thanks ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sudhir R (NeSTIT)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:57 AM Subject: [AI] Protect your PC and personal data from hackers and malware.
> rediff.com > > December 11, 2007 > > You do it almost everyday. You login into your computer, send e-mails, > open attachments from friends and strangers, shop online, transfer money > using your > banks secured payment gateway, chat with friends and upload personal > information on social networking sites. > > But have you ever given a thought to someone who is keeping a close watch > on all your online activities. Someone, somewhere in some corner of this > planet > trying to get inside your computer and filch one of the most important > resources of information age: personal data. > > Data that can be abused to make purchases online, send malicious > programmes to all those on your contact list and many such things to harm > you. Welcome > to the age of hackers (these are people who try to gain access to your > computer using various hacking tools and misuse your personal data) and > spies lurking > on the vast Internet highway. > > But don't worry. There are ways in which you can beat the hackers.However, > when it comes to security nothing is 100 per cent secure. Loads of > exploits are > developed everyday. Updating the knowledgebase should be a regular > process. Following could be few of the many measures that could be taken > to protect > your computer and all things that you do online: > > ~ Install the latest antivirus software (I recommend Kaspersky, Eset > Nod32, Quickheal, F-Secure) on the computer and never ever disable or turn > it off. > Install a personal firewall ( > www.sygate.com > and > www.zonelabs.com > offer free versions) and Spyware Checker (I recommend Spybot Search & > Destroy). > > ~ Keep updating antivirus/anti spywares at least every 15 days. Use > separate > Trojan > removers like anti Trojan shield if possible. Full system scan with your > anti virus at least once in a week or better set it to scan periodically > and give > a small interval say every Friday (the day may vary according to your > choice). > > ~ There are a few free online scanners available at > http://housecall.trendmicro.com > or > http://www.kaspersky.com/kos/eng/partner/us/kavwebscan.html, > and > http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml. > > ~ Get System's health checked regularly at > http://www.pcpitstop.com/. > The site checks the overall system health, tunes up the system and finds > out the vulnerabilities. It's a free service. > > ~ Don't ever download or open attachments whose source you are not certain > about. Even if the source is trusted, see if the content is relevant. Even > non-executable > files like *.Doc files can contain macro viruses and Trojans. There are > some special sort of programmes called worms, which don't need human > interaction. > You just open a mail or visit any website and that's it. So always stay > alert. Avoid opening e-mail attachments that contain '.vbs', '.scr', > '.exe', or > '.pif' file extensions. Files that end in these extensions are most likely > to contain some sort of virus. > > ~ Web browsers like Fire Fox, IE 7 & Opera offer good security features. > Test your Web Browser for Vulnerability at > http://bcheck.scanit.be/bcheck/. > > ~ Never download any files specially executables over P2P (peer-to-peer) > sharing networks, because you cannot be absolutely certain what they are. > P2P file > sharing programmes can lead to the installation of a lot of adware and > spyware. Try downloading executables from authentic and well-known sites; > don't > just download files from anywhere. > > ~ Try not to visit porn sites, Warez, sites of cracks and serials because > most of them have hell lot of latest spywares, Trojans and viruses .One > visit > and you are gone if your virus definitions are not up to date. > > ~ Be familiar with the installed programmes on your computer. If you > notice a new programme installed, which you didn't in the first place, > possibilities > are that it might be something malicious. > > ~ Read the installation agreements carefully when you download something > from the Internet. Pay attention to the terms and conditions or EULA > (end-user > license agreements) of the program being installed. Reference to third > party installation should be given more attention. Some EULA's tell you > that, if > you install the program, you have also agreed to install some spyware with > the software. Do check the independent sources as some EULA's do not > mention > about the Spywares. > > ~ Back up your computer data on a regular basis, at least weekly. Copy > your important documents and files onto a floppy disk, removable drives, > CD or a > DVD for safekeeping. Don't wait for the disaster to happen, take the > precaution before hand. Create system restore points periodically > > ~ Use e-mail encryption like PGP to send important information via emails. > Don't send important information in plain text. > > ~ Never respond to unsolicited e-mail. To those who send spam, one > response or 'hit' from thousands of e-mails is enough to justify the > practice. Additionally, > it validates your email address as active, which makes it more valuable, > and therefore opens the door to more spam. > > ~ Beware of phishing attacks. Sites like > www.antiphishing.org > offer latest updates on phishing along with good security tips > > ~Don't chat with strangers just for fun. Don't ever accept any file, > especially executables from an unknown person on chat. Don't click on any > links given > by someone you don't know. > > ~ Do not accept links or downloads from strangers even if it is tempting. > There have been cases where spywares like Trojans, keyloggers etc. have > been hidden > in simple picture files with '.jpg' extensions. You never really know what > is contained inside a file which looks attractive. > > Today people use binders to club two different files and send you the > mixture. Once you click on the file both file gets executed. > > ~ Be cautious while displaying your profile, especially your personal > details, photographs, videos and contacts on social networking sites. Your > profiles > and contacts may be misused by other people. > > ~ Install parental control softwares like netnanny that helps you choose > what the kids see on the Internet and monitor the activities of children. > For more > details visit > http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/children. > > Wireless security > > ~ If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC > filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP/WPA/WPA2 with the > biggest > key you can get. > > Online shopping safety tips > > ~ While purchasing online, look for signs that online purchases are secure > (SSL secured sites or 128 bit encryption) like > Ebay.co.in. > At the point that you are providing your payment information a golden > coloured lock appears (for SSL secured sites) or the beginning of the Web > site address > should change from http to shttp or https, indicating that the information > is being encrypted -- turned into code that can only be read by the > seller. > > Your browser may also signal that the information is secure with a symbol, > such as a broken key that becomes whole or a padlock that closes. > > ~ Carefully use credit card and online banking for online shopping. Check > your credit card and bank statements at regular intervals. Notify the bank > immediately > if there are unauthorised charges or debits. Avoid using credit card > details and online banking on public computers and in cyber cafes. It is > very unsafe > because most of them are infected with viruses, Trojans and key stroke > loggers. > > Banks such as HDFC [ > Get Quote] > have launched their services like Net Safe to create temporary credit > cards with a limited value to transact online. This way, in the worst case > scenario, > your damages are limited. > > Password security > > ~ Use two different passwords. One for mail, work and other important > access and other for routine purposes like subscribing to websites or > public viewing. > But remember to switch between them when you start doing transactions > after mere browsing. Create another e-mail ID providing false information > and crazy > usernames like 'whitecat_4u', 'kkk320' etc. which you use exclusively for > subscription to sites. That will prevent spam from coming to your main ID. > > ~ Create a difficult-to-guess password by taking the first alphabet from > each word of a phrase. What is a good password? It is a password which is > at least > 8 characters long, not easily guessable, contains mixture of uppercase and > lowercase letters as well as numbers, and preferably contains special > characters > like $, *, %, !, * etc. Some examples of a good password are: > &(^.1234*cRack&.^). > > ~ Always use alphanumeric passwordwith special characters and try to adopt > phrasing technique to construct passwords which are easy to remember, hard > to > guess and impossible to crack. Create a unique acronym. Never use a > dictionary based password like guest, home etc. It takes little time for a > good cracker > to crack the password. > > Vineet Kumar is the founder and CEO of > National anti-Hacking Group. > > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
