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Steve Gibson is a well known software developer and he has a site for you to visit: Go to www.grc.com and test
your internet connection. Once connected, his software will "probe" your computer and report back all
of the security flaws that you have.
When I ran the tests, I wasn't surprised at what was reported. Turns out that a Windows system with File andPrint
Sharing turned on is inherently insecure. While you are connected to the Internet, others can pass through the
wires and snoop around your hard disk. This is a real threat because certain nefarious people have written programs
to automatically search for computers connected to the internet which have these little breaks.
If you have an always-on DSL or Cable Modem connection, your address is vulnerable and can easily be found. For
those of us with dial-up connections, we get a different IP Address each time we log in, so the risk is smaller,
but it is still there.
Mr. Gibson's site tests your connection and your PC and then reports various goodies about you. At the same time,
it gives suggestions on how you can improve your security. At our Networking General meeting two months ago, where
we demonstrated running a home network, we suggested you run a TCP/IP only network. Gibson suggests otherwise.
He recommends running NetBeui (a non-routeable protocol) on your home network - this makes the other PC's in your
house invisible to intruders while you are connected.
Other solutions would be to install a Proxy Server (seems overkill at my house) or perhaps some kind of software
"Firewall" to keep your friendly intruders out. You can check out a free and recommended Firewall solutions
at Zone Alam 2.1 at www.zonealarm.com. Since this writing, mail filtering
has been added to scan for email attachments that might be harmful.
ZoneAlarm allows even non-technical users to lock down security problems and it pops up an alert when someone tries
to scan your system. Equally important, ZoneAlarm monitosr the programs on your computer to see which ones - legitimately
or not - are trying to send information back out the Internet.
Another issue, which is less about security and more about privacy, are cookies which
is information about where you been and what you have done on the Internet.
If you know more about these types of concerns, drop me a line to TRayWolf@micron.net
so I can disseminate your thoughts. You'll be hearing more about firewalls in the June issue of Bits &
Pieces. Come back next month and it should also be posted here.
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