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IP address
The Internet Protocol (IP) address is your computer's numeric address while it is connected
to the Internet. Think of it as your PC's postal address. This is where responses to your
Internet queries, as well as any attempts to contact your system directly, are directed.
In order to surf the Internet, you must have one of these. From a security standpoint, this
means that it is relatively easy to determine where you live on the network unless you have
taken proper precautions.
Port scanning
Port scanning is a common technique used by would-be intruders to case the joint. They do
this before attempting unauthorized access to a computer on the network. Essentially, this
technique involves checking each of the available ports on a computer for listening services.
Once an active service is identified (say, file sharing), the intruder can attempt to
directly connect to the service and gain entry. Sophisticated scanning software is widely
distributed on the Internet. I estimate that millions of Internet-connected systems are
routinely scanned for vulnerabilities.
For more on ports,
read this article.
Ping
Technically known as an "Internet control message protocol (ICMP) echo request/reply," ping
is exactly what it sounds like. It's a simple ping sent from one computer to another to see
if it replies with a ping of its own. A reply is usually a good indication that the pinged
system is online.
This is also a commonly used technique for identifying potential targets. Most networks
block ping and it is not really used much anymore for security-related assessments.
Firewall
A firewall is a system that monitors incoming and outgoing communications and filters
traffic based on rules. A firewall can be made up of multiple devices, or it can be as
simple as a piece of software running on a single computer.
The firewall is typically configured to block suspicious-looking packets of data based on
the rules programmed into it by the firewall administrator. For example, it can block pings
and port scans (see above), making a system practically invisible on the Internet.
Firewalls have traditionally served as the first line of defense between the Internet and
privately owned systems. If configured properly, they can block most types of network
attacks. Firewalls have historically been deployed to defend corporate assets, but recently,
many companies have started to sell personal firewall software targeted at home users who
are connected to the Internet around the clock via broadband cable or DSL connections.
Although firewalls are powerful blocking tools, remember that anything intentionally allowed
through the filter rules can be just as damaging as the blocked traffic. For example, most
firewall rules typically allow Web browsing and e-mail access, but what if someone sent a
virus as an attachment to an e-mail message? A firewall would not typically block this type
of attack.
For more on firewalls,
go here.
Encryption
Encryption is scrambling data so it's practically impossible to unscramble without knowledge
of the encryption key(s). Encryption is used to protect the confidentiality of communications,
such as e-mail or credit card numbers, passing over the network.
Encryption protects private data in the event that an intruder gains physical access to a
computer. It's commonly used to protect the account database for your financial software
package at home. Encryption offers varying degrees of protection, depending on the algorithm
and key length used.
In general, key lengths beyond 128 bits are currently considered fairly secure. This strength
is available in most commercial software today, but due to varying encryption laws in different
parts of the world, you may not be able to get the strongest encryption available in some
instances.
Joel Scambray is the author of "Hacking Exposed."
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More PC Security Information
History Files - These files contain your history of web viewing, similar to the webpage
cache (listed above). The history files normally contain the actual links of the pages you
have viewed, while the cache contains everything in detail. Some of these history files
are often locked by the system, but this software provides a locked file cleanup, which
will clean your system whether the files are locked or not.
URL's - These files are the URL links visible on your web browser when you click the
arrow at the top of the location box. (The small arrow on the right, at the top of your
web browser). These links show the pages that you have typed in the location box, and
anyone can easily view these sites just by clicking the arrow. Complete Cleanup gives
the option to clean these up individually from the URL list. Just click the "Location
URL" button to view the list and remove the ones you do not want listed on your
system. Make sure the browser is closed when doing this, otherwise the browser will
simply replace them.
ActiveX and Java Applets ActiveX and Java Applets are executable program code
which gets left behind on your computer when you are browsing the web. These are
downloaded to your pc when you visit certain websites, most often without you even
knowing that these have been downloaded, and as with any other executable program
code, they can be used in inappropriate ways. This may certainly be one of the most
important cleanups, and this option of Complete Cleanup will safely find and remove all
these code snipplets, while not affecting your normal web browsing. Executable
program code is also the main culprit for computer viruses, and keeping these files
safely cleaned out is strongly recommended.
