Number 197 - October 1999

Computer Security Starts With Just the Basics
by Bill Husted, Cox News Service
Can we have some privacy?     That's what folks will tell you, if you ask about the fears they have of the Internet and the Web. They're scared to death that some 13-year-old hacker genius will steal their credit card information and buy a Lear Jet; or that some nut basket in New Jersey will make copies of all their e-mail and send it to all the country music stations on the eastern seaboard. But if their homes have the same level of security as their home computers, most of them might as well hang a sign on the front door saying: "Come in and take what you want."     Before you start worrying about fancy programs that can worm their way in and take control of your computer, let's fix the obvious problems. Just as most burglaries are done by amateurs, most computer break-ins take advantage of really obvious security breaches.     We'll start with passwords. Don't use your birthday, your dog's name, a child's name or the like. I feel silly saying something so obvious, but my buddies who work for Internet companies and who administer business computer networks swear this advice is still needed. Use a combination of letters and numbers and avoid any words that would be found in the dictionary. If people you don't know well or don't trust have access to your computer at home or at work, be careful of stored passwords. Even if the password is stored in an encrypted file, it can easily be discovered. I know it's a lot more work to type it out each time, but you wouldn't leave the combination to a safe taped to its side, and it's dumb to leave your passwords sitting around where others can get to them.     One last bit of password advice: Most of us log onto work systems and personal email accounts and also use passwords for voice mail and to pay for	Web services. Avoid using the same password for everything. It's like using a master key for all your locks. If you do slip up and lose that key then every lock you have is vulnerable.     Now let's talk about chat rooms. I don't much care if you think that they are warm and inviting places where really interesting people gather to engage in deeply meaningful conversations, or whether you think that they are works of the devil where the tattoo-to-person ratio exceeds that of the U.S. Navy of 1941. We're not here today to talk about your private life, or even to take sides as to whether you ought to have one. Let's talk about security, as for instance in Internet Relay Chats.     Hanging out on an IRC channel is very much like wandering down a dark street with $20 bills taped to your body. We don't have time to cover every possible opportunity that chat rooms offer even the slowest-witted cyber-invader. But I promise you that IRC chats are the modern-day equivalent to wearing a sign that says "kick me". If you want to chat and care about privacy buy a rocking chair and get some friends.     Or, if your life is such that chat rooms offer you your only chance for contact with humanity, then at least consider avoiding the IRC channels and use AOL or Web-based chat instead.     Finally, try to avoid falling for any of the really stupid tricks you'll see on the Internet. Don't tell someone your password, even if they claim that they've been appointed lord over all the Internet; don't lend your password or an e-mail account to a friend.     None of these tips will turn your PC into the cyber equivalent of Fort Knox. But they do serve as important first steps in making it safe from casual intruders.
Number 197 - October 1999