Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sarmad Y. Hermiz who wrote (136697)	1/6/2002 4:43:21 PM
From: H James Morris	Respond to of 164684

Sarmad, I couldn't believe it when some idiot on SI put out a PED file the other day. Saturday, January 5, 2002 By D. IAN HOPPER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON -- As if you didn't have enough to worry about, that top-of-the-line computer on your desk at home could be yet another way to threaten your security. Now, it's not just multinational companies and governments that are at risk from hackers. Your computer is a juicy target, and can be used to steal your identity or destroy your most precious files. "Home machines weren't very interesting targets a few years ago," said Mikko Hypponen of antivirus company F-Secure in Finland. "That's all changed now." Experts attribute the threat to several factors: Many home computers are now as powerful as business computers, with enough memory and processing power to make them alluring staging areas for wide-scale Internet attacks that affect other computers. A growing number are connected directly to the Internet through high-speed DSL (digital subscriber line) and cable lines that remain open all the time. Computers that are left on around the clock are vulnerable. Unlike businesses with permanent security staff, most home users are slow to secure their computers with the latest antivirus and firewall software and to plug security holes by downloading the necessary fixes from software makers. Many home users are unaware of Internet threats and are too willing to click on unsolicited e-mails that might be infected with malicious programs. "Home users have generally been the least prepared to defend against attacks," Carnegie Mellon University's CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) Coordination Center warns. "In many cases, these machines are then used by intruders to launch attacks against other organizations." Internet analyst firm Jupiter Media Metrix estimated that 71.2 million American households had personal computers in 2001, almost three-quarters of the nation's households, and 61.2 million had Internet access. Viruses and worms -- which are viruses that don't need human intervention to multiply -- make up a large part of the new threats to home computers. In the past year, users' computers have been infected with malicious programs with catchy names like Code Red, Nimda, SirCam, Anna Kournikova and others that could be spread through Internet e-mail or surfing. Antivirus firm Message Labs reported that it detected one virus per 370 e-mails in 2001, double the rate of the previous year. The federal government is trying to better educate and insulate home users, hoping it will slow the spread of Internet viruses or worms that could slow the entire Internet. The outbreak of the Code Red Internet worm last summer sparked an unprecedented show of force from government and private industry. Although home computers were not affected, the message government and private security experts want home users to take from that threat is that computer maintenance needs to become as routine as locking your house and car. Home users need to routinely update their antivirus and Internet firewall software against the latest threats and check for software fixes that software makers provide for free. PROTECTION TIPS By being diligent about computer security and following some simple tips, you can better protect yourself from the things that go bump on the Internet. Use strong passwords. Choose passwords that are difficult or impossible to guess. Mix up letters and numbers in your passwords, and use a different password for each account. Never write your password down on a piece of paper. Make regular backups of critical data. Backups must be made at least once each day. Larger organizations should perform a full backup weekly and incremental backups every day. At least once a month the backup media should be verified. Buy and use virus protection software. That means three things: having it on your computer, checking daily for new virus signature updates, and then scanning all the files on your computer periodically. Use a firewall program as a gatekeeper between your computer and the Internet. Firewalls are usually software products. They are essential for those who keep their computers online through the popular DSL and cable modem connections but they are also valuable for those who dial in. Do not open e-mail attachments from strangers, regardless of how enticing the subject line or attachment may be. Be suspicious of any unexpected e-mail attachment from someone you do know because it may have been sent without that person's knowledge from an infected machine. If you get an e-mail that warns about a virus, visit an antivirus company Web site first to check whether it is a hoax. Do not forward virus hoax e-mails. Regularly download security patches from your software vendors, especially from your operating system vendor, such as Microsoft.