Locked Files - This software also offers the ability to completely clean you system by
removing locked files. Locked files are files that cannot be removed because they are
locked or "held" by other applications, preventing any access to the file, and therefore
not allowing the file to be cleaned. Complete Cleanup will log and keep track of any
locked files on your system that it attempts to clean, and then gives you the option to
remove the locked file when you reboot, which is the only time the locked file can be
accessed. This should be done periodically, as this feature allows you to completely
remove all the web browsing tracks left behind. This will also help increase browser
loading speed, as the locked files can easily grow 20 times larger then necessary if they
are not cleaned.
Temp Files - Everytime your system has locked up, or you hit the power button to
reboot, files can be left behind and never cleaned up. These can accumulate and waste
disk space, as there is no use for these files anymore. These temp files can also be left
behind from program installs or uninstalls, or even from incomplete program cleanup.
Complete Cleanup provides the option to find and clean these files. Although temp files
will always accumulate on your system over time, regular use of this software will
continue to keep your hard drive cleaned up.
Recent Documents - The recent documents list contains all of your recently viewed
pictures, word processing documents, or just about anything else you have clicked and
viewed on your machine. This is easily visible on your start button by anyone sharing
your computer with you. This software easily removes these viewable links to these files
(not the actual files, but only the links that show what you have viewed), but these file
links will rebuild everytime you click and view a file on your PC. Simply select the
"Recent Docs" box to add this to the "Cleanup All" button, and these will automatically
be cleaned everytime you run Complete Cleanup.
Excess Files - This cleanup consists of data that is built on your computer over time,
and these files are rebuilt if the files are not present on your system. In other words, you
can clean these up continually, and if they are ever needed by the system, they are
automatically recreated. These may have been on your system from the beginning, and
you may not ever even need these files! Over time you will see these file counts and
space continually grow larger (depending upon each different system), but this software
will immediately find and remove these files, reclaiming the used disk space.
Find Files - Everytime you have clicked the start button, then clicked "find", the data
and filenames you searched for are logged. You can view your history of this by
opening the "find" window (click "start", then click "find", then click "files or folders",
then click the small arrow on the right to view the drop down list). Complete Cleanup
allows you to clean these files up individually by clicking the "Run/Find" button.
Run Files - Everytime you have used the "Start" - "Run" option to select and run a
program on your computer, these are logged. This list is viewable by clicking the
Run/Find button on Complete Cleanup, or by clicking the "Start", "Run" option on your
computer (then click the small arrow to view the drop down list). (After cleaning these,
they will be removed after the next reboot).
AOL Cleanups - This cleanup applies to AOL users only. Even if you are not using
AOL (America Online Internet Service Provider), this is still a good cleanup for you to
have in case you used AOL at one time in the past, or if you use it in the near future. All
your downloaded AOL files and pictures are left behind on your pc, and are viewable
by anyone sharing your pc with you. These can also accumulate and consume large
amounts of disk space. Not only can you clean all these up with a few mouse clicks, but
it is also an excellent picture viewer for you to catalog and view your downloaded
images.
Your Own Files - This software provides a safe and efficient way to cleanup your own
list of files. You can enter an entire folder, including wildcards, or enter an individual file.
Everytime you click the cleanup button under the "Your Own Files" option, it will tell
you how many files and amount of space it has found in your list, then give you the
option to remove all immediately. You can enter a wildcard, for example c:\test\*.txt to
remove all files that have a txt extension, and exist in the folder "test" on the c drive.
(There is also a couple examples listed in the "Your Own Files" window). This is a nice
feature of Complete Cleanup, as once you enter your cleanup list, these are saved and
you can always add or remove from this list. It also gives you the counts including the
file totals and space wasted, before you actually confirm the delete.
Other Garbage Files - Various other file cleanups are also scanned under the "other
garbage" section. This can include one of many different file types which may appear on
your system over time. This covers a wide range of various file types that can be
considered "junk". Although Complete Cleanup scans your drive(s) with the other
cleanup options above, this option does one more check for various other garbage files
which may reappear on your system over time.
The above is found from
Complete Cleanup.
How I get rid of Cache files:
I get rid of my Ccache files storied in both IE5+, Netscape 4+ and
Netscape 6+ Using a program called Complete Cleanup. It is
a very simple program to use. There is a trial version of
Complete Cleanup available at:
Complete Cleanup .
The cost for the full version is $29.95 - Downloadable and $34.95 -
to receive the CD in the mail.
I suggest going to the above listed site and reading all
the things that are cleaned up with this program. It does a
real nice job and I like it and use it daily!
