The Symantec guide to home internet security

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Title:

Personal Author:

Conry-Murray, Andrew

Publication Information:

Upper Saddle River, NJ : Addison-Wesley, 2006

ISBN:

9780321356413

Subject Term:

Computer security

Internet -- Security measures

Added Author:

Weafer, Vincent

Available:*

Library	Item Barcode	Call Number	Material Type	Item Category 1	Status
Searching... PSZ JB	30000010114903	QA76.9.A25 C664 2006	Open Access Book	Book	Searching... Unknown

Dodge attackers, skip spam, and protect your privacy. Symantec Press shows you how to secure your home front. This book offers comprehensive advice about a broad range of security issues in an accessible style appropriate for the home user, and delves into all of the areas where a computer may be vulnerable to attack: hacking, identity theft, online purchasing, virus attacks, e-mail and Internet scams, and more. This book leverages the power and brand recognition of Symantec and Norton Antivirus. The Symantec Guide to Home Computer Security is a soup-to-nuts guide to safer computing for everyone. This book is a short and sweet primer on the dangers of skinny dipping on the web for anyone who uses a computer to write, shop, download media, and/ or e-mail or send instant messages to friends and family. Most people are aware of the perils of the Internet, but many fewer have a clear understanding of what is and isn't a threat. backed-up, limit the scourge of spam, keep viruses at bay, avoid spyware infestations, recognize a phishing scam, identify reputable e-commerce sites, and keep their kids safe from harm and/ or inappropriate content. This book offers comprehensive advice about a broad range of security issues in an accessible style appropriate for the home user.

Author Notes

Andrew Conry-Murray is the technology editor at IT Architect, an award-winning publication for information technology professionals. He has been writing about computer and network security since 2000.

Vincent Weafer has an extensive range of experience, gained from more than 20 years in the information technology industry, ranging from software development, systems engineering, to security research positions. For the past eight years, he has been the operational leader of the Symantec Global Security Response team, where his mission is to advance the research into new computer security threats and provide security content solutions such as anti-virus, antispam, intrusion and vulnerability response, real-time alerting, content solutions, research, and analysis.

Weafer has also been one of Symantec's main spokespeople on Internet security threats and trends, with national and international press and broadcast media, appearing on CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, and BBC, among many others. In addition, he has presented at many international conferences on security threats and trends, presenting papers and contributing to technical panels run by the European Institute for Computer AntiVirus Research (EICAR), Virus Bulletin, Association of AntiVirus Asia Researchers (AVAR), and Australian Computer Emergency Response Team (AUSCERT), among many others.

