EF Fall 07.indd - National Association of Professional Allstate ...

form these threats, your antivirus programneeds to be up to date with the latestvirus definitions. Most antivirus programshave a schedule feature that willdownload these updates automatically. Ifthe program you are using does not, youneed to update it manually. Make surethat you update your antivirus programat least once a week.If a virus is found on your system,follow the instructions of your antivirusprogram carefully. Some viruses will requirea little more effort to remove, butmost will be removed with little effort byyour antivirus program.Spyware, unlike a virus, is not sentout to destroy your system, but rather togather information about you and yourcomputer. A spyware program can installitself without the knowledge of the user,collect information about that user andsend it back to the creator. Not only canthese programs cause identity theft, butthey can also slow down the computer.Some anti-spyware programs can bepurchased separately, but most good antivirusprograms will also protect againstthese threats.Stopping Computer Hackers. Unlikethe movies, computer hackers are notthe good guys trying to infiltrate the evilgovernment computer system. Computerhackers are people on the Internet tryingto connect to your computer to stealyour information, delete files and crashit. The way a computer hacker accessesyou computer is through your Internetconnection. The best way to secure thatconnection is with a hardware firewall.A hardware firewall is a piece of hardwarelocated between your high speedInternet connection and your networkcomputers. Most firewalls are incorporatedinto the routers that connect yourlocal network to the Internet. If installedproperly, firewalls do not require maintenanceand will work without the user’sknowledge. Some firewalls can even scanfor viruses on files and e-mails whendownloaded.Wireless security is also important.A firewall can stop people from hackingyour computer on the Internet side, butif you do not have a secure wireless connection,they can connect on your localnetwork side. To stop these unwantedwireless connections, it is important touse wireless security encryptions. Thelatest in security encryption is the WPA2802.11i standard, which was developedby the WiFi Alliance, a group of wirelessproduct manufactures. When usedwith a 64 character key, the WAP2 encryptionwill stop any wireless hackersfrom attacking to your wireless network.In addition to using WAP2 encryptionfor your wireless network, some wirelessrouters can be set up to allow only connectionsfrom programmed MAC addresses,a twelve character identificationnumber set by the manufacturer. Settingup your wireless router with these twosecurity features will assure you that yourwireless network is safe.Windows Security. Updates foryour Windows operating system are notonly helpful for fixing problems withthe program, but are also responsiblefor fixing security holes in the Windowsoperating system. As hackers get moreadvanced they find more ways to connectto your computer. Microsoft hasteams of people securing its productsdaily and, just as it is important to updateyour antivirus program, it is equallyimportant to update your Windows operatingsystem. Microsoft offers automaticupdate programs in its WindowsXP and Vista operating system. It alsoallows an automatic update program tobe installed in its Widows 2000 operatingsystem. Another way to keep MicrosoftWindows secure is to run thelatest version of Internet Explorer 7.Microsoft has enhanced the securityfeatures in the latest version of InternetExplorer and is continually updatingthat security.Most of all, don’t forget to use securepasswords. Children and pet names areeasy to remember but they do not offerthe protection that a long multi characterpassword will provide. Also, make sureyour computer does not boot directly tothe desktop, but prompts you instead foryour multi-character password.Work with the professionals. Thebest advice is to find a reputable companythat can setup your network and provideyou with the computer security that youneed. Stay away from the electronic chainstores that claim to be computer experts.If possible, ask your business customersor other Allstate agents who they recommend.Remember, the best insurance foryour computers is stopping an attack beforeit happens.Robert L. Miller, Networking Specialist,Holland Computers Inc. Authorized AllstateService Provider, providing technology solutionsfor over 18 years. For more informationcall Robert Miller 1-800-656-2561 ext 144or e-mail him at rmiller@hollandcomputers.com Check us out on the WEB at www.hollandcomputers.comFall 2007 Exclusivefocus — 53