COMPUTER SECURITY

We already learn that Computers are an important part of our day to day life. Every computer user may face security related issues at least one time. The general technical areas of the computer security are integrity, availability, authentication, performance and confidentiality. Improving the security of the business is of the great concern of every business personnel.

Your home computer can be the easiest target for the hackers if no security mechanisms have been implemented. Computer security is required for every home computer or business computer for preventing it from the attacks of viruses, hackers, spyware, intruders and software vulnerabilities. For protecting the home computer it is important to use strong passwords, run up-to-dated antivirus and anti spyware programs, apply security patches and backup your important data regularly.

Windows based operating systems contain certain security vulnerabilities and by implementing the in this post I give some security aspects you can secure your personal as well as network computer from the known security threats.

Data Security: Data security helps to ensure the privacy of the individuals and the organizations. Data security is a method of protecting the data from unauthorized use and it has become an important part of the computer related business around the world. Data security is very important for the smooth operations in any organization.

One way to avoid the loss of data due to hard disk crash, accidental removal or due to virus attack is to take regular backup of your data on the CD-ROM, hard drives, USB drive or any other medium. If you have lost your critical data then there are many ways to recover it you just need to find a data recovery specialist in your area.

Computer Security: Every computer is susceptible to different attacks and it’s the responsibility of the computer user or the person who manages the security of the computer it to protect it from these attacks. Every computer system must have a predefined security measures to protect it from the viruses, spyware, adware, Trojan horses, web worms, internet security threats and hackers’ attacks.

The key areas that are involved in the computer security are integrity, confidentiality, privacy and authentication. Computer security deals with the development of the security measures that are required for a computer. Firewall software provides a security mechanism that protects your computer from the unauthorized access and hackers’ attacks.

Network Security: Network security means the protecting your network from unauthorized use, viruses, spyware and internet threats. Protecting a computer network is the most important responsibility of the persons who manages the security of the network.

There are different security mechanisms that can be applied to protect the network such as install up-to-dated antivirus program, make regular backup of the critical data, use a strong firewall program, keep your system patched, use strong passwords, install and configure file encryption program, place your network server at very secure place and only authorized users should be allowed to enter in the server room.

Internet Security Threats: There are many known internet threats that can invade any computer that is connected to the internet. If you have not installed and configured any internet security suite then your computer can host many viruses, spyware and adware. The best safeguard against the internet security threats is to install a internet security software, install firewall software or hardware, monitor incoming emails, disable scripting features in the email programs, disable Java and ActiveX and monitor the activities of the users’ on the internet.

Windows Security: Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000 Professional provides the excellent security features such as EFS, strong authentication password and firewall but due to the weak default settings Windows XP Professional has security holes. The following tips provide the basic security measures in Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000 Professional operating systems.

Install up-to-dated antivirus program.
Use strong passwords.
Don’t leave your computer unattended.
Enable default firewall settings in Windows XP.
Keep your operating system up-to-dated.
Encrypt your critical files.
Take regular backup of your data.
Limit the access of users.
Increase the security settings in the browsers.
Disable annoying startup programs.
Install the latest service packs.
Regularly scan your computer for the vulnerabilities and security holes.
Adjust event viewer settings.

Install Antivirus Program: Install an up-to-date antivirus software program on your computer and get rid of the viruses’ attacks. The well known antivirus programs are Norton Antivirus, Trend Micro, McAfee and Panda Antivirus etc.

Install Anti spyware Program: Spyware is a piece of software program that is intentionally designed for stealing the personal information of the computer user and monitoring the user’s activity on the internet. Install up-to-dated antivirus program and get rid of spyware, Trojan horses, Adware and Malware.

Keep Your Passwords Strong: Always use the combination of alphanumeric, spaces and special characters in the passwords. Most of the systems rely on the password authentication and weaker passwords can provide the great havoc to the computer systems. Additionally, passwords cracking software can crack the weaker password so best practice is to use a strong password for your computer.

Don’t Open Email Attachments: Never try to open the email attachments that came from the suspicious sources because it may contain viruses and it can harm your computer immensely.

Don’t leave your computer unattended: Leaving your computer unattended even for few minutes can comprise your system it may results in the permanent lost of your precious data. Operating Systems such as Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional and Windows 20003 Server provides the passwords enabled screen savers. Use strong passwords on the screen savers and set the timer to minimum time.

Update your Operating system regularly: By regularly updating your operating system you make it secure from the latest security threats on the internet. You can go to the Microsoft’s website and update your operating system on the regular basis.

Use Firewall Program: Firewall is a software program or hardware and it provides an additional layer of security to your computer from the network users, unauthorized access, intruders and hackers from the internet. Windows XP Professional provides the built-in firewall utility.

Apply Security Policies: Implement strong security policies and encryption methods to protect your precious data on your computer.

Regular backup: Take regular backup of your data on the CD, DVD or another hard drive and in case of any emergency such as data lost, your backup copy would be your precious asset.