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Introduction
Your home computer is a popular target for
intruders. Why? Because intruders want what you’ve stored there. They look for credit card numbers, bank account information, and anything else they can find. By stealing that information, intruders can use your money to buy themselves goods and services.
But it’s not just money-related information they’re after. Intruders also want your computer’s resources, meaning your
hard disk space, your fast processor, and your Internet connection. They use these resources to attack other computers on the Internet. In fact, the more computers an intruder uses, the harder it is for law enforcement to figure out where the attack is really coming from. If intruders can’t be found, they can’t be stopped, and they can’t be prosecuted.
Why are intruders paying attention to home computers? Home computers are typically not very secure and are easy to break into. When combined with high-speed Internet connections that are always turned on, intruders can quickly find and then attack home computers. While intruders also attack home computers connected to the Internet through dial-in connections, high-speed connections
(cable modems and DSL modems) are a favorite target.
No matter how a home computer is connected to the Internet, intruders’ attacks are often successful. Many home computer owners don’t realize that they need to pay attention to computer security. In the same way that you are responsible for having insurance when you drive a car, you need to also be responsible for your home computer’s
security. This document explains how some parts of the Internet work and then describes tasks you can do to improve the security of your home computer system. The goal is to keep intruders and their programs off your computer.
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Thinking About Securing Your Home Computer
 Before diving into
the tasks you need to do to secure your home computer, let’s first think about the problem by relating it to something you already know how to do. In this way, you can apply your experience to this new area.
So, think of your computer as you would your house, your apartment, or your condo. What do you know about how that living space works, what do you routinely do to keep it secure, and what have you installed to improve its security? (We’ll use this “computer-is-like-a-house-and-the-things-in-it” analogy throughout, departing only a few times to make a point.)
For example, you know that if you have a loud conversation, folks outside your space can probably hear you. You also routinely lock the doors and close the windows when you leave, and you don’t give the keys to just anyone. Some of you may install a security system to complement your practices. All of these are part of living in your home.
Let’s now apply similar thinking to your home computer. Email, instant messaging, and most web traffic go across the Internet in the clear; that is, anyone who can capture that information can read it. These are things you ought to know. You should always select and use strong passwords and exercise due care when reading all email, especially the unsolicited variety. These are things you ought to do. Finally, you can add a firewall, an anti-virus program, patches, and file encryption to improve the level of security on your home computer, and we’ll call these things you ought to install.
The rest of this document describes the things you ought to know, do, and install to improve the security of your home computer.
 Before diving into the tasks you need to do to secure your home computer, let’s first think about the problem by relating it to something you already know how to do. In this way, you can apply your experience to this new area.
So, think of your computer as you would your house, your apartment, or your condo. What do you know about how that living space works, what do you routinely do to keep it secure, and what have you installed to improve its security? (We’ll use this
“computer-is-like-a-house-and-the-things-in-it” analogy throughout, departing only a few times to make a point.)
Points to Remember :-
- Task 1 - Install and Use Anti-Virus Programs
- Task 2 - Keep Your System Patched
- Task 3 - Use Care When Reading Email with Attachments
- Task 4 - Install and Use a Firewall Program
- Task 5 - Make Backups of Important Files and Folders
- Task 6 - Use Strong Passwords
- Task 7 - Use Care When Downloading and Installing Programs
- Task 8 - Install and Use a Hardware Firewall
- Task 9 - Install and Use a File Encryption Program and Access Controls
Summary
Growing up, you learn many of the things you need to know about how to operate and care for a car by sitting in the back seat while adults drive and care for their vehicles. Similarly, you learn many of the things you need to know about how to care for and maintain a home by watching what is done to the one where you live. It is a slow, gradual process, so slow in fact you are probably unaware that you are learning the skills you need to do these same jobs yourself.
You don’t have that same luxury of time to learn how to care for and operate your home computer. When you attach it to the Internet for the first time, it instantly becomes a target for intruders. You need to be ready right from the start.
As you grow up, you also learn that you need to spend time and money to repair and replace those things around your living space and your car that need your attention. You learn that you have to spend more time and more money to tailor them to meet your needs and to keep you and others safe during their use. You accept these responsibilities and their costs as part of the total cost of ownership of that car and living space.
Your home computer is much the same. There is the initial money that you pay to purchase that system. Then there are additional costs to tailor it and to keep you and the others who use your system safe. These additional costs are also your responsibility, and they are part of the total cost of ownership of your home computer.
This document helps you think about the problems you face when you have a home computer and gives you advice on how to address these problems. By taking the time to read this document, you know more about securing your home computer and the extra costs required to do this job. Do the tasks described here and share this document with your friends. We all benefit from a more secure Internet.
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