Security (Some) "Best Practices" Part 1 I say Part 1 cus maybe I'll decide to write more later; I'll call the sequel Part 2. This is some thoughts & feelings based on observation, of my machines & those of my company's clients, reading, listening, participating in tech forums, webcasts, conferences & seminars, some time in IT & being rather concerned w/ Security. It's not necessarily in any particular order which is ok cus it's all important. Some of this may be considered opinion but, I reckon, if so, there's a good chance those 'opinions' will be shared by many others including, most of my colleagues. In the context of this essay, there are 2 aspects affecting computer performance, Security & Junk. I may address Junk Files in another article.This is about clearing & cleaning 'nasties' not, dust & dirt. Nor does this address the Registry since I do not promote or advocate ppl mucking about there w/ that, in there, anyway. It has to do w/ virusi & malware... Malware being an umbrella term covering such criminal ammo as spyware, adware, key-loggers, dialers, bots & worms. Malware, today, has become a big, money-making, dirty, dangerous, sad part of the Net & probably more of an issue than virusi per se. The biggest security threat is in the chair in front of the computer.I will state if something is system specific otherwise the point has general application. I am, also, going to keep Part 1 primarily focusing on Home Users or generalities rather than Enterprise. The concerns, needs, products & issues are too vastly different in many ways that they cannot be addressed simultaneously.A good Anti virus program is needed. There are perfectly good free ones available. Use only 1 (one) of these programs per machine. Some include an Anti-Spyware component & some include a firewall component. Having more that 1 Anti-Spyware utility is ok, having more than 1 (software) firewall is not ok. More than 1 firewall will result in conflicts & can crash HDDs. A-M (Anti-Malware) tools can co-exist & in spite of any redundency what one misses another may find. Always be sure any A-V and any A-M utilities are kept updated, both versions & definitions. Running A-M tools w/out 1st updating is as good as not running them @ all. MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) will override Windows Defender (so will OneCare).A router is inherently a firewall, a hardware firewall & can co-exist w/ the firewall in the computer. Some A-V programs that come w/ a firewall try to shut down the OS (Operating System) firewall, Norton is famous but, not unique, for this. It is my recommendation that the OS Firewall be used not, the A-V's firewall. 3rd party firewall, like Zone Alarm, I do not recommend @ all. The firewall in both Vista & Windows 7 is better than that of XP. Nice about W7 Firewall is increased granularity & detailed, easy to use options. Some A-Vs, that include Anti-Spyware will turn off Windows Defender. If Defender is running should be set to Daily & Full Scan. Scans should be done @ Full or Complete not, Smart or Quick (Scan).XP has greater needs than Vista or Windows 7. Did I mention the greatest threat is in the chair in front of the machine? Oh & I should say, you won't see mention of Norton or McAfee cus they both suck, stink or worse, in spite of paying for 'em. All the below recommended for XP:An A-V (Avast, AVG, MSE)Windows Defender (needs to be Added)SpywareBlasterSpybotAd-AwareVista & Windows 7:An A-VWindows Defender (embedded)SpywareBlasterWhen Updates won't go in XP, ComboFix can help. Also issues w/ Windows/Microsoft Updates always gets MS Tech Support @ no charge... call the PC Safety number.For special occasions, like when a rogue A-V (actually spyware) has taken over a machine, Malwarebytes is a terrific tool!! www.malwarebytes.org Did I mention the greatest threat to IT security is in the chair in front of the computer? Also, let's not mix threats from internet criminals, spam, virusi & malware w/ data theft. The latter is why there is something for Enterprise (business) like Bit-Locker, Bit-Locker-To-Go and encryption. The greatest threat to companies security has been from the unethical internal, human factor, theft. The term being "Intellectual Property".Now, a bit regarding the threat from the chair. The Automatic Updates is enabled by default but, to run @ 3AM & the machine can be asleep but, must be powered (on) for this to happen. The same can be said for the daily scan of Defender.80 to 90% of the Updates are security related. You must be certain they are all in & up-to-date!Stay away from P2P Share file services for downloading music & such cus they are dangerous... good way to infect a machine. ____ sites are, also, very dangerous to a computer's security health.Do not click on links in Instant Messenger. Don't mess w/ E-mails from (or to) addresses you don't know. Do not ever answer or click on links in E-mails from banks, PayPal or other financial institutions. Do not bother w/ too-good-to-be-true offers from Africa or 'investment' scams. And don't send E-mails to all your friends (contacts) warning of some virus threat... that's is part of the point of these things... take up ppl's time, stress them & fill up Inboxes. It's the idea but, really a pain getting E-mail about a hoax... check whether something alledged is real or a hoax before passing the 'warning' on to others.Ok, well, I'm tired; that's enough for now. Thanks for listening, if you made it this far.Regards,Drew"A scan a day keeps the nasties away!" Drew - MS Partner / MS Beta Tester / Pres. Computer Issues

Drew1903 wrote:> Security (Some) "Best Practices" Part 1> Surely you don't expect anyone to read that rambling collection of misspellings and grammatical atrocities, do you?-- Bruce ChambersHelp us help you:http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.htmlhttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin FranklinMany people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand RussellThe philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has killed a great many philosophers.~ Denis Diderot

Thanks for the nice comment. Have/had no particular expectations. In spite of any abbreviations or shortcuts, it is in 4 tech forums where I write & getting read A LOT. It is not supposed to be a paper for an English class... seriously, most are, it seems, are just taking an interest in the content. In other contexts the wording & grammar would certainly be perfect & proper & formal.Drew - MS Partner / MS Beta Tester / Pres. Computer Issues