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hi
i have a question about my computers security. i have a cable modem and its hooked through my usb port. now i would like to know the best security precautions to take. and any good tweaks or opinions would be helpful.Im running norton internet security. is it good enough? i heard of this thing called apache. what is it and is it worth having in a situation like mine. thanks ahead of time.
favyan
I would put in a switch with NAT basically the switch will have your IP and you can config according to the brand lots out there D-link, linsys etc. Don't use Norton firewall but others here do and may advice you about it use. As for Apache this is a public domain web server software. If you are using a cable modem most of not all agreements you cannot run a server on their networks. On a Win 9.X system they have a personal web server that well finally you must install by choice but it is full of holes and in most cases was an in to many a hacks. Just because you have an always on connect I would still shut down if you are not using the system. Hope this helps :)
Okay, you've got 2 different questions here:
1)The best answer I can give you (in a reasonably brief posting) is to protect your system with a firewall (soft or hard), and a good anti-virus, and it looks like you've got that covered with Norton. Just remember that what you've got installed is never fool-proof. Your greatest weapon against breaches and virii is knowledge. Stay informed about potential threats to your system, and how to protect against them. You're at a great site for that! :bigsmile:Quote:
i have a cable modem and its hooked through my usb port. now i would like to know the best security precautions to take.
2)Apache is a web server. This is a piece of software that will allow you to publish your own websites on your network connection. Without a domain name or a domain name server (DNS) for your network, however, people would only be able to connect to your IP address, or whatever temporary domain name your ISP gives you. (For example, if you dial up to your ISP named bobsisp.com, they may give your system the temporary domain name of 3454432.bobsisp.com -- the modem you dialed in to.) Unless you've got some kind of business you'd like to get online, or unless you'd just like to publish a personal site, a web server probably wouldn't help you too much. It would most likely cause you more problems, because it opens up an unecessary port on your system.Quote:
i heard of this thing called apache. what is it and is it worth having in a situation like mine.
thanks alot for the information.
good help here im glad i registered.
Some more tips for securing a windows machine
1. rename the "workgroup" default setting from your computer network properties
2. unbind tcp\ip from file and print sharing.
3. Remove any unrequired protocols
4. remove the "everyone group" and replace with "Authenticated Users"
5. Keep your virus defs and security patches up to date.
6. Get rid of the spy\ad ware such as Real Audio, Kazza, Webshots, etc. Disable these from starting up on boot(in the reg)
7. Be very careful of what you download and where you download from.
8. Always have a backkup of your data.....apps can be reinstalled data has to be recreated
HTHs
Gypsy
u can download firewall n simillar from
http://download.com.com/3120-20-0.ht...all&tg=dl-2001
I used to have a cable modem. I would suggest you get a firewall... ZoneAlarm seems to be popular and I think it works well. There is a free version that you can download as well as a 'Pro' version that you pay for. The link for that is www.zonelabs.com. Another popular firewall is 'Tiny Personal Firewall' but I don't know much about it.
->Tiny Personal Firewall is in my opinion a better option than ZoneAlarm in that you can more precisely configure your ruleset, right down to inbound/outbound TCP,UDP, etc. for specific applications...plus, its free. However, know this: the developers of Tiny have left Tiny Software and formed another company, Kerio, which distributes the freeware Kerio Personal Firewall, (at this time identical to Tiny, except that as time goes on, the two companies products are sure to slowly migrate apart). If you do get Tiny/Kerio, make sure you look for advice on configuring a strong ruleset.
->In a post above, you received advice about a hardware solution (using a switch and corresponding configuration info), this is probably a better solution than a purely soft one like ZA or Tiny/Kerio. As for the Norton factor of your question, I have heard conflicting opinions, and so I leave that part open to further forum debate.