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All versions of Microsoft Windows
default to a highly insecure and potentially
dangerous Administrative account. This is true whether
you buy a brand new PC, or if you load or upgrade your Windows
operating system. An administrative account allows full
and unrestricted access to any and all critical system files,
and makes an assumption that if "something" is installed or
deleted, it is by the intent of the computer's administrator.
Granted, all modern NT-based systems like Windows 2000 and
Windows XP "hide" critical system files from the casual
user, but the system is still running as an administrator, and
it is assumed that it is OK to install viruses, worms, Trojans
and rootkits, spyware and malware, and other software that may
not be desirable to your security and computer health.
Knowledgeable youngsters can easily install programs that
may jeopardize their security, as well as the security of your
family computer. Your teenage "geek" can easily defeat the
protective measures you take to protect them, if
you are running an administrative account!
Why does Microsoft ship the Windows
operating system this way? It takes time and knowledge to setup
a computer system to be secure, yet allow you to perform the
functions you bought the computer to do. If Microsoft secured
the operating system properly, and without the needed consumer
training, they would be deluged with calls such as "why can't I
install ..." or "I can't burn a CD or..." To be fair, how
many of us have the time or the knowledge required to setup a PC
to be both functional and secure? Most of us
want to buy a product, plug it in and have it work to our
expectations. |
Part 1
First of all, there is no "silver bullett", and no single answer
to meet everyone's needs. Alternative operating systems, such as
Macintosh or Linux offer more inherent security as they do not
default to an administrative account, however, there can be a
learning curve in the transition. You really need to ask
yourself what you use your computer for. If computer games
are your primary interest, or if you have a need to run
specialized Windows programs, then you are better off staying
with Windows. But if you use your computer for anything
else, a Mac computer or one of the latest free
Linux distibutions will most likely staisfy and meet any and all
of your computer needs.
Recent Linux
distributions, such as Mepis or Ubuntu/Kubuntu will meet the
majority of your computing needs for most users who need
Internet access, office applications such as word processors and
spreadsheets, multimedia applications for music and videos, as
well as most of the other functionality you have come to expect
in your computing experience. One of the biggest
advantages to Linux, and all of the software available for it,
is that it is all FREE! Yes, FREE!
We at 2
PC Geeks Internet Security have the knowledge and
experience to setup your free Linux operating system and train
you on how to effectively use it. We are confident that
Linux will meet just about your every computing need.
Part 2
OK, you have decided that you need to stick with the Windows
operating system, so how do you secure it for your family?
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Created limited user accounts for you and your
family's day to day computing needs. An administrative
account should ONLY be used for installation
of or running of software and services that requires
this level of access, and you should immediately switch to
the limited user account afterwards.
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Perform the following software installation and
configuration under your administrator
account. The software packages listed below, are currently
rated #1 in their respective areas of protection by computer
professionals. Free alternatives are listed in the
freeware link.
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Install and configure your
antivirus program
to scan for viruses and update its virus definitions
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Configure Microsoft Update to automatically download and
install required Microsoft critical updates.
Manual updates require administrative rights! Use this
link to my freeware page to
select whether to use IE or Firefox
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Install and configure your
firewall program,
and set a schedule to automatically check for updates
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Install and configure your
Intrusion
Detection Software (IDS) to guard against
hijackings,
malware attacks and critical changes made to your
computer without your permission
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Install and configure your
antispyware detection
and removal system to guard against
hijackings,
malware attacks, data corruption, pop-ups, etc
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Install and configure your
Internet filtering and
Advanced Internet Management software to protect
your children from inappropriate web content and protect
against Internet predators
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Install and configure
Nero Burn Rights so that all users, administrators
and limited users alike, can burn CDs or DVDs. By
default, Windows will not allow low level hardware
operations, such as CD/DVD burning to be performed by
non-admin users
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Logout of your Administrator
account, and login as your Limited User account
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Install one of the safer web
browsers, such as Firefox or Opera. Internet Explorer
is extremely dangerous to use with newly discovered holes
and vulnerabilities being detected very frequently.
One of the serious flaws of Internet Explorer is the many
ActiveX controls, that can be run on the browser and deliver
a malicious payload. Do NOT use Internet Explorer
unless you have no other choice, and certainly not for any
access that requires security!
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