your particular software to determine if it has this capability and how to configure it.
Securing your high-speed connection with a firewall is much like locking the front door in your home. Without firewall protection, your computer has an open door that hackers and other malicious Internet users can use to steal your files and personal information, damage your system, monitor your activities, read your email, or use your PC to perform illegal attacks.
There are two types of firewall, hardware and software. A hardware firewall is a physical device that you must install between your cable modem and your PC. There are many style and types of these devices but they all perform the same function. A hardware firewall acts similar to having another PC in the line between your main PC and the modem. The hardware firewall acquires the public IP from our servers and assigns a private IP to your PC. This means that when someone attempts to access your public IP they are actually accessing the firewall device, not your computer. Because your computer is assigned a private non-routable IP from the firewall someone accessing the firewall from the outside cannot access your PC.
Software firewalls are programs that you install on your PC. NetPHD's Freedom Internet Security Services are available to residential NetPHD High-Speed Internet customers for FREE!* This service provides a software firewall that can be used on up to three computers on your account. This service provides strong protection against hackers and other unauthorized attempts to access and transfer information to or from your computer.
Further information on installing a firewall can be found at:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/articles/firewall.asp
For information on how to secure a home network go to:
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/home_networks.html
Information on how to interpret firewall logs can be found at:
http://www.mynetwatchman.com/scanguide.asp
You can test your firewall security by doing a remote scan of your system from Shields UP!! by Gibson Research ( http://grc.com) or Sygate Online Services ( http://scan.sygatetech.com/).
Installing Anti-Virus Software and Checking for Trojan Software
* NOTE: Before installing any anti-virus software, the system should be scanned to avoid corruption of the anti-virus by any current infections on the computer. Located at the bottom of the page is a small list of software out on the internet available to do scans *
Just like in the human world there are hundreds of thousands of viruses floating around in cyberspace. There are new viruses released and found "in the wild" every day. Because of this it is important that you "inoculate" your PC by installing Anti-Virus software and make sure that it is kept up-to-date with the newest virus definitions. You should configure your software to scan your system daily as well as having it run in the background while your system is running.
In computers, a Trojan horse is a program in which malicious or harmful code is contained inside apparently harmless programming or data in such a way that it can get control and do its chosen form of damage, such as ruining the file allocation table on your hard disk. In one celebrated case, a Trojan horse was a program that was supposed to find and destroy computer viruses. A Trojan horse can be considered a virus if it is widely redistributed.
Probably the one thing that you can do that will do the most to safe guard your machine from a virus infection through e-mail is DO NOT OPEN ATTACHMENTS. Unless someone tells you that they are sending you an attachment do not open any that you receive. Even an e-mail that appears to be from a friend or business associate that contains an attachment may in fact be a virus. One trait of many viruses is that they pull information from your e-mail client's address book and send themselves to every address listed. They will also show themselves as being from that individual that is infected. So what may appear at first glance to be something that is safe may indeed not be.
Not using the preview pane is also a means of preventing infection by some viruses. There are certain types that are imbedded in graphics or HTML type e-mail that can infect your machine simply by viewing them in the preview window. Turning off this option will help safeguard you from these.
Another measure that you can take to help keep your system from being infected by e-mail bourn viruses is to have your anti-virus software scan your e-mail as it downloads it. This way you can check the mail for virus infection before you even see it.
Peer-to-Peer file sharing has become extremely popular over the past couple of years particularly with the younger Internet users. P2P, as it is more widely known, can be very useful when used for legitimate purposes. But it also has a dark side. The most widely publicized has to do with copyright infringement. This becomes an issue when you allow files on your system to be shared with others. When you do this you then become a provider of the information and violate the DMCA. More information on Copyright infringement and the DMCA can be found HERE. Information on how to disable sharing on many of the P2P programs can be found at the University of Chicago's web site at http://security.uchicago.edu/peer-to-peer/no_fileshare.shtml Information on how to do this with Kazaa can be found at http://www.musicunited.org/kazaa.pdf
A lesser-known side affect to P2P is the spyware and
Trojan software that can end up on your system as a result. This can happen
as the result of spyware or Trojan software contained within the application
itself or as the result of downloading what you thought was a good file that was
actually a piece of spyware or Trojan. This is just another good reason to make
sure that your anti-virus software is up to date. There is a good article on
this problem located at
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1373801,00.asp
* NOTE: Links listed on this page are 3rd party software products. We do not troubleshoot or endorse any of these products. Any issues with these products should be directed to the program manufacturer. *
In computers, a Trojan horse is a program in which malicious or harmful code is contained inside apparently harmless programming or data in such a way that it can get control and do its chosen form of damage, such as ruining the file allocation table on your hard disk. In one celebrated case, a Trojan horse was a program that was supposed to find and destroy computer viruses. A Trojan horse can be considered a virus if it is widely redistributed.
There is software available that can help identify and remove Trojan software from your machine. Many anti-virus products will find some Trojans but not all. That is why it is just as important to scan for these little bugs as well. Below are links to some examples of sites or programs that can be used to rid your machine of these pests.
Online virus/Trojan Scanners *
* NOTE: it is recommended that you run at least 3 of these scanners as each scanner finds different things
Rates and terms of service may vary for commercial use accordingly.
