Internet Security Problems.


This page outlines briefly some internet and computer security issues and lists addresses where FREE programs can be downloaded to help protect yourself and possibly delete the offending 'object'.

The InterNet can be a great benefit to our lives in the 21st Century but for every PLUS there is a MINUS - here I list some of the minuses but here's a plus, I also list some excellent programs that help protect against problems occurring and sometimes able to correct the problem; and here's another plus.... at the time of writing these programs are FREEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!

This page contains information and programs to download on the following;

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Virus Protection Spam Email Advice Firewall
Online
Security Issues		 Encryption Deleting Files
and Data
Addware
Spyware Protection
Cookie
Management		 Passwords

Viruses are malicious programs that get into your computer without your knowledge and then cause problems ranging from annoyance to loss of data. You can get a computer virus by downloading programs from the internet or by loading copied programs from an unknown source but it is also possible to get one from a genuine professional disk, though, this is less likely.

AVG Anti Virus System - Free Edition is a Windows based program that can be set to run in a number of ways - it can either continuously monitor your computer or run only when you require it. It is inclined to instal itself to run continuously including a registry entry that auto loads a function but these can be altered.

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Firewall - Data Traffic  It is possible for connections to be made to and from your computer without your knowledge whilst you are online. As mentioned in the 'Addware or Spyware' paragraph below certain programs will monitor your activity and send a report back to its server when you connect. You will probably be completely unaware of this. An excellent program - ZoneALARM - can be downloaded from http://www.zonelabs.com/  It is free to individual users and appears easy to operate. It will warn you when you try to access the internet with your machine via your browser, email program etc.- or one of the 'Spyware' programs try to do so without your knowledge - and it will warn you when the 'Internet' tries to connect to your machine - incoming ICQ messages etc or an unauthorised connection.

It is easy to configure so that your own programs like Intenet Explorer and OutLook Express will connect without warning. I keep mine so that ANY connections in or out will give a warning, this more for the learning purpose than the security.

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Cookies are small text files that store information on various settings that you choose when you visit a web site. Depending on how your web browser is set up sometimes these are saved on your computer automatically and without your knowledge - there is a browser setting to 'Confirm cookies' but to get the best out of the web you have to accept them otherwise some sites will not allow you access.  They are usually stored in a 'Temporary Internet Folder' along with other stuff that your operating system feels is necessary.

There is an excellent little proggie that searches your hard drive in various locations for cookies  (if you run Netscape or profiles cookies are stored in different locations) and the program allows you to view the contents of the cookie (If you can understand it), see who has access to it and DELETE them en masse or individually.  The program is called 'Cookie Viewer', and is written by Karen Kenworthy who has a page full of other programs available; most are security related and are well worth a look.

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Addware or SpyWare as it is sometimes known is a type of program that is often supplied with a FREE program and is loaded 'invisibly' along with the main program. This Addware then monitors how you view certain adverts and how long you view them - it then sends and/or receives data to/from its own server about your activities. Although at the time of writing many programs appear to do this without the users knowledge some of the program writers are aware of the controversy surrounding this and are now highlighting the fact that their program is operating.

There are two well respected programs for searching out this uninvited intrusion;

1. Ad-Aware downloadable from
2. SpyBot Search & Destroy from www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html 
3. AVG Anti-Spyware from http://free.grisoft.com/doc/29116/us/frt/0 


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Online Security Issues

A University Hosted site dedicated to security issues - some areas can be quite complicated but others simple, well worth a look.

The following two sites are hoping you buy their product but offer useful online security checks. Do appreciate though, that if an apparent security flaw is highlighted, people are more LIKELY to purchase their product. PARANOIA RULES OK

Various online security checks 

Tests email vulnerability           www.gfi.com/emailsecuritytest
 
 

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Security of Data (Encryption).  We all know that mail can be opened and phone calls can be monitored but we do appear a bit paranoid about data over the internet. Many people hate to think of their emails being read by someone else even though there is nothing too private in the email.  I personally don't care, if someone else wants to read my email then let them.  There is however, a way to send plain text, programs or other files in such a way that is as near 100pc secure as there can be - that is by encryption or code.

PGP is an excellent program allowing you to create your own secure files and only allowing those you choose to decode them - this you do by giving them a small file that is able to decode your coded file. This enables PGP encrypted files to be sent over the internet in the almost 100% knowledge that only the intended recipient can decode it.   Download PGP via this link.

Another excellent program is Truecrypt, with this utility you create a file of a size you decide. After creating some random code this file then becomes a 'Virtual Hard Drive' and gets allocated a free drive letter. You can then save, alter or delete files from this drive as you would any other. You can create encrypted folders, partitions or complete drives.

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Deleting Files. When you delete a file and then empty the Waste Bin did you think the file was deleted? If you did then you would be WRONG!!!! All the data remains, all that happens is that the operating system deletes the reference to it and marks the area on the disk as available to be written on. Certain software is able to recover this data and rebuild the file. Normal program operation will write over this data in due course but it is said that it is 'possible' to recover data that has been written over up to seven times - frightening isn't it.

To be sure a file is actually DELETED you need to actually write over the file data, a program that I have used, is simple to instal, operate and is small is Shredder.

SuperShredder from analogX is a small program  that instals a 'drag and drop' type window or add/delete buttons to add files for deletion to a window. You have a choice as to how many times you want a file wiped then delete them, simple and easy to use.

Eraser is another simple to use program that allows various levels of overwriting in the deleting process and allows you to set up tasks to carry out deletions automatically.

A wiping facility is also part of the PGP encryption program mentioned above

A word of warning however - if you have data that you deperately want erased then should you really have had it on your computer in the first place?

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Passwords - you know when you type passwords on your computer and they appear as a row of ***** and you feel all nice and secure because they are encrypted, well - welcome to the real world; using Revelation you can drag an icon over the nice row of ***** and your password appears in all its glory.  Calm down, it appears only to work on passwords used for your own computer, I have tried it on Bank sites and it doesn't work. Give it a try and download Revelation from this link.

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