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How To Protect Your New ComputerYou need to protect your new computer |
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Getting a new computer should be an exciting and gratifying experience. After all, you’ll be able to do things faster, safer and without having to worry that your old hard drive is so full that one more file will crash the PC. But there are dangers out there that probably didn’t even exist when you bought your last computer. And there’s the question of what will happen to your old hard drive, with all your personal data on it. Let’s deal with your new computer first. This information applies specifically to Windows XP, although it has broader application as well. Always remember:
Standard (wrong) advice to home users has been to download and install software patches as soon as possible after connecting a new computer to the Internet. However, since the background intruder scanning activity is pervasive, it may not be possible for you to complete the download and installation of software patches before the vulnerabilities they are trying to fix are exploited. This Special Report offers advice on how to protect your computer before connecting it to the Internet so that you can complete the patching process without incident. We strongly recommend following all the steps when upgrading to a new operating system from disc(s) as well as when connecting a new computer to the Internet for the first time. Perform these steps before connecting to the Internet for the first time. The links in this document are LIVE LINKS, but we recommend that you NOT connect to them through your new computer. Use the live links on a computer that is fully updated, virus protected and firewalled, and download the instructions and/or programs to a CD or a USB drive, then transfer them to your new computer. A 128 megabyte USB drive costs less than $20, is “plug and play,” and can be used over and over.
Follow the principle of least privilege — don't enable it if you don't need it. Consider using an account with only 'user' privileges instead of an 'administrator' or 'root' level account for everyday tasks. You only need to use administrator level access when installing new software, changing system configurations, and the like. Many vulnerability exploits (e.g., viruses, Trojan horses) are executed with the privileges of the user that runs them — making it far more risky to be logged in as an administrator all the time. Moving Your Applications and Data Unless you’ve never had a computer before, you’ll want to move your old data onto your new machine. There are several ways to do this quickly and easily (although there are often a few glitches). The best article on the subject is www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,115632,00.asp. Protecting Your OLD Data So, what do you do with your OLD computer? Perhaps someone else can use it, maybe a school or a retirement center? One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that deleting files using Windows Explorer actually deletes the files! It DOESN’T! When you delete files in Windows, all it does is delete the pointers that show where the files are. Any competent computer whiz can easily find a program on the Internet that will rebuild the file pointers, and then they have access to all your files- your emails, your business information and your financial information. You can go to any flea market in the country, and chances are you can purchase a used hard drive with the old owner’s data still on it! Many professional identity thieves are doing just that!!!! What CAN you do? Personally, I remove the hard drive from the computer, and I keep it (not in a place that it would be found if a burglar came into my house). Another alternative is to use a free disk wiping utility or purchase one. To effectively remove data from a hard drive, it must be overwritten completely several times. All of the temporary files, all of the caches, all of the “swap files” that are created as you work may be lurking in some unknown corner of the hard drive. Contrary to popular belief, even reformatting the drive does not necessarily make file recovery impossible! Consider this – A recent search of hard drives that had been discarded revealed:
We recommend DBAN which does 5220.22-M-compliant wiping. 5220.22-M-compliant wiping is the Department of Defense secure delete wiping standard. Be aware, however, properly wiping a hard drive, particularly some of the large ones can take hours, but it is worth it to protect your privacy. About the Author: |
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