Keeping your network secure

When it comes to security an awful lot of people still think it won't happen to them. I hear people say things like 'my computer is running fine' or 'Why should I bother, there's nothing on my P.C anyway'. This is a dangerous line of reasoning. Even the spare processing capacity is of interest to hackers. Hackers construct huge networks (known as botnets), these send out viruses and spam. You could be inadvertently giving hackers the resources they need to cause mayhem. If you run a computer without decent security or use your computer online for anything other than browsing, your personal information could be open to misuse. There could be 200 viruses and 1,000 items of spy ware - this is not exaggeration; it's everyday reality.

Rarely have I worked in a business that did not have some kind of threat on their network. Even if the correct equipment is there, it is usually badly or wrongly setup.

I can't say enough about the importance of security. Latest statistics are frightening. The past few years has shown the biggest rise in viruses since the introduction of the internet. In November 2004 alone there were nearly 1,379 new viruses. In total there are around 100,000 known viruses.

The main danger is posed by just a few items of malware. Netsky-P and Sober-I account for almost half of all infections. If you are protected against Bagle, Mydoom and Zafi; you are well placed against 90 per cent of virus attacks. Go to McAfee Virus information Library at http://Vil.nai.com to find out more.

The main routes to allow a virus to spread is by opening email attachments. Don't be fooled by the fact it is from someone you know, the email could have been generated by a virus on the sender's computer. If unsure, check with the person who sent it. Look out for headings that ask you to act in a sudden manner like "Danger you have a virus".

I would also like to touch on the comment 'My computer seems to running fine'. This is not a sign of a virus free environment. Viruses have been written that actually remove rival malware. Netsky - one of the most widespread viruses contains functions for removing other viruses. Why, because they want your network to act like it is fine, that way you don't think about security measures. Viruses were originally designed to cause havoc, nowadays they are written by criminals who want something from you. Think of it another way, a house breakers hardly likely to make much noise whilst in the house.

The truth is there is no such thing as a full proof way to keep hackers out. If a thief really wants in, he can always get a bulldozer. The trick is to make your house more secure than your neighbors. There are plenty people out there who leave their front door wide open.

What can I do about it?

There are a number of things you can do, but before I talk about this I want to talk about what you already have. Make sure all your software is up to date. Windows, office software etc. Most of this can be set to run automatically.

Firewall's - I personally think one of the best Firewall's is called zonealarm. The good news is it's free. (See my links page to download)

Anti virus - There are free ones out there but I personally suggest Kaspersky. You can trial it free for 30 days. I feel Norton has not been working hard enough on this lately.

I was called in to look at a network; they had 11 computers and 1 Server. The server was on the wrong side of the hardware firewall. Norton's showed up 326 viruses which it eradicated. After this it was still acting erratic so I installed Kaspersky. It found a further 648 viruses that Norton had failed to find.

Spyware - There are a number of anti spyware programs out there and again the good news is a lot of them are free. I would actually recommend using more than one. I personally use Adaware (see links page) and Microsoft's anti spyware

*If you have an older computer all this will slow it to a snails pace. Maybe its time to upgrade, there are lots of cheap computers on the market to blow old cobweb away.

Finally Hackers are finding new ways to hack computers all the time. The latest of which is using something called root kits. Keep your computer up to date and run checks on a constant basis. I recommend a bit of light reading. I recommend the following magazines. Computeractive is a fortnightly magazine. Not too heavy going but very informative. Personal Computer world if you have a few hours to spare a month. It ranges from simple to technical issues and covers business users. Also P.C pro which probably sits somewhere in between. Either one of these is good to keep you up to date with what's going on. I personally would recommend Computeractive as it smaller doses of information more regularly.

Yours Scott Rennie