Computer Security/Privacy stuff

In another thread there was discussion about software that could help optimize or improve your operating system. We started to drift a little bit. So, this new thread was born.

If you have suggestions on how to protect your online (or just there on the desk) privacy and secure your computer .... lets hear about it.

Mike

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Empath said:
In light of recent problems with CPF's DNS, it's obvious that manipulating one's hosts file can be advantageous. It comes a little late to help with the recent problem. But there are other useful things it can be used for, particularly locking out tracking webbugs by designating their IP as 127.0.0.1, which is the designation for your own computer.

I thought I'd resurrect this recent thread to show a small freeware program that will search for your hosts file, and edit it for you. Much of the problem demonstrated was that some here couldn't locate their hosts file, or didn't have one at all. This program is easily installed simply by placing it in any folder or directory, create a shortcut if you wish or simply click on the file. If you don't have a hosts file it creates one, and if you do have, it finds it and lets you manage it.

It's called Hosts Administrator, available at this site.

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_Mike_ said:
Speaking of the hosts file, this site has information on the hosts file Gorilla Design Studio

(I know, funny name, but it has good information on the hosts file.)

mike

Please note that a saavy parent can use the hosts file to block access to web sites by editing the hosts file. Unless you know about the hosts file, it's almost impossible to figure out. Best of all it's free and simple to do. There are also many pre-made lists that you can use and of course edit to suite your particular needs. The only warning is that you may on occassion need to remove an entry for access to legitimate sites.

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milkyspit said:
_Mike_, what a clever idea! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

If you're running Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you can secure the hosts file so only you have the ability to edit it. That would take care of those who do know about the hosts file.

The only potential snafu would be an extremely long list in the hosts file. Such a case could slow down Internet access, because your computer looks through the list every time you access a site. Probably not much of an issue in most cases, however.

Thanks for the tip! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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1. PGP Desktop Security v7.0.3
2. ZoneAlarm

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_Mike_ said:
One more clever thing you can do with the hosts file. Say you have someone (teenager) using your computer and they are going to webpages they shouldn't be. Instead of simply denying them access to the site ..... redirect them to another site. Basically just like what people were doing during the CPF DNS issues.

So, instead of getting to www.inappropriatesite.com ... they get directed to www.disneyland.com.

And like Scott (milkyspit) mentioned, lock the hosts file down so nobody can edit it even they do know about it.

Ok, another place that parents will want to go. It's called PeaceFire, and can be found at http://www.peacefire.org/

The opening sentence on their webpage is "How to disable your blocking software | Why we do this"

The reason I think parents should go to this is to realize that their blocking software may not be working like they think it is. It is my opinion that the hosts file excels in this area and give you the computer owner more control. Besides, it pays to know more than your kids do. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Maybe we should start a new thread for computer security/privacy?

Mike

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Most parents are going to just have to live with the fact that their progeny WILL be more skilled with the computer than they are (ever will be?) statistically speaking. Blocking software is REALLY not effective. I'd say the best package I've run into is DeepFreeze (http://www.deepfreezeusa.com/), but even that has it's flaws. Overall, though, it's a pretty effective way to manage your computer's security and enforce a specific set of settings without hindering actual use.

Another program (on the opposite end of the front) is DoHide (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=dohide since the original page seems to be down) which lets you hide any window on your desktop via a keystroke. It's very nice if you're working on a document or something else private and someone walks in and starts reading over your sholder. Much faster than switching windows, and removes it completely from visibility. (Also good if you're doing something you're not supposed to, but CPFers would never do that...)