Acknowledgments	p. xiii
About the Author	p. xv
Introduction	p. xvii
1 Understanding Internet Risk	p. 1
1.1 Fraudsters and Hijackers	p. 2
Identity Theft	p. 3
Spam	p. 3
Viruses and Worms	p. 4
Spyware, Adware, and Trojan Horses	p. 4
1.2 Why Me?	p. 5
Your Computer Is a Resource for Attacking Other Computers	p. 5
Your Computer Is a Communication Vehicle for Frauds and Scams	p. 6
2 Preventing Identity Theft	p. 9
2.1 How Your Identity Gets Stolen	p. 10
Social Engineering	p. 11
Spoofing	p. 12
Phishing Attacks	p. 12
Keystroke Loggers	p. 13
Mail Theft and Dumpster Diving	p. 14
2.2 Preventing Identity Theft	p. 14
Think Before You Click	p. 14
Tools That Help Prevent Identity Theft	p. 15
SSL	p. 16
Security Tokens	p. 17
SpoofStick	p. 18
2.3 Recovering from Identity Theft	p. 19
2.4 Checklist	p. 20
Do	p. 20
Don't	p. 21
2.5 Helpful Resources	p. 21
3 Firewalls	p. 27
3.1 Packets, Protocols, and Ports	p. 28
IP and TCP	p. 29
HTTP and HTML	p. 30
3.2 What Firewalls Can Do	p. 31
Regulate Inbound and Outbound Connections	p. 31
Security Settings	p. 33
3.3 What Firewalls Can't Do	p. 35
3.4 Free Firewalls	p. 36
Windows XP Service Pack 2	p. 36
Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm	p. 39
3.5 Firewalls You Can Buy	p. 41
How Should You Choose?	p. 43
3.6 Testing Firewalls	p. 44
ShieldsUP! (www.grc.com)	p. 44
Symantec Security Check (www.symantec.com/homecomputing/)	p. 44
McAfee MySecurityStatus (http://us.mcafee.com/MySecurityStatus/)	p. 44
PivX PreView (www.pivx.com/preview)	p. 45
AuditMyPC (www.auditmypc.com)	p. 45
3.7 Checklist	p. 45
Do	p. 46
Don't	p. 46
3.8 Helpful Resources	p. 46
4 Getting Rid of Unwanted Guests, Part 1: Viruses and Worms	p. 47
4.1 The Rise of Malware	p. 47
4.2 Viruses and Worms	p. 50
What Can Worms and Viruses Do?	p. 53
4.3 Anti-Virus Software	p. 54
What AV Software Can Do	p. 54
What AV Software Can't Do	p. 54
4.4 Other Protection Methods	p. 56
Use a Firewall	p. 56
Don't Open Strange E-Mail	p. 57
Don't Click Links or Programs in E-Mail	p. 58
Keep All Your Software Updated	p. 58
4.5 What to Do if You Have a Virus or Worm	p. 59
How to Tell if Your Computer Is Infected	p. 59
How to Remove a Worm or Virus	p. 59
4.6 How to Choose an Anti-Virus Product	p. 60
4.7 Checklist	p. 62
Do	p. 62
Don't	p. 62
4.8 Helpful Resources	p. 62
5 Getting Rid of Unwanted Guests, Part 2: Spyware, Adware, and Trojan Horses	p. 67
5.1 What Are Spyware, Adware, and Trojan Horses?	p. 67
Defining Spyware and Adware	p. 69
5.2 Technical and Legal Challenges of Detecting and Removing Spyware and Adware	p. 72
Do You Want a Cookie?	p. 78
5.3 How Spyware/Adware and Trojan Horses Infect Your Computer	p. 80
From a Web Browser	p. 80
From Other Software	p. 81
From E-Mail	p. 82
From Social Engineering	p. 82
5.4 How to Protect Yourself from Spyware, Adware, and Trojan Horses	p. 82
Use Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus Software	p. 82
Beware of Opportunists	p. 85
Free Anti-Spyware Software	p. 86
What Anti-Spyware Software Can Do	p. 87
What Anti-Spyware Software Can't Do	p. 88
Be Suspicious of Free Software	p. 88
Read the EULA	p. 89
Adjust Your Browser Settings	p. 89
Use an Alternative Browser	p. 91
Keep Your Software Updated	p. 91
5.5 How to Remove Spyware, Adware, and Trojan Horses	p. 92
How to Tell if Your Computer Is Infected	p. 92
Using Hijack This	p. 93
Reformatting Your Hard Drive	p. 95
5.6 Checklist	p. 95
Do	p. 95
Don't	p. 95
5.7 Helpful Resources	p. 96
6 Just Say No to Spam	p. 99
6.1 Spamonomics	p. 101
6.2 Spam, Scams, and Phishing	p. 102
6.3 How Spammers Operate	p. 104
Buying Lists	p. 104