Parental Control
The Internet provides children and adults alike with a vast array of new forms of entertainment as well the ability to access information and communicate with other people almost anywhere in the world. The Internet is often described as a global village where people from all over the world can share information and ideas. But like any community the Internet has places that aren't meant for everyone. Parents may want to understand how they can help their children use the Internet safely and how to avoid places or information that parents feel are inappropriate for their children.
NetPHD believes the use of end-user software controls in conjunction with active parental participation enables parents to manage the content available to their children. Setting usage rules, monitoring online activity, and management of content for children, is a personal, parental decision. To aide parents in locating information that may help them make decisions on how best to accomplish this task NetPHD is providing the links listed below to ease their ability to locate site that specialize in online safety for children.
We also have a list of links to various parental control software packages available here to allow parents to determine what software package best suits their needs. Most of these are 30-Day evaluation downloads that are available free on a trial basis.
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NetPHD has compiled a listing of parental
control software for blocking and filtering certain Internet sites. The
following listings help make the Internet a child-safe experience. This
listing does not necessarily imply endorsement of a product or company.
Click on the name of the publisher to visit that publisher's site.
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Title |
Publisher |
Platform |
Method |
Features |
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CyberPatrol 3.3 |
Win
95, |
Blocking, Controlled Access |
One of the easier security devices to configure and use. Allows multi-user access with customizable profiles for each family member. |
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CyberSitter '97 v.8 |
Win 95 |
Blocking, Stealth Monitoring |
Blocks chat and undesirable sites; offers daily updates to banned sites. Parents can add sites, but not edit pre-determined list. |
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CyberSnoop 3.0 |
Win 95 |
Stealth Monitoring |
Monitors email, chat and web site activity. Custom-editing feature also allows blocking and parent-determined acceptable sites. |
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Disk Tracy |
Win 95 |
Blocking, Stealth Monitoring |
Home/Network versions. Screens and blocks undesireable content. Logs reports on sites visited and material downloaded/stored on the computer. |
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Internet Filter Suite 1.0 |
Win 95 |
Blocking, |
A monitoring and filtering program that allows parents to control site access, undesirable words, newsgroups, chat sessions. |
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iWay Patrol |
n/a |
Proxy Server |
Content filtering is enforced at the system level, preventing students from access to Chat Rooms, gambling, games, sex or pornography sites on the WWW. |
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KidDesk Internet Safe |
Win
98, |
Controlled |
Combines a desktop security device with an Internet safety program to give parents complete control of software and internet access. |
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KiddoNet |
Win 95 |
Controlled |
Controlled access using a kids' browser and preapproved sites. The
browser includes its own offline games and activities. |
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Mama Bear |
Win
95, |
Controlled access |
Desktop security device. Blocks unauthorized software access, alterations or deletions of programs. |
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Microsoft Plus For Kids |
Win 95 |
Controlled access |
Integrated desktop and Internet security device for kids (age 3-12) with 10 environments and "content advisor" for the Internet. Comes with Surfwatch. |
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Net Nanny 3.1 |
Win 95 |
Blocking |
Blocks objectionable sites, phrases, personal disclosures, chatrooms, gifs & jpegs. Monitors outgoing/incoming email & other text documents. Logs violations. |
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Planet Web Browser |
Sega, |
Proxy Server |
Requires proprietary browser. Parents fill out profiles for each user. Filtering is based on user birth date, family beliefs and levels of concern. |
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Safe Surf |
Win 95 |
Blocking and rating system |
Now, a browser feature of Netscape's "NetWatch" which uses the SafeSurf rating std. and adult database. |
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Surf Monkey |
Win 98 |
Controlled Access |
Rocketship browser, animated talking monkey and lively self-contained web destination for kids age 7 and up. Supervised chatrooms. Parents can block email from strangers, delete profanities and prohibit access to inappropriate sites. |
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SurfWatch 3.0 |
Win
95, |
Blocking |
One of the easiest filters to configure and use. Blocks web access and chat. |
WI-FI Security
| What is WI-FI and why would someone want
into my network? The term WI-FI is short for wireless fidelity. It is a term that refers specifically to wireless local area networks (WLAN's) utilizing the standards spelled out in the IEEE 802.11 specification. What all this means is that any wireless device that meets 802.11 specifications can connect to your wireless network if unsecured. Once on your network this device could use your connection to surf, email, download, spread viruses, attack others, and worse yet access your own computers and personal data if not properly protected. Now why would someone want access to my network? You may think that there is nothing of importance on your network, but you would be surprised. A person who is wardriving (the act of driving around and accessing wireless networks) is similar to a regular hacker. They are looking to use your connection and resources. They may also look for personal information, financial info, or just cause havoc with you and your connection. The major difference is the wardriver is much less likely to get caught. Where a hacker leaves a path of computer connections and footprints, a connection to your wireless leaves little other than the connecting devices supposed mac address. This person would have to be in range of your wireless access point, but depending on make, model, and surroundings this distance could be huge. 10 Steps to secure your home WI-FI network 1. Change your router's access name and password. 2. Don't let users piggyback onto your Wi-Fi net -- turn off
peer-to-peer connections. 3. Stop broadcasting your router's network ID. 4. Approve all wireless network users in advance. 5. Turn on wireless data encryption. 6. Periodically check router logs for rogue users. 7. Use a strong firewall. 8. Password-protect your computers and files. 9. Put your wireless network on its own subnet (This step is
mainly for small business and commercial accounts). 10. Turn off wireless cards and routers when not in use.
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