Computer security
Jérémie Lefrançois
This last being in general WINDOWS-XP it is enough to be connected to Internet and to carry out the operation “Windows Update”. The best is to configure WINDOWS-XP so that it announces when the updates are available but does not carry out them automatically. Only the updates of safety are essential, the others are to be realized only constrained and forced, as at the time of the installation of a new hardware (for example).
An antivirus is useless if its data base is not updated regularly. The comparative establish that “Kapersky” (paying) is most effective of all and “Antivir” is the best among the free ones. Symantec/Norton, more known, is placed between the two. Note that Kapersky slows down considerably a PC already short in computing power. Do not deactivate the real time functionality and take the time of a monthly scan of the entirety of the hard disk.
There are several free amongst which the one that is considered as the best: “Kerio”. The profit in safety compensates well for the tiresome installation. Keep with the default settings proposed. The top-of-the-range antiviruses propose the fire wall functionality in addition, which of course makes useless in this case the addition of a second fire wall.
Two free software are impossible to circumvent and of public utility for scanning a PC and to exterminate the spying software (“spyware”): “Spybot” and “Adaware”. They are complementary. Not to take account of the warning messages of Spybot with respect to Adaware. It is necessary to install the resident part of Spybot which allows the convenient monitoring of the base of registers. To prevent it from returning to settle, there are two software which helps to configure its PC: “Spyware Blaster” and “Xp-antispy”. Note that the most paranoiac configuration can obstruct the exploration of sites however inoffensive. The spywares also often come with the free products self saying fantastic. Recently a free product seems to emerge and to be even more effective: “Microsoft Defender (beta)”.
Not that they are so bad, but their faults very known and are exploited by the malevolent data processing specialists, who moreover expect more success on these so widespread products. To navigate on the WEB, “Mozilla Firefox” is very good. To consult its messages, “Mozilla Thunderbird” is also very good. These two alternatives require small effort of configuration but bring a plus compared to the two standards imposed by the firm of Redmond. The paroxysm of this logic would be to use LINUX in the place of WINDOWS-XP…
When arrives a contaminated message (and thus tagged as such by the antivirus software), display the complete source complete of the message in question to find I.P. address of the transmitter. Then go on the http://www.dnsstuff.com site to find the internet provider of the sender starting from this address (“who is by IP”), as well as the email address of this internet provider to treat the complaints (“misuses”). Copy the entirety of the message towards this organization, which perhaps will answer by indicating that the faulty Net surfer was informed - hoping that this source will be dried up. To note that in general the transmission of virus is made in an involuntary way and without its knowledge, and that the apparent author of the message is not the genuine one. The most virulent virus at the present time is Netsky in several of its variations. You can also install SpamSpade which carries out part of work in your place of the reception of the Spam to the emission of the complaint to the service “misuses”.
One should not copy with all the people of its address book the false alarms or the crying requests, they are almost always “hoax”, distort rumours intended to capitalize email addresses. When “spam” (mail not requested whose most picturesque example is publicity for the enlarging of the penis) arrives in its box to letter, not to click for oneself saying unregister (because that worsens the things) but complain according to the procedure above. To proscribe absolutely for the Webmasters: to leave email addresses in light on the sites in the “mailto” links. It is at least necessary to write the address in a hex form, which will prevent the majority of the robots to include/understand it and the bond will always function
It is very judicious to create an email address “lightning conductor” separated and to provide it when an email address is required (for a remote download for example). Thus all the advertisement which will not fail to follow will go in this box without jeopardizing the correct use of the principal letter box.
To use an engraver and CD RW to engrave the contents of the tree structure monthly “My documents” in which one will have taken care to make it the work area of the email client (Eudora) and place all the documents carefully that one does not wish to lose.
To avoid the saturation of the hard disk, “clean” it (this operation, among other things, empties the wastebasket, removes temporary files Internet, removes the old copies of restoration) and the defragment it (this operation optimizes the organization of it in order to gain some speed) regularly. Not to forget to remove of its email client the old messages of more than one certain time (like, especially, their attachment, which should be automatic).
It is also preferable to use removable hard disks for the various uses of the PC. A hard disk will be able to contain the games for the children, the another serious things for the parents (even opposite.) Swap from one to the other takes only a few seconds (in addition to the restarting of the PC).
The quoted software are a few clicks away with a good search engine.
More detailed information is available at www.secuser.com