How do I protect myself from Hackers?

We have had best luck with the Linksys series of products.  In general, every Cable/DSL router will have a Firewall built into it.  The trick is that you have to buy one and put it between your computer and the internet!

We have various options for internet protection available in house.  If you're interested in a solution, please call one of our technicians and they will gladly suggest a solution that fits your needs.

Alternately, if you are running Windows XP you can turn on the built-in Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) simply by following these steps:

1. Open Network Connections
2. Click to select the Dial–up, LAN or High–Speed Internet connection that you want to protect
3. In the task pane on the left, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this connection as shown in Figure 5 below.
   (Or, within the Network Connections folder, right-click on the connection that you want to protect and then click Properties)
4. On the Advanced tab as shown in Figure 7 below, under Internet Connection Firewall, select one of the following:

• To enable Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), select the Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet check box.
   
• To disable Internet Connection Firewall, clear the Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet check box. This disables the firewall, your computer and network are then vulnerable to intrusions.

NOTE: The ICF is not as effective as a hardware firewall, for better protection we suggest using a hardware firewall in conjuction with ICF and an up to date antivirus program.

Here are some simple guidelines for strong passwords.

• It should contain at least eight characters.
• It should contain a mix of four different types of characters -- upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and special characters such as !@#$%^&*,;" If there is only one letter or special character, it should not be either the first or last character in the password.
• It should not be a name, a slang word, or any word in the dictionary. It should not include any part of your name or your e-mail address.
• You should be able to type it quickly, so that someone looking over your shoulder cannot readily see what you have typed.
• It should be changed at least every 90 days to keep undetected intruders from continuing to use it.

Named after the famous Wooden Horse used by the Greeks to
conquer the city of Troy, these programs basically invade your PC disguised as a piece of desirable software. Often hidden inside the installation routines of pirate software downloaded from the internet they install themselves at the same time as the actual application and modify your system settings to ensure they are automatically run every time your PC is started up.

Trojan horses themselves seldom damage the system they infect, preferring to silently allow attackers to access your machine over the internet and do almost anything from stealing your files through to destroying your hard disk. Because they normally rely on an internet connection, PC's with cable modems or other always-on connections are especially vulnerable if infected with a trojan horse.

Trojans are removed by AntiVirus software.  While there are manual ways of removing them, we recommend a more sweeping action by scanning your entire system at once.
Once you have installed an anti-virus software program, have the software do the following:

• Update the software via the Internet
• Scan all files and memory on all of your hard disks
• Set the program to scan floppy disks and downloaded files

To Disable File and Print sharing:

Win95/98/ME

   1. Open Control Panel --> Network.

   2. Disable File and Print Sharing:

          * Click on File and Print Sharing.

          * UN-check the two options for files and printer(s).

          * Click OK twice to close the Network windows.

   3. Restart your computer if prompted to do so.

   4. Close Control Panel.

Win2000/XP

1. Open Control Panel --> Network Connections
2. Double click on your connection and then click the properties button.

* For a LAN connection make sure the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks is not selected.

* For a dial up connection, click the Networking tab and then make sure File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks is not selected.

   3. Close Control Panel

Critical Windows Updates include fixes to known security holes for your version(s) of Windows and will help secure both your computer and our computer network.

Microsoft does not contact Windows users individually, and chooses to leave the responsibility of keeping your computer up-to-date in your hands.

To run windows update, first left click on your Start button, then choose Programs (or All Programs) from the Menu, then find and left click on Windows Update.

After you click on Windows Update, you will have to press on the link named Scan Now to check and see if your Window's software is up-to-date. If your software is not up-to-date you must pick and install updates as prompted.

You can also get updates for MS Office products. 

It important to make sure that any other programs that are on your computer are up to date.

Ad-aware is a great tool for finding and removing adware on your computer.