Help for computer, imaging and technology users
2. Protect Yourself Against Hackers
Useful info and tips for all PC users
Hackers are often thought of as the worst enemy of all computer users, and although they certainly pose a threat to us all, we can do things to protect ourselves from this threat. There are other threats too to our computer usage, but hackers can be a serious problem.
The main objectives of hackers appear to be: to cause damage to a computer system, to access confidential data on a computer system, to use a computer system against another computer system, to hack into a computer to transfer funds to a bank account that the hacker has access to, to deface websites, to steal identities, or just to show off to other hackers as to how good the hacker's own hacking skills are.
For the home user the most important threats to consider are that a hacker may gain access to confidential personal information on your computer in order to steal from you or even steal your identity, or to take control of your PC to use it in an attack against other computers. In the latter scenario, a hacker will attempt to gain control of hundreds or even thousands of computers to use them in a large attack against another computer, such as a government or company website, in order to overload the computer being attacked through sheer number of simultaneous attacks. This is often called a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. (Don't confuse this abbreviation DoS with DOS which stands for Disk Operating System.) If your PC is involved in a DoS attack then you could be held personally liable for the attack that your PC makes against another computer system.
To protect your PC the first step to take is to install a firewall. You can read more about firewalls at the site Firewall Guide.
A personal computer connected to the Internet without a firewall can be hijacked in just a few minutes by automated hacker ''bots''. The only way to make your computer 100% secure is to turn it off or disconnect it from the Internet. The real issue is how to make your computer 99% secure when it is connected. Not having protection is like leaving your car running with the doors unlocked and the keys in it which a thief might interpret as "please steal me". Stated another way, when was the last time you handed a stranger your wallet and encouraged them to take your social security card, driving licence, cash and credit cards? Locking your car or installing a security system makes stealing a car more difficult. Internet security and privacy products provide adequate protection by making it difficult for "outlaws" to find and gain entry to your computer.
Ideally your first line of defence is to use a reputable Internet Service Provider, who will stop hackers passing through their systems.
Secondly, install a hardware firewall in your home, which sits between your Internet connection and your PC. This might seem like an expensive option, but a more expensive option could be to have no firewall, and then when your PC is hacked into and your identity stolen, the cost will be considerably more. If you are sharing an Internet connection between several computers on a network at home, or in your office, then you will no doubt have some sort of hardware router installed to route your Internet connection to all the computers. This router should have a firewall built in. Netgear, for example, make excellent routers with firewalls built in, such as the DG834 which I use for my network, and which has an excellent firewall which keeps the hackers out. If you already have a router without a firewall, an additional firewall can be purchased, which needs to be placed where it can protect your network, or single PC, as appropriate. If you are currently just using a simple dial-up connection via an in-built modem to access the Internet, then you are at risk. As most firewalls are built with networks in mind, you may have to purchase an external modem if you don't have one or else use a broadband connection if you can subscribe to one. The firewall will connect to your PC via an ethernet network connection or via USB. But it cannot be used in conjunction with a modem inside the PC. For some users a hardware firewall might not be justified in expense because of this, and the next solution might be all that can be done.
Thirdly, install a software firewall on your PC. If you have just installed that hardware firewall we just talked about, you might be wondering why you need a software firewall too. If you don't have a hardware firewall, then you MUST install a software firewall otherwise your PC is not protected and it is in danger of being hacked into and used to attack other computers, or any personal information on your PC can be stolen and used against you.
A software firewall will prevent any software on your PC from accessing the Internet unless you give it permission to do so. If you have a virus, trojan, spyware, etc. (see relevant pages for more info) then these programs may try to connect to the Internet, perhaps to send back data to hackers about you. A software firewall installed on your PC will alert you to the activity of these programs and ask you if you want to allow the connection. When this happens, you should tell the firewall not to allow the software to connect, but of course there will be programs that you want to allow to connect to the Internet, such as your email program, web browser, anti-virus program that needs to update itself, Windows when it wants to update itself, and other legitimate software that you know about. But when malicious software gets put onto your PC by a hacker, then you want to stop that from contacting the outside world and trap it inside the PC, and the firewall installed on your PC will do this.
The other thing that helps protect you against hackers is to be well informed about how they will attack. Sometimes they send emails to people asking them to go to a website, such as a bank website or PayPal website, and enter their personal details to ensure that the details are all up to date. When people click on the links in the emails that might look legitimate, they end up on a website that is a fake website, that looks like a real bank website but is not. Hackers have set up the fake site so that when you go there and enter your details, e.g. bank account numbers, passwords, etc., they capture the information and pass you onto the real site, and you remain unaware that your details have been captured. But, you can protect yourself. Remember that no bank or other site where you have to pay, is going to ask you to keep entering your details. The fake site will have a link that looks geniune but if you check out the real link it may just be a series of numbers or another URL that is not related to the bank at all. Also the fake emails may say things like "your account will be closed if you do not confirm your details". Do not fall for this trick!
Some popular firewall software: Sygate Personal Firewall (free), Zone Alarm (free), Agnitum Outpost (free), all of which have paid-for versions as well which offer more features; Norton Firewall, Some anti-virus software comes with built-in firewall software too, or the makers offer firewall programs, or they might offer Internet Security software which includes anti-virus program, firewall and other software to protect you from hackers.
Whatever solution you choose, remember that sometimes the software will have to be updated, and remember that firewall software can record a log of all Internet traffic on your PC, which can be reviewed to find if any software is accessing websites without your knowledge or permission. No firewall software is perfect, but today it is necessary to have it. A hardware firewall is also necessary, if you are able to connect one to your PC and your Internet connection. Having just a software or hardware firewall is better than nothing, and having both is an excellent way to keep out hackers.
Remember, if you don't have a firewall then you are better off switching off your computer and throwing your money away, because having a PC connected to the Internet without any protection will cost you more in the long run.
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