 What
does it take to protect your data?
Read
on and we'll show you.
Now that
we have identified the major threats against your
data, its time to discuss prevention measures. There
is always a tradeoff between security and convenience,
so we aren't necessarily recommending all of these
measures be taken - it depends a great deal on what
kind of information you have and how you use it.
Virus
Protection - It can't be overstated - you
need a good anti-virus program and you need to keep
it up-to-date. They slow your system down and can
cause headaches with some other programs, but they
are essential for the protection of your data. Even
proper backups can't help you if you are backing up
infected data. The two most popular programs on the
market are Symantec's
Antivirus and McAfee's
VirusScan, both of which are readily available
at most software retailers. For those looking for
a free option, AntiVir
Personal Edition fits the bill, but is intended
for non-profit and personal use. Each of these programs
has the ability to update the virus information weekly.
Hacker
Protection - The ONLY guaranteed protection
against hackers is to take a pair of scissors and
cut the Internet cable from the back of your computer.
The next best thing is a properly configured firewall
system. There are hardware firewalls as well as software
firewalls, and they come in a wide range of flavors
and levels of complexity. Hardware firewalls, while
more expensive and more difficult to configure, usually
offer superior protection versus their software cousins.
One of the simplest kind (and still quite effective)
of hardware firewall is a N.A.T. router which you
may already be using in your network. On the software
side, the most common commercial applications are
Symantec's
Internet Security, ZoneLab's
ZoneAlarm, and Sygate's
Personal Firewall PRO. Kerio
Personal Firewall is a free alternative for personal
use. Regardless of the firewall you use, it is only
as good as it is configured so it should be set up
by someone who understands network traffic.
It's worth noting that Microsoft Windows
XP has built in firewall software that works quite
well. For most users, we would recommend this method
over any other software firewall on the market simply
because it is effective and it is already integrated
into the operating system. To enable it, open Network
Connections in your Control Panel, right-click on
your network connection and choose Properties. Then
under the Advanced tab, place a checkmark in the box
labeled Internet Connection Firewall. The default
settings should suffice for most common situations.
Local
Protection -
Firewalls only protect your data from hackers coming
in through your network connections, but maybe you
should also be concerned about people that have physical
access to your machine(s). This may be snoopy employees
or roommates, or it may be the guy that buys your
computer after its been stolen. If you don't want
any prying eyes seeing your important data, you should
take the time and inconvenience to encrypt your data
locally and only decrypt it (with your password) when
you are using it. There are dozens of programs that
do the job, but our favorite is HandyBits
EasyCrypto.
Protection
From Other Threats- We aren't experts on
fire prevention, and we're not so sure there's such
a thing as flood prevention. Earthquakes may happen
at any time, and if its time for your hard drive to
go... well, its time for your hard drive to go. The
only real way to protect against physical failure,
damage, or loss of your data is to have a proper backup,
which is discussed in the next session.
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