10 Fast and Free Security Enhancements

Before you spend a dime on security, there are many precautions you can take that will protect you against the most common threats.

1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly (_http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates); have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.

2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm (_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.

3. Install a free spyware blocker. SpyBot Search & Destroy (_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies.

4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). Open Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services and you’ll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.

5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.

6. If you’re using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.

7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. If you’re not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., w*w.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners available at w*w.pandasoftware.com/activescan and _http://housecall.trendmicro.com.

8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get.

9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats quickly and can take proper precautions.

10. Be skeptical of things on the Internet. Don’t assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it’s that person. Don’t assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don’t give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support."

Viruses:Common jargon for pc user

 

Viruses:

This term does not need its description as everyone knows about it. Just like people were afraid of gabber Singh, administrator r afraid of viuses. All those of u who r reading it also might have encountered several viruses while working on your computer…

 

 At the first node of virus detection, u will want t remove that viruses but when u give it a second chance than u might be wanted to know about it(if u r geek).Very few people knows about different types of viruses.Here,I am going to present types of viruses roaming over internet.so,tighten your security!!!!!!

 

FILE

It changes th file & appends itself into the file so that whe that file will be opened control will go to this file & virus will be executed.After execution control will be rleased so that it is not identified

 

BOOT

This virus copies boot sector to othr location & replaces the original boot sector with modifid boot sector.I this it will hide some portion of memory for itself & boots the system.They r difficlt to identiy.

DOS Attack, whats that!

 U might be guessing what this type of attack if u r a home user but any of your kin or relatives is a administrator of some organization that he knows how much difficult it is to identify it & how to stop or prevent it.This type of attack is network based.....

Don't consider DOS which u have heard in windows.This is entirely different from it This DOS means Denial-of-service attack.This attack is generally carried out when the attacker is not able to gain access to the target system.Under this attack,it prevents all the legal users from  using system resources etc.For example,suppose there is  site which requires user name & password for login & it also monitor that any one can attempt to give wrong password for certain account only for certain number of times, after which that account will be locked for a some period of time.so, if cracker knows about this policy of site administrator than he could give wrong password for all user so that that site locks all the users account for a given amount of time.Here attacker motive is achieved & administrator might have to figure ut that this was a attack....

Now, u might be thinking that than all administrator should monitors all the IP address of each pc & check that all attempts r not from same pc.But,attackers/crackers r smarter than u.They use a modified & much advanced type of DOS attack where it becomes difficult for administrator to   identify who r legitimate user & who r not.This attack is called DDOS attack.......

Hey , DDOS means distributed denial-of-service attack.here, attacker firstly attack other pc & compromise these pcs from over the net & make them zombies.zombies means that those pc which have been compromised will launch the attack at particular time or on the commands of the attacker on the target system.now, in this case it ,attack would be from the around the world so it would be difficult it identify the main culprit & prosecute him....