Terms

Trojan Horse Virus - This is a virus that comes to you as if it was a legitimate email attachment or program file.  Instead, it infects your system, possibly causing damage to your system.  Another possible activity built into a Trojan Horse Virus is setting up a secret communication link to the outside world from inside your computer system.

System Ports - Communication to the internet uses what are called "ports" or communication lines to send and receive information.  For example, simple web page information is sent and received via port 80.  There are thousands of ports that can be used for legitimate internet communication, but unfortunately they can also be used maliciously.  Ports are always labeled with numbers, from 1 to over 60000. An example would be Trojan Horse viruses that often use ports in the range of 40421 to 40426.

Helpful Tips

T1, DSL or Cable Internet Connection?
With a constant internet connection it is essential that you protect yourself from hackers and virus attacks.  If your T1, DSL or Cable router connects directly to your computer system, you are much more vulnerable to direct attack from hackers.  You might want to consider installing a device to act as a firewall.  If you intend to share the internet connection with more than a single computer, you might consider adding a router.  A router uses what is called NAT or Network Address Translation to share the internet connection with multiple computers.  This translation helps protect computers from hackers (see definition of NAT to the right),  I happen to prefer routers from a company called Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems.  These inexpensive routers are usually designed to share an internet connection, either by cables through a computer network or by wireless transmission.  You can check out the Linksys products on their web site.

Linksys Corporation Products

You can also use a software firewall on your computer to help protect your system from hackers and malicious viruses.  Firewall software examines your systems communication link to the internet, noting which programs are sending and receiving information through your internet connection, and also what ports are being used to send and receive that  information.  Good firewall software can be trained to learn what programs you use and what ports those programs use to communicate with the outside world.  Examples of firewall software would be Symantec's "Norton Personal Firewall" or McAfee's "Personal Firewall Plus".  You can see information about those two products by going to:

McAfee's "Personal Firewall Plus"

Symantec "Norton Personal Firewall"

You can also help protect your computer by keeping your operating system and internet browser up-to-date.  Microsoft offers free upgrades to their operating systems and internet browsers.  This is one of the easiest ways to help protect your system.  As security problems are detected, Microsoft issues service packs and patches to help protect your system.  You can go the the Microsoft upgrade web page to find out if your system has new updates available.  Use the link below to access their site.  If you have not used it before, you will be asked to allow a small program to be loaded onto your system that will help them detect your software.  This program will send information about your operating system, browser and email program to Microsoft, but does not send any personal information.  I have been using it for many years and find it works well.

Microsoft Update Page

Have you noticed that your computer has been slowing down lately for no apparent reason?  This could be an indication of spyware or spybots (see definition at left).  Usually these are more of an annoyance than a problem, but enough of them can slow down your computer system.  They also have a nasty habit of reporting internet searches.  About a year ago, before I started removing spybots, I searched the internet for information about extended warranties for my car.  Since then, almost everyday, I receive one or two SPAM emails about extended warranties.  Luckily spybots can be easily detected and removed.  The best program that I have found is a shareware program called "Spybot Search and Destroy" from PepiMK Software.  You can get information about it from their web site.  You can download it for free (they ask for a donation if you intend to use it longer than two weeks) and it's easy to use.  I run it several times a week on the computers at my office and never fail to find and remove several new spybots lurking on my system.

PepiMK Software

Last, but not least, you need a good anti-virus program to help fight off virus attacks.  In my opinion, two of the best anti-virus software manufacturers are Symantec and McAfee.  Both make products that will protect a single computer system or an entire network.  One of the most important things to remember about anti-virus software is that it is only as good as the most recent updates.  Both companies update their products multiple times each month.  Make sure you are updating your software often.

Symantec

McAfee

Will the above tips guarantee 100% success at warding off hackers and viruses?  Well, if the CIA, FBI, White House and large business organizations are still vulnerable to attack, even with in-house staff dedicated to protecting them, no one is 100% safe.  What the above tips do is make it difficult for a hacker or virus to attack your system.  The more current and up-to-date your defenses are, the less likely you will be to suffer an attack.

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