Firewalls, Hard and Soft

<>If you have internet Access then this pertains to you.

Just because you are behind a NAT, you are still susceptible to attacks. Don't let a phone gut tell you any different. As a user you are bound to open something you shouldn't have and give it access. This is where your software firewall comes into play. Better safe than REALLY sorry later.
No matter how you protect the Internet/LAN border, you may need to add another layer of security by using a software personal firewall. These programs must be run on each computer on your LAN that you want to be protected. They monitor network activity and protect against unauthorized use of the Internet by programs that manage to get onto your LAN's computers.
You should consider adding this additional layer of security if:

• You are opening/forwarding/mapping ports to any LAN computers
• You have a computer running in DMZ (outside your NAT firewall)
• You have been a victim of an email attachment virus attack, i.e. "I Love You", Kournakova, etc.

These programs can be a bit of a pain to get correctly configured, but when they reveal something going on in your network that you didn't know about, you'll be glad you installed them!

There are several different firewall software's out there; such as ZoneAlarm , McAfee Personal Firewall,and BlackIce Defender
. Zone Alarm Pro is my choice and ranked highest in the PC magazines that I have read.

Remember, you do have to configure and continually teach these firewalls the rules. You control what comes and what goes, or you get someone like me to come out and help you.

Computer Repair Lakeland, FL

www.MyComputerGirl.com

863-521-1079

      

"Phishing" Scams

How to Recognize "Phishing" Scams

Citibank/CitiCards is working with law enforcement, industry organizations and governments overseas to help shut down "phishing" scams - emails that purport to be from a bank or other trusted institution in an attempt to fool people into entering their personal account information on a Web site that belongs to the scammer. Here are some tips they've provided to help you recognize "phishers" and protect yourself from their scams:

• Look for your "personal header" on all emails. For your protection, effective immediately every email Citi sends will include your first name, last name and the last 4 digits of your account number at the top of the email in a "Security Zone". Be suspicious of emails claiming to be from Citi that do not include this information.
• Never type account information into a pop-up window, even if it looks legitimate. Legitimate companies don't request account information through pop-up windows.
• Don't respond to emails asking you to verify information. Most financial institutions do not ever send email asking you to verify information. If they have an issue with your records, they contact you another way.
• Be suspicious of grammatical or spelling errors. These are usually indications of a fraudulent message.

*From the WinXP News Archives

Computer Repair Lakeland, FL

www.MyComputerGirl.com

863-521-1079

      

The Spam Jam

The Spam Jam on Your Hourglass
Although spammers love to say "Just hit the Delete key," it totally misses the point.
By the time the spam hits the fan (well, when it hits all our mailboxes), so many costs have been incurred by so many people other than the spammer that it is either naïve or an utter act of denial to pretend that those costs can be undone with the pressing of one key.
Spam is about the numbers, so go figure: Here's why hitting the Delete key isn't really a workable solution. The U.S. Small Business Administration estimates that the United States has approximately 25 million businesses. If only 1 percent of those 25 million decides to send you just one single unsolicited e-mail per year, you average 685 spams per day in your inbox. If it takes an average of 10 seconds per message to open a message, determine that it is spam, and hit Delete, you spend two hours per day disposing of e-mailyou never asked to receive.
*Brought to you by Etips for Dummies

Computer Repair Lakeland, FL

www.MyComputerGirl.com

863-521-1079