E-Mail Scavengers	p. 104
Dictionary Attack/Directory Harvesting	p. 104
Spoofing	p. 105
Spam Proxies	p. 105
Social Engineering	p. 106
Web Beacons/Web Bugs	p. 106
6.4 Spam Filtering Methods	p. 106
Content Filters/Keyword Searches	p. 107
Blacklists	p. 108
White Lists	p. 108
Heuristics Analysis	p. 108
Spam Signatures	p. 109
Challenge/Response	p. 110
Bayesian Filtering	p. 110
Reputation Filtering	p. 111
6.5 How to Reduce Spam	p. 112
Delete Suspicious E-Mail Without Opening It	p. 112
Don't Reply to Spam or Phishing Mail	p. 113
Don't Click Any Links in Untrusted Mail	p. 113
Read Privacy Policies	p. 113
Don't Post Your E-Mail Address	p. 114
Alter Your E-Mail or Use Multiple E-Mail Addresses	p. 114
Don't Buy Anything from Spammers	p. 115
Report Spam and Phishing	p. 115
6.6 Anti-Spam Tools	p. 115
6.7 Checklist	p. 117
Do	p. 117
Don't	p. 118
6.8 Helpful Resources	p. 118
7 Securing Windows	p. 119
7.1 Windows XP Service Pack 2	p. 121
Windows Security Center	p. 121
Configuring the Windows Firewall	p. 124
Virus Protection	p. 127
Buffer Overflow Protection	p. 128
7.2 Patch Tuesday	p. 128
Turning on Automatic Updates	p. 130
7.3 Securing Internet Explorer	p. 131
Internet Explorer Security	p. 132
Dealing with ActiveX	p. 132
Privacy Configuration	p. 136
Pop-Up Blocker	p. 138
7.4 Browser Alternatives	p. 139
Firefox (www.mozilla.org)	p. 140
Opera (www.opera.com)	p. 141
7.5 Security Checks	p. 142
ShieldsUP! (www.grc.com)	p. 142
PivX PreView (www.pivx.com/preview)	p. 142
Symantec Security Check (www.symantec.com/securitycheck/)	p. 143
7.6 Internet Explorer 7.0 and Windows Vista	p. 143
7.7 Checklist	p. 144
Do	p. 144
Don't	p. 144
7.8 Helpful Resources	p. 144
8 Keeping Your Family Safe Online	p. 147
8.1 Filtering Unwanted Content	p. 148
Human Monitoring	p. 149
Search Engine Filtering	p. 151
Internet Explorer Filtering	p. 153
Alternative Browser Filtering	p. 158
Service Provider Controls	p. 158
Spam Control	p. 159
8.2 Sexual Predators and the Internet	p. 160
Preventing Unwanted Contact	p. 161
Reporting Sexual Solicitation	p. 162
Internet Monitoring Software	p. 162
How Should I Choose?	p. 163
8.3 The $3,000 Song and Other File-Sharing Problems	p. 164
How Can They Find Me?	p. 168
P2P Security Issues	p. 168
Legal or Illegal?	p. 169
8.4 Checklist	p. 170
Do	p. 170
Don't	p. 170
8.5 Helpful Resources	p. 170
9 Wireless and VoIP Security	p. 173
9.1 How Wireless Networks Work	p. 174
9.2 Security Issues with Home WLANs	p. 175
Change the Default SSID	p. 180
Turn Off SSID Broadcast	p. 180
Change Default Passwords	p. 180
Turn on MAC Filtering	p. 180
Wireless Security Software	p. 181
9.3 Public Hotspot Safety	p. 182
Unsecured Hotspots	p. 183
Evil Twins	p. 185
Don't Conduct Sensitive Transactions at a Hotspot	p. 185
9.4 Cell Phone and PDA Security	p. 185
Mobile Operating Systems and Bluetooth	p. 186
Cell Phone Malware	p. 187
Securing Bluetooth	p. 188
PDA Security	p. 189
9.5 VoIP Security	p. 190
VoIP and 911	p. 191
9.6 Checklist	p. 192
Do	p. 192
Don't	p. 192
9.7 Helpful Resources	p. 192
10 Privacy and the Internet	p. 195
10.1 Internet Privacy Options	p. 197
Cryptography Basics	p. 197
Digital Signatures and Digital Certificates	p. 199
E-Mail Encryption	p. 200
File and Folder Encryption	p. 203
Web Anonymizers	p. 204
10.2 Dealing with Data Brokers	p. 205
Acxiom (www.acxiom.com)	p. 206
ChoicePoint (www.choicepoint.com)	p. 206
LexisNexis (www.lexisnexis.com)	p. 207
10.3 Checklist	p. 208
Do	p. 208
Don't	p. 208
10.4 Helpful Resources	p. 209
Conclusion	p. 211
Index	p. 213

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Table of Contents