Essential free software for any online computer. PC only, not sure about Mac variants. Mac users have less to worry about anyways!

http://zonelabs.com - Zone Alarm personal firewall. Keep the hackers out, stop unwanted programs talking to the `Net..

http://grisoft.com - AVG Antivirus. As good as any AV program you`ll pay for, regular updates.

http://www.lavasoft.de - AdAware. Spyware scanner/cleaner, sometimes a bit picky about what it classifies as spyware but otherwise good.

http://security.kolla.de - Spybot Search & Destroy. Another spyware scanner/cleaner, catches things AdAware misses and vice versa. Has an Immunise function to keep some stuff out, and also a lock function to set your Hosts file as read-only, preventing malicious changes being made.

http://javacoolsoftware.com - Spyware Blaster. Prevents Internet Exploder from being exploded by page script hijacks like the CoolWebSearch thing, etc.
Also Spyware Guard - antivirus style program to stop it all from getting into your system in the first place.


All free, all pretty damn good. Older computers might experience a slight slowdown with the Javacool programs rnning, but it should be negligable with decently up to date systems. IE, not old department-store checkout terminals struggling to cope with the demands of broadband internet /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

One that isn`t free but I rather like it.

http://popupcop.com - PopUpCop. Browser plugin (adds a small toolbar that can be hauled up top next to the nav buttons, etc, out of the way) that blocks unwanted popups and a bunch of other potentially damaging or just plain annoying features like ActiveX, background music and Flash - you can turn each element on and off at will with a simple dropdown menu. Doesn`t seem to get in the way of "legit popups" too often, ie, links that open in a new window. None of that "hold CTRL first" nonsense. Has a safe-list for trusted sites that you want/need to have popup windows, etc.

Also another free one I forgot, vaguely related to privacy.
http://mozilla.org - Mozilla Firebird. Great browser with inbuilt popup/cookie/etc blocking and all the other things Mozilla is known for. Nicely customisable. Still beta, but no problems here so far on the few occasions I`ve fired it up.
The main reason I don`t use it on a day to day basis is because I use MSIE with the convenient "Edit with Notepad" function to work on the Torch Reviews Site. It also won`t work with my self centering table format thingy that the TRS has on its entry page, leaving the graphic stuck up at the top of the page. Still havn`t figured out how to get that to work....

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

This is what I use on my XP/Win2k machine:

ZoneAlarm free version
Ad-Aware
SpyBot search and destroy
Google toolbar on Internet Explorer (blocks popups)

McAfee anti-virus. This is the only one that isn't free so I guess I should be using AVG instead if it's just as good. Actually I've never had a virus, life's kind of dull around here.

I'm trying to live on the edge, running Microsoft software, but nothing exciting ever happens.

Oh yeah I got this in my hosts file. I guess it helps.
127.0.0.1 a.tribalfusion.com

I got this in my hosts file also, but don't tell Sasha or she'll whip me again.
#209.67.62.186 www.candlepowerforums.com

Sponge's eight step process is probably more than most folks would want but it is a good info page.

Mac

For the most part all Macs ship with everything defaulted to a tight, secure setup as opposed to systems which ship with everything wide open.

Normal users, even on single user machines, are NOT automatically logged on as "root" or "administrator" or "super user" as are users on some machines. Normal users on a Mac must enter the root password to do any serious damage. Always stop and THINK about what you are doing if asked for the administrative password by any program or installer.

This is the DEFAULT operation of all Mac OS X systems. Max security unless set otherwise by the user.

Even though there are very few Mac viruses or spyware type things, it is still wise to run as if things were as bad as on the dark side.

The only security thing not turned on automatically by default at system installation is the firewall. Turn it on. Now. (See below)

Here's a scanner just in case anyone ever actually finds Mac spyware in the wild:

MacScan to scan for spyware, etc.

Other than that:

Set your built-in firewall to block all ports unless you specificly use them. (System Preferences:Sharing:Firewall) Start the firewall. Once set, it will always start itself when the system starts until manually turned off.

Don't open any of the sharing functions unless you actually use them. (System Preferences:Sharing:Services)

Even if you open up any of the above, if you only do it on a LAN, don't allow internet access. (System Preferences:Sharing:Internet)

(FYI: The Firewall needs to be turned on, but otherwise, this is all set for max security AS SHIPPED.)

