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Internet and
Network Security
By Gary
Cohen
It seems
everyone is on
the Internet
these days. And
many have
networks at home
or at work that
allow users to
be online all
day. It is great
to just click
your mouse and
you can browse
anywhere in the
virtual
universe. That
is the good
news. But what
about the
risks? How do
you prevent
intruders from
accessing your
computer and
confidential
files?
One way is by
installing a
firewall. A
firewall is
simply software
that acts as a
barrier against
attacks from the
outside.
However, no
firewall can
detect or stop
all attacks.
The idea is to
make your system
harder to
penetrate than
the next
person’s.
Be sure you have
anti-virus
software
installed.
Never open
unknown email
attachments.
Immediately
delete the
message from
your email
folders
completely.
This is the way
many viruses get
distributed
across
networks. Be
sure your virus
definitions are
up-to-date.
Schedule routine
scans of all
your files with
the anti-virus
software.
Turn off your
computer or
disconnect from
the network when
not in use. An
intruder cannot
attack your
computer if it
is powered off
or otherwise
completed
disconnected
from the network
or Internet.
Make regular
backups of
critical data on
removable media
such as CD’s or
ZIP discs.
Always store at
least one copy
off site.
If you follow
these steps, you
can recover from
even the worst
case scenario.
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