19.01.2005 11:38 - Your Computer May Be At Risk..
A wee public service announcement, after reading Mike\'s recent comments upon security.
If you are a wide-bandwidth user - ADSL, Cable or anything else that allows you to download/upload at a high speed, You NEED protection. Your computer is a desirable target for hackers who wish to use it to send spam, run Denial-of-service attacks or just use it as a convenient proxy for hiding their own identities.
Mike says that 20 minutes after connecting up DSL, he was attacked by a malicious program. One of his friends said it was only two minutes in their case. This goes to show that you CANNOT connect an unprotected computer to the net. You MUST install protection before you even think about connecting to the net.
You need the following : anti-virus software, a firewall, and anti-trojan/spyware software. You can download these all free on the net. I recommend the following :
| Name | Software | Link : |
|---|---|---|
| AVG Antivirus | Free anti-virus software | free.grisoft.com |
| Sygate Firewall | Free Firewall software | smb.sygate.com |
| Spybot | Free anti-trojan/Spy software | www.safer-networking.org |
In addition, Sygate have a Security scan site which will expose any holes in your firewall installation.
I have no connection to these companies other than as a satisfied user of their products.
Do not think you are not at risk because you use Linux/unix/BSD. You are.
Do not think you are not at risk because you use an Apple. It\'s only a matter of time, especially as System X is BSD-based and is making headway in the server market.
DO not think that because you are protected, you remain protected. Keep your software updated. There are new ways of getting into your computer found all the time.
DO make sure your computer is protected, so that no-one can access it other than you. If you are wondering how to do that, then do a bit of research on the net or shell out a bit of money to get someone to protect your machine for you. It\'ll cost you a lot less than if some little shit nicks your credit-card details with his keylogger.
This has been a Pissed-off-techie announcement.
