Safe Computing at Home
The Ohio State University at Lima
Technical Bulletin #2003012301
Viruses
More than 62,000 virus threats exist today. Keep in mind that the majority of all viruses are delivered to your computer via email, as zipped or executable attachments. (That's how ExploreZip and a half dozen other viruses spread all over the place.) They infect your system when you unzip or run the attachments, not when you open your mail. So the first preventative step you can take is to be very careful about opening strange attachments.
If you get a message headed
"Here's that file I promised you" when you weren't expecting a file
and don't know the person who sent it, you should hear loud alarm bells.
Finding an attachment on a note that shouldn't have one isn't an invitation to
open that attachment. Curiosity killed the cat, and it could kill your
computer, too.
Microsoft Outlook and
Outlook Express have been targets of several nasty viruses, which access the
address books and address lists, then send copies of themselves out to every
address listed. The insidious nature of
these macro viruses is that the email message that is sent by the virus is sent
out under your name, so the recipients may not view the message or the
attachment as suspicious. Consider
switching to an alternative email program, such as Eudora or Netscape Messenger
(part of the Netscape Communicator package.)
Watch where you get your
software. When the Chernobyl virus struck back in April, 1999, more than a half
million systems in Europe and Southeast Asia were reported to have been
infected. Only about 10,000 computers in the United States were hit. Why the
huge difference? According to some experts, the bulk of the infections were
possibly the result of the virus being piggybacked on pirated software CDs, and
software piracy is much more rampant outside of North America.
However, legal software
disks and CDs have been known to carry viruses--just ask the folks at Cult of
the Dead Cow (cDc). When they handed out the first copies of Back Orifice 2000
at a computer show, the CD was found to have been infected with the Chernobyl
virus. But something like that is a rare occurrence. If you don't accept or
pass along bogus copies of software, you'll probably avoid acquiring and spreading
about 40 percent of the viruses in the world.
Lastly, think before you
shove a floppy disk or a CD-R disc into your computer. As a floppy passes
through many hands and many computers, it has a greater and greater chance of
becoming infected by a virus--one that will now infest your system. And
homemade CD-R discs with no traceable point of origin are potential viruses
waiting to happen.
As a faculty member of OSU, you have access to McAfee Anti-Virus
software (for Windows), Virex (for Macintosh), and Eudora (for both) for your
home computer. You can access this
software at:
Information on virus threats, protection, and removal can be found
at:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/
Virus
Glossary
·
Back Door: A feature built into a program by its designer, which allows them
to gain full or partial access to your system.
· Hoax:
This is usually an email message that warns of a
non-existent virus. This can do harm by
spreading fear.
· Macro:
A saved set of instructions that users may create or edit to
automate tasks within certain applications or systems. A Macro Virus is a malicious macro that a user may execute
inadvertently and that may cause damage
or replicate itself.
· Trojan Horse: A program that
either pretends to have, or is described as having, a set of useful or
desirable features, but actually contains a damaging payload. Most frequently
the usage is shortened to "Trojan".
Trojan Horses are not technically viruses, since they do not replicate.
· Worm:
A virus that spreads by creating duplicates of itself on
other drives, systems, or networks.
Hackers
Viruses
aren’t the only dangers lurking on the Internet. Hackers can disable your PC, watch what you
type, browse your personal files, and use your system as a base to attack
others. You can protect your system from
hacker intrusions by installing a firewall product. Firewalls filter all the network traffic to
and from your computer, and allow only the specified types of traffic in or
out. Unfortunately, OSU does not site
license any software for this problem, so you would have to purchase the
software yourself. However, there are a
few things you can do to minimize the chances of being hacked.
- Turn it
off! Shut your computer down when
you are not using it. This is
especially pertinent if you have a broadband connection, such as
RoadRunner. By leaving your system
on 24/7, you leave your system open to port scans and direct attacks. Turning your system off not only
protects you from these scans, it also gives you a new network address
when you turn it back on, further reducing the chances that an attacker
can locate your system.
- Turn off
unnecessary utilities. If you don’t
need a personal web server running on your home computer, disable it. You may not even know it’s there. Check your Windows Components.
- Keep your
system updated. Use Windows Update
to install security patches, or Software Update on Mac OS X.
- Be wary
of Instant Messenger programs.
These are predicted to be prime targets for hacking activity in
2003.
- Never
trust attachments. Follow safe
computing guidelines.
Personal
Firewall Products
Microsoft
Windows XP (built in basic firewall)
Apple
MacOS X (built in basic firewall)
McAfee
Personal Firewall
Norton
Personal Firewall 2003
BlackICE
PC Protection