Comporium is always seeking ways to make the Internet experience more enjoyable and secure for you and your family. Below is a list of Internet security questions and solutions we hope you find very helpful. Please feel free to e-mail us with questions or comments concerning this information.

Can someone break into my computer files through my Internet connection

Any computer connected to the Internet, whether traditional dial-up, DSL, or cable modem is vulnerable to hackers, viruses, and spyware (see definition below). As soon as a computer obtains an IP address, it is open to the Internet world. One choice on the Windows operating system that can allow others to access your files is the "file and print sharing" option. To keep others from viewing your files, you want this option deactivated. Still, programmers are able to "hack" into computer files by sending programs embedded in e-mail attachments or through file-swapping services that may run on your computer without your knowledge (Spyware).

Here are some recommendations to keep this from happening:

• Ensure you have "file and print sharing" in your network settings deactivated or turned off. Click here for instructions on how to deactivate file and print sharing for your specific Windows OS (Operating System).
• Before opening any e-mail attachments, be sure you know the source of the attachment. It is not enough that the mail originated from an address you recognize (i.e. the Melissa virus, which spread rapidly because it originated from a familiar address). Malicious code might also be distributed in amusing or enticing programs sent as attachments. If you must open an attachment before you can verify the source, we suggest scanning the file with an anti-virus program before opening the attachment.
• Never run a program unless you know it to be authored by a person or company that you trust. Also, don't send programs of unknown origin to your friends or coworkers simply because they are amusing - they might contain a virus. Keep all applications, including your operating system, updated with software patches (vendors will usually release patches for their software when a vulnerability has been discovered). Some applications will automatically check for available updates, and many vendors offer automatic notification of updates via a mailing list. Look on your vendor's web site for information about automatic notification. If no mailing list or other automated notification mechanism is offered you may need to check periodically for updates.
• Keep a copy of important files (documents, e-mails, e-mail addresses, etc.) on removable media such as ZIP disks or writable CD-ROM disks. Use software backup tools if available.
• Comporium recommends that users refrain from the use Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file-sharing applications. These programs facilitate the spread of viruses, worms, and spyware (besides the potential copyright issues).

 

There are also several different kinds of software that will help keep you protected:

Firewall - a firewall is the single most important piece of hardware or software you can add to your computer while accessing the Internet. A firewall gives you the ability to control spyware from being embedded on your computer as well as monitor illegal access (hackers) to your computer. Routers that support NAT (Network Address Translation) and DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) do a very good job at securing a network. Comporium recommends Linksys networking products. Comporium resells Linksys products and can also provide installation services for these types of devices. Contact the business office (link to contact page) for more information.

http://www.Linksys.com

• While we recommend a hardware firewall solution foremost (see information below), a software firewall can provide some valued protection. If you are using Windows XP or Windows XP Professional, you already have a software firewall available; to setup the firewall with these two systems, click on the link and follow the step-by-step directions:

  http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/home/using/howto/homenet/icf.asp

While Comporium does not support software-based firewalls, some of the more common applications are ZoneAlarm and BlackIce.

http://www.ZoneAlarm.com
http://www.NetworkIce.com

Virus Protection - A computer virus is a program designed to spread itself by first infecting executable files or the system areas of hard and floppy disks and then making copies of itself. Viruses usually operate without the knowledge or desire of the computer user. Viruses are software programs that can function in the same manner as any other programs running on a computer. The actual effect of any particular virus depends on how it was programmed by the person who wrote the virus. Some viruses are deliberately designed to damage files or otherwise interfere with your computer's operation, while others don't do anything but try to spread themselves around. Even the ones that just spread themselves are harmful, since they damage files and may cause other problems in the process of spreading. Note that viruses can't do any damage to hardware: they won't melt down your computer processor, burn out your hard drive, etc. Warnings about viruses that will physically destroy your computer are usually a hoax and not legitimate virus warnings. Click here for a list of known virus hoaxes: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html  

Antiviral software attempts to prevent, detect, and remove viral infections. There are three ways in which antiviral software attempts to do this: activity monitoring, change detection, and scanning. Most antiviral software uses all three.

Comporium spam and virus filter- This filtering service protects your comporium.net e-mail address from unwanted and/or virus-infected e-mails. This filter is enabled on all accounts by default. For instructions on how to use the filtering service, click here or call Tech Support.

Online scans – There are also several online scans available online that provide some protection, but require users to run scans on a regular basis. Here are a few online scans that Comporium recommends:

• Norton Antivirus online scan:
  http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym


• McAfee Antivirus online scan:
  http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp?cid=9913


• Trend Micro Antivirus online scan:
  http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

Spyware - Spyware is Internet jargon for a type of advertising software used by many Internet companies. This type of software covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet; however, it should be noted that the majority of shareware and freeware applications do not come with spyware. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.

How does Spyware get on my PC?

Spyware is being secretly placed on your computer without your permission when you install certain software, or download music, games or movie clips. In today's Internet environment, simply visiting a website or clicking a random popup, can result in these programs being installed on your computer, without you even knowing!

Internet companies use spyware to place banner ads in their products in exchange for a portion of the revenue from banner sales. The downside is that the advertising companies also install additional tracking software on your system, which continuously reports statistical data to the company using your Internet connection. There are also many PC surveillance tools that allow a user to monitor all kinds of activity on a computer, ranging from keystroke capture, snapshots, e-mail logging, chat logging and just about everything else. These tools are often designed for parents, businesses and similar environments, but can be easily abused if they are installed on your computer without your knowledge. They can track your surfing habits, abuse your Internet connection by sending this data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences, hijack your browser start page or pages, alter important system files, and do this without your knowledge or permission. Spyware can also slow down your Internet connection and computer in general. Installing a spyware scan and removal tool will remove spyware from your computer and prevent any of the preceding things from occurring on your computer.

• There are free versions of this software available. The most widely used free version is a program known as Ad-Aware, but it is free only to home users. Click here to download the free home user version of Ad-Aware software. The download should start automatically and the file name is aawsepersonal.exe. Business users must purchase a licensed version of the software. Business customers can click here to purchase and download a licensed version of Ad-Aware Plus software.
  
  
• The free version for home users does not run all of the time on your computer, and requires you to initiate the scans manually. We recommend running the scan at least once a month to ensure that your computer remains spyware-free. Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to setup and run the Ad-Aware software. Click here for more information on the Ad-Aware product.

Note: Comporium does not support the use of file-sharing services and removal of spyware is at the discretion of the individual user.

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