In the early days of the public Internet boom, no one really worried too much about computer security. Today, where you go, what you do, and covering your tracks is a crucial part of just browsing for recipes. Everyone’s been victimized in some way by spam e-mails, adware and spyware, and the fear that someone is aware of everything you do on the net.
This isn’t the most insightful or comprehensive column I’ve ever seen on the topic, but this summary of security issues by Micheal Fitzgerald is a good place to start if your entering the realm of the paranoid. He makes some interesting suggestions about proxies and software privacy tools that offer you the opportunity to add a little more protection. (Note: be sure to read his two sidebars on tracking and keeping e-mail private).
Happily, he also doesn’t attempt to scare you into believing that every move you make on the net is tracked. The biggest problem, in his opinion, is the ubiquity of adware and spyware that winds up on computers without the user’s knowledge or approval. Or even worse, spyware added intentionally through some “free” utility or tool bar on the browser, some of which gather all kinds of stats on your activities. Adhering to his level-headed ideas will go a long way to making you worry less.
Personally, I believe if you do a few easy things, you can go a long way to ending a lot of the problems with using the net. First, if you’re a Windows user, stop using Internet Explorer. Period. That action alone will eradicate about 90% of the security issues on most Windows systems. I’ve gone on about Firefox here, and even added that handy access button in the right column. But, you have to push it and you have to download and install it.
Second, if you insist on running Windows, be certain that you maintain anti-virus and anti-spyware applications on your system, and keep them current. This might require a little more work if you have a dial-up link to the ‘Net, but do it anyway. Update the virus software at least once a week, scan the system regularly, and keep the software turned on while browsing. There are a lot of choices in this realm; pick one and use it.
Third, Windows users should run the Windows Update tool frequently, perhaps once per week. This is easy to do in most recent versions, and Internet Explorer (for those who insist on using it) includes this on their menu for easy access. Windows security vulnerabilities pop up so frequently, making sure your system is patched is a real necessity.
Finally, there’s one more thing I discuss here a lot, something in the slightly more difficult category: switching away from Windows altogether. The easy way would be to move to a platform like the Macintosh, which is famous for its ease of use. There’s also my favorite platform, Linux. More and more Linux distributions make installing on the desktop far easier now than ever. For example, I recently decided to test an install of the “download” version of Mandrake Linux 10.1. I found the installation very simple for someone with no Linux knowledge. For the most part, the install detected all hardware on the system, and the defaults worked great. As a Linus tweaker, I’ve done a few additional things to make it run the way I like. But someone who uses their computer for web use and some personal work couldn’t go wrong by checking this out. Mandrake also sells services and Linux packages with additional features and software. There are other very non-geek-friendly versions out there, including the free Fedora Red Hat and free “live” versions of Linux such as Knoppix, which allow you to run the system from a bootable CD-ROM.
I don’t expect any of you, especially those of you using new Windows systems received for Christmas, to slick the hard disk and install Linux at the next opportunity. At least read what Michael Fitzgerald has to say on these topics, and think about this other advice. And don’t be paranoid.
Comments are closed.