Hello,
My name is Peter and this is my very first blog. I will be covering topics that interest me, as well as things that I found helpful. So you can expect coverage on computer technology-related subjects, places to eat, music choices, TV shows, comics, video games, etc. A bulk of my interests are quite dorky, so I apologize in advance.
(For more information about me, you can visit my Facebook).
Let us get started!
IT Security Basics
There are a number of ways to protect yourself from today's onslaught of viruses and spyware.
1) Get a Mac.
Security through obscurity. Hackers don't really feel like hacking Macs when 90% of the computers out there have Windows installed. Just take a look at the Top 20 most popular programs downloaded at Download.com. You'll notice that not a single antivirus or anti-spyware program can be found for Macs until #28 (iAntivirus, which sometimes slows down my system, so I deleted it). Sadly, the same cannot be said for Windows. Right off the bat, we get 4 Security programs!
Online banking is a lot less stressful with a Mac.
2) Stay with Windows: Install Antivirus, Anti-spyware, Software Firewall, Hardware Firewall, Alternate Browsers, etc.
Thanks to a certain Streetfighter2.exe I became more diligent in keeping my computer clean and free of malware. The best part is, I use only freeware and so far there has been no problems. Here are the security software I use:
Antivirus Suites (Choose one only)
AVG - Free antivirus that does its job. I have used this for a while now and it has grown from only being an antivirus scanner to a full suite of tools, including email protection, anti-spyware, browser protection, etc.
Avira Antivirus - Another free antivirus that I am currently trying out and it's managed to catch a few things AVG has missed. It has the same array of tools AVG has in its arsenal.
Anti-spyware / Anti-malware (You can install all 3)
Adaware - Like AVG, these guys have been around for a long time. The scanner now comes with a suite that includes shields and email/browser protection.
Spybot Search & Destroy - (Freeware) I use this to cross check with Adaware for spyware. The downside of Spybot is that it finds a lot of false negatives and there are times it does not really delete what it claims to have deleted.
Malware Bytes - (Freeware) Very potent Anti-malware detector. Highly recommended.
Software Firewall
Virus prevention is one thing and virus containment is another. Certain viruses (trojans) take over your machine and send information out. Examples of these would be keyloggers or Denial of Service attacks. A software firewall will be able to catch these types of outward traffic and alert you.
Zone Alarm - Solid software firewall that allows many levels of control on network traffic. The one downside would be the need to enable every single connection manually.
Hardware Firewall
A hardware firewall is usually built into a router and sometimes your modem. This hides your computers and any open ports from being seen by the outside. Hackers use IP sniffers to detect ports which they use as entry points into your machine. Routers are configurable to filter out unwanted sites and control outgoing traffic, as well as block incoming traffic via IP address or URL. This presents another layer of security for your home network.
Alternate Browsers
Again, "Security through obscurity" comes into play here. Check out this graph I pulled from Wikipedia:
Internet Explorer (IE) is deemed to be the most unsafe browser and over the years, there has been a shift toward Firefox as the browser of choice. As a result, Firefox is now uncovering all sorts of security issues.
The key here is to not be afraid to take part in a software exodus and try new browsers. Personally, I have been using Safari on the Mac (read above) so things have been alright on my end. But I would recommend those who want to try something new to try Google Chrome. The load times of Chrome are pretty fast and the URL bar also serves as a Google search bar.
In the end, I am not too keen on which browser is great and why but all I can say is, the more popular a browser or operating system is, the more likely it will be exploited. So keep that in mind and keep trying new things.
The Music that I Enjoy
For those that don't know me, I enjoy a wide selection of music. I listen to Pop, Trance, Chill Out/Ambient, Jazz, Oldies, Classical Music, Videogame Music and Japanese music. I also do a lot of streaming and the sites I frequent are: Sky.fm, Last.fm, Rainwave.cc, and iTunes Radio.
Here's a video to end off my first blog:
009 Sound System - Dreamscape
Till next time!
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