A simple security hint if you use Windows Xp.

[kgun]

1. Make an adminsitrator account with a hardly typed (at least 8 characters) password.
2. Make a restricted user account.
3. When logged in as administrator, shut down your internet connection if it is possible.
4. Log in as an user when you surf the web. (Note it is easy and fast to log out and into another account).
5. Use a local host (e.g. Apache) to test your webpages and shut down your internet connection when testing.
6. Log in as user when downloading files.
7. If you have more than one drive, use one of them for system files only. Do not download anything from the internet to your system drive. Make a restore point and check downloaded files before you install them.

[Easywebdev]

Originally Posted by kgun

A simple security hint if you use Windows Xp.

Install Linux.


Sorry Kgun but I couldn't resist it.

Good advice offered though.
To add a few others, firewalls, the default windows firewall is a joke. Get another firewall, sygate is good.

Follow safe practices on the net, DO NOT use internet explorer, try firefox or opera both are free and far superior.

Switch your email client from outlook (it allows emails to run activex controls, major trojan gateway) try thunderbird or eudora.
Never ever open an email attachment that you are not expecting. If you must open an attachment you are not sure of then highlight it and drag the mouse down - why? if a an attachment is named picture.jpg it could still be an executable with a filename such as
picure.jpg
















.exe

Highlighting the flename and dragging down the mouse will expose such tricks.

I could go on but I'll leave it at the majors, No doubt others will have their own advice to add.

[kgun]

Have you heard of the Canadian (unix) QNX? I read a lot about it when I worked in the research department of the Central Bank of Norway. It is still alive. I think it was compact and efficient.

QNX Wins Embedded Award 2006 for Technical in muliticore prosessing. For over 20 years, QNX Software Systems has been the world’s leading provider of multiprocessing RTOS technology. I think the next machine I buy shall have at least four processors and 5 disks. So I can have
- Linux on one.
- QNX on another
- OS/2 on a third.

Yes I said OS/2, since I have the Simula compiler for OS/2 (expensive about USD 2500). Simula is in my personal view still the best (most pedagogic) program on teaching object oriented programming.

Do you know where I can download OS/2 Warp? I damaged one disk, and have not got a replacement.

I should like to have an online version at my site OOPSchools.com where people could compile their own Simula examples. Do you know of an Apache or other wbserver that can run OS/2?

[wuxingrun]

Thanks for your hints.
I now try to use Ubuntu and gmail to do my work.

[kgun]

I onc had a very long discussion on a Norwegian forum on itsecurity and Windows XP and Linux. I have no time for another discussion and I was not convinced.

That does not mean that it is not interesting to try Linux when I get better time. I was about to install Linux, but had to burn CD's etc. That takes too much time. Now I am foccusing on OO PHP and have delayed learning Linux to later or delegated it to my son.

Use this setting:
1. What is the maximum right a service / application need?

2. Which rights do that service not need?

Then lock the rights that the service / application do not need.

Process Explorer from SysInternals is a great tool.

If you install that tool and do not reckognize a process, rightclick on the process, and you are automatically taken to a msn search page that report suspicious links about the process.

And it will be better in Windows Vista, for example Windows Vista Beta 2 BitLocker™ Drive Encryption

My hotmail account is the only secure of my (non encrypted) free email accounts. I do not get a single spam epost, since, I only get emails from persons on my contacts list. Epost from persons that are not on my address list are automatically deleted, so I have no need for a spam folder. It is always empty.

And RSS and Instant Messaging is more and more replacing email communication. It is time to shut down / lock your email accounts if you do not have a 100% filter.

Related link.
Windows Live™

I agree, Gmail is one of the best free email services. So far I have got less than 10 spam emails without using any filter. It has an integrated RSS service, Spell checking etc.

[Grinler]

This is a good tute to read as well:

Simple and easy ways to keep your computer safe and secure on the Internet

I should also mention ie-spyad and a good hosts file like msmvps hosts.

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/resource.htm

[pavelhlavsa]

Use IPcop as a firewall

[TrafficProducer]

A simple security hint if you use Windows XP.

Install Linux.

I dad a laugh at this... Good piece of humour :)

Windows has just the basic securty levels for example it is possible to bypass the logon passwords etc..

I would believe that Windows Vista, (more links here) will try to sort out some of these issues*. Although it appears that Microsoft are mainly tring to stop users copying and using Windows without paying for it.

* I remember how we where told Windows XP was better that Windows 98 Second Edition and how this was better than Windows 98, which was better that Windows 3.1, which was better that...., and so on to DOS...

[Pascal77]

I use ProcessGuard from diamond.

Sort of a firewall on your internal machine. I have zero trojans, popups(thanks to firefox), virusses, spyware, ...

Completely safe for months now.
Mail : thunderbird
Browser : Firefox
windows firewall
and eTrust antivirus
(soon i wil switch to bitdefender antivir + firewall)

[mushroom]

I far as I am concerned the only way that XP is safe to use....

Originally Posted by kgun

shut down your internet connection

[kgun]

Isn't that safe for Linux, one among thousands of Unix dialects?