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Pastimes : Internet Security/Privacy Issues and Solutions

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To: Jim Burnham who wrote (171)	7/27/2001 10:16:10 AM
From: PJ Strifas	of 210

That's the key - shutting down unused services and ports. For home users - personal firewalls are just the first good step to take. Another is to get someone with knowledge of this area to help out. I've been looking on the internet to find a good source or two and CERT and SANS are probably the best out there. Both of those sites are geared towards system admins so.... I recently purchased a new DELL laptop with Windows ME - this system loads several programs that not only want to access the internet but act as "servers". Of course I took the time to remove them from my system but I'm a "techie" - what happens to the average Joe? Another item is port 5000 on Windows systems - this is where the Windows Update "lives". I have yet to see an exploit of this but I'm sure there's one out there. Another item to keep in mind - the "always on" aspect of broadband. Honestly - I turn off my modem at night and during hours I will not be using the system (such as during the day when I'm at work). There's no need to keep my system up and running. Sure I could leverage the "always on" stuff for getting to my system but if I can do that, so can anyone else (given the time to do so). The best tools I use is a program called Tauscan (checks for "trojans" on my system) and OptOut (checks for spyware) coupled with ZoneAlarm and a good anti-virus scanner. While I don't expect to be 100% safe, I do feel that most "hackers' would rather spend their time with the "easier" systems than with mine :) I also turn to my ISP for help whenever I feel that my system is being "scanned" - I report everything. Can't hurt right? Regards, Peter J Strifas

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