...using a firewall is a key component for users especially those with 24/7 access to the internet via broadband. There are a number of good firewalls available on the market that are easy to setup and use. I have a Microsoft MN-700 (http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/broadbandnetworking/productdetails.aspx?pid=002) which provides firewall and internet sharing (router) for both wired and wireless (802.11g) networking. Linksys and Netgear also make great firewall/routers that allow multiple computers to share a single broadband connection as well as keep viruses, worms and spyware from making your life miserable. This is about a $100 investment depending on what you need but is well worth the security it provides.
I am the art/tech director for a mid sized printer in the Midwest and this article repeats some information we should all be familiar with by now. Keeping a firewall, updating your MS sotware, using anti-virus and most especially NOT opening attachments you didn't ask for. In fact I have this exact warning on all of our Windows machines. So far, all of our employees have been following that last instruction, and we have not had a virus. Plus keeping everyone informed of what's going on in the virus world. I will personally go to every person on a workstation and tell them there is a virus attack and to be suspicious of all emails they didn't ask for. I still think that a pro-active approach is the best for these types of attacks.
Submitted by geozinger on Thu, 02/05/2004 - 06:12.
...the one thing users MUST do to protect themselves. If you're a Windows user, like me, you need to make sure you keep your system up to date. This doesn't necessarily mean download and install patches the day they come out but check Windows Update once a week and make sure you have Automatic Update set to at the very least download the updates and notify you when they are ready to install. It would be best for most users to simply download and automatically install the updates. When checking Windows Update make sure you have ALL the critical updates applied. The rest you should read and apply if necessary.
If you use MS Office, especially Outlook, like me, then you need to keep this application suite up to date as well. Microsoft's OfficeUpdate site (http://office.microsoft.com/officeupdate/) will automatically check to see which version of Office you are using and list any updates that you may need to apply. With the security updates applied Outlook no longer allows the receipt of "raw" .exe files. If you must receive .exe files, Flash and Director projectors for instance, have them sent as .zip files.
The third step that you must take is to learn about security. You don't have to become an IT Admin or sign up for a pocket protector; you just need to make yourself aware of security issues as they relate to your platform. A good place to start for Windows users is http://www.microsoft.com/security/. They have easy to read and understand articles and links to updates and warnings concerning current security issues. The other thing you should do is download the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/tools/mbsahome.asp). This will not only catch any updates that might not be available on Windows Update just yet but it will also identify any security issues that may exist on your system that you are not aware of. This ranges from open ports and application security settings to updates not installed or passwords that are easy to crack. It's simple to use, the reports it generates are easy to read and understand and it provides useful instructions to fix problems you may encounter.
Fourth step, and just as important, is to run a virus scanner. I run Norton Anti-Virus 2000 from Symantec and I have no problems with it. I know you will hear problems with Norton Anti-Virus but I've found that most of these problems are with Norton System Utilities and not specifically with Norton Anti-Virus itself. When you install Norton, make sure you set up a schedule for Norton to update the virus signatures. This is helpful if you have a broadband connection and can leave your system on these nights but if you have a dial-up connection do not ignore the update warning. A virus scanner is only useful if it knows to scan for the most current security issues so keep the virus definitions list up to date.
Windows is a secure system but it is up to the user to make it so. These four things will make your system far less susceptible to these worm and virus attacks. Since being networked 24/7 I have never gotten a computer virus, nor been bothered by a worm, and this during a time when networked computers are supposed to be far more susceptible to these security issues. Safe computing starts with the user and educating yourself about security will go a long way to making sure these worms and viruses do not interrupt your workflow.
I forgot to add...
...using a firewall is a key component for users especially those with 24/7 access to the internet via broadband. There are a number of good firewalls available on the market that are easy to setup and use. I have a Microsoft MN-700 (http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/broadbandnetworking/productdetails.aspx?pid=002) which provides firewall and internet sharing (router) for both wired and wireless (802.11g) networking. Linksys and Netgear also make great firewall/routers that allow multiple computers to share a single broadband connection as well as keep viruses, worms and spyware from making your life miserable. This is about a $100 investment depending on what you need but is well worth the security it provides.
This is good, general advice
I am the art/tech director for a mid sized printer in the Midwest and this article repeats some information we should all be familiar with by now. Keeping a firewall, updating your MS sotware, using anti-virus and most especially NOT opening attachments you didn't ask for. In fact I have this exact warning on all of our Windows machines. So far, all of our employees have been following that last instruction, and we have not had a virus. Plus keeping everyone informed of what's going on in the virus world. I will personally go to every person on a workstation and tell them there is a virus attack and to be suspicious of all emails they didn't ask for. I still think that a pro-active approach is the best for these types of attacks.
Great, but you forgot to mention...
...the one thing users MUST do to protect themselves. If you're a Windows user, like me, you need to make sure you keep your system up to date. This doesn't necessarily mean download and install patches the day they come out but check Windows Update once a week and make sure you have Automatic Update set to at the very least download the updates and notify you when they are ready to install. It would be best for most users to simply download and automatically install the updates. When checking Windows Update make sure you have ALL the critical updates applied. The rest you should read and apply if necessary.
If you use MS Office, especially Outlook, like me, then you need to keep this application suite up to date as well. Microsoft's OfficeUpdate site (http://office.microsoft.com/officeupdate/) will automatically check to see which version of Office you are using and list any updates that you may need to apply. With the security updates applied Outlook no longer allows the receipt of "raw" .exe files. If you must receive .exe files, Flash and Director projectors for instance, have them sent as .zip files.
The third step that you must take is to learn about security. You don't have to become an IT Admin or sign up for a pocket protector; you just need to make yourself aware of security issues as they relate to your platform. A good place to start for Windows users is http://www.microsoft.com/security/. They have easy to read and understand articles and links to updates and warnings concerning current security issues. The other thing you should do is download the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/tools/mbsahome.asp). This will not only catch any updates that might not be available on Windows Update just yet but it will also identify any security issues that may exist on your system that you are not aware of. This ranges from open ports and application security settings to updates not installed or passwords that are easy to crack. It's simple to use, the reports it generates are easy to read and understand and it provides useful instructions to fix problems you may encounter.
Fourth step, and just as important, is to run a virus scanner. I run Norton Anti-Virus 2000 from Symantec and I have no problems with it. I know you will hear problems with Norton Anti-Virus but I've found that most of these problems are with Norton System Utilities and not specifically with Norton Anti-Virus itself. When you install Norton, make sure you set up a schedule for Norton to update the virus signatures. This is helpful if you have a broadband connection and can leave your system on these nights but if you have a dial-up connection do not ignore the update warning. A virus scanner is only useful if it knows to scan for the most current security issues so keep the virus definitions list up to date.
Windows is a secure system but it is up to the user to make it so. These four things will make your system far less susceptible to these worm and virus attacks. Since being networked 24/7 I have never gotten a computer virus, nor been bothered by a worm, and this during a time when networked computers are supposed to be far more susceptible to these security issues. Safe computing starts with the user and educating yourself about security will go a long way to making sure these worms and viruses do not interrupt your workflow.