Hacking incidents are on the rise – August 2002 was the most active month for hacking since the dawn of the Internet. The target? Primarily Windows systems. Formerly Linux systems were the hacker’s target of choice, but now they’re breaking their way in to the Windows OS.

One reason for the switch is that cracking a Linux server is a point of pride; Linux admins are typically security-conscious and pose a challenge to the intellectual hacker. With such ego-inflating attacks on the decline and criminal attacks on the rise however, Windows systems are more popular targets because they’re easier to break into. Microsoft releases warnings about security holes constantly, with patches following quickly. But how quickly are these patches located and applied? The lazy, criminal hacker hopes you’ll forget to patch and make his break in easy.

As broadband gains popularity, many small businesses and home users who know little or nothing about security are exposing large numbers of very vulnerable Windows computers to the Internet. This is the main reason for the rise in Windows hacks.

The lesson here is to regularly read news releases, or subscribe to a mailing list that announces security problems and their fixes. Everyone owning an Internet-connected computer containing sensitive information such as passwords and financial information (and yes, that means home users, too!) must stay on top of patches and security alerts. I’ve subscribed to CERT for years. They’ll tell you when dangerous viruses start making the rounds, too.

If your computers are connected to the Internet 24/7, then you need more than patches – you need a firewall. Invest in a hardware solution if you can afford it; the more important your information, the harder hackers will try to get to it. If you’re protecting a bank, you need the best firewall (maybe more than one) you can afford. Home users can get by with a software solution. Many software firewalls have free versions and work very well. Check out Zone Labs , Tiny Software, and Sygate for free software firewalls.

You may think that the average hacker is pretty smart – and a few of them are. More frequently, however, the individuals who are trying to break into your network and your computers are simply criminals with easily obtained computer tools. They’re not out to prove their intelligence by breaking a super-complicated security scheme. They want to steal, or exact revenge. These are the hackers you really need to watch out for.

Jackie Rosenberger is an editor with webproworld