I use Mozilla FireBird and the full mozilla suite to browse safely. If one must use IE I recommend they disable activex. It is very dangerous technology in the hands of a malicious hacker. AVG Antivirus is really good for those who don't wanna pay for a subscription to antivirus updates. Most WinXP machines have ICF Firewall, but it comes disabled by default. Turn it on.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

This seems to be a multi-platform topic, as alot applies to any operating system. Operating Systems other than MS Windows have the distinct advantage of being immune to the thousands of Windows viruses and worms. If unsecured, they are still vulnerable to being hacked.

In linux, one way to help secure things on a desktop system, is don't have any servers installed you neither need, nor have to have installed to satisfy dependencies. most of those servers are really only useful for LANs. So if you don't have a LAN, don't install them. This reduces vulnerabilities to near zero.

In my case, I currently have only 1 computer. When I build my secondary computer, it will be Win98SE only, and not connected to the internet. That will be near total security. I may do a WiFi at a later point, or may not.

Mostly, computer security, is being smart, as in don't open attachments if you not expecting a certain attachment in email. Also use a good antivirus program to actively scan both email and what is being downloaded on the web. AVG is very good at this.

Cool. I loaded spybot last night because every time I rebooted my home page was getting changed to a porn site (how I feel about that would make a good rant especially since my kids use the computer) and Adaware has been unsuccessful in fixing it. But Spybot didn't fix it either so I plugged some stuff in Google which pointed me to Pest Patrol so I downloaded the evaluation.

Somehow I missed the disclaimer that the evaluation won't delete anything it finds. And it froze my computer 3 times before I told it not to scan D drive. It alleged to find several things but when I did the research they weren't present. So no way am I going to buy this product. They do have quite a bit of research on their website. However I would take it with a grain of salt as their goal is to make money so their analysis of threat is geared toward that.

So just for kicks I tried loading the updates for spybot. And that found it and fixed my problem. So if you download Spybot from one of the mirrors be sure to load the updates too.

Mutech

Though there are other ways of receiving a virus or worm, the most predominate by far is through email. You might think that having a good firewall and virus checker might be enough to protect, but don't bet on it. Far too many worms and viruses have been propagated by over reliance on automated methods of protection, such as virus scanners and firewalls. It's not that they aren't useful, but personal vigilance is important.

Since email is the primary method of spreading and receiving viruses and worms that exploit the vulnerabilities of a system, it is useful to test them.

This site provides a free email testing service. They send you several emails, each attempting to harmlessly exploit vulnerabilities in a system, and permit you to see where your vulnerabilities are. It comes highly recommended and is quite effective.

Well, got all the e-mails and Just what I expected happened : Nothing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Thanks for the test link, Empath.

I don't have my mail client set to automatically open or do anything, 7 of the 23 my filters have previously learned to dump, and most importantly, I don't use Outlook or Outlook Express.

Some good tests!

To re-iterate some of the above for Windows users:

Always check for updates before running Ad-Aware and SpyBot.

Make sure your anti-virus gets frequent updates.

You must have a firewall. The most damaging attacks like the Blaster worm are thwarted by a firewall but will infect an unprotected machine in seconds. I like the free ZoneAlarm for Win2000 and XP, but XP's own will do.

Can anyone recommend a good or even decent shareware or freeware registry cleaner? I'm not all that keen on doing a theraputic format and reinstall on my old home computer and even though I got rid of the current problems there is a ton of old crap clogging up the registry.

On email I've got 4 layers of protection through my company email. Email comes into our Macafee E250 virus scanner, then into a redhat server with Pure Message spam filtering, then into my old SCO server running fineline message scanner. At that point if I really want to look at from Outlook I have it set up as a pop3 and I can connect from a windows box.

Mutech

Mutiny, I use JV16, just went to their site and it looks like you have to buy it now. I got it back when it was free. Always worked well for me.

http://www.jv16.org/

You might try the security forum on dslreports.com and see what they're recommending lately.

Joe