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Five Steps to Better Security
Step1
Step
2
Protect Your
Desktops and Laptops
Update Your Software
Criminal hackers like to find and exploit
bugs and loopholes in popular software products. Some do it for money,
some to make a statement, and some simply to cause trouble. And they can
cause trouble—exposing customer credit card numbers on a website or
stealing passwords in a computer. The impact on a business can be fatal.
Basic steps you can take
When Microsoft or any other software
company discovers vulnerability in its software, it typically releases an
update that can be downloaded over the Internet. The update “patches” the
loophole or bug to keep hackers from causing trouble.
Over time, however, software products
have become more secure. For example, Microsoft Windows XP Professional is
inherently more secure than Microsoft Windows 95. Windows XP Professional
with SP2 provides even stronger security settings that help defend against
hackers, viruses, and worms. But that doesn’t negate the importance of
downloading and installing appropriate updates as soon as they are
released.
Manually install
updates for Windows
Windows
XP Professional:
Go to the Windows Update website (windowsupdate.microsoft.com),
and then click Scan for Updates. The website automatically analyzes your
computer, determines which updates you need, and then makes them available
for download. To make the update process easier, enable the Automatic
Updates feature. With this feature, Windows XP Professional can monitor
for, download, and install updates automatically.
Windows 2000
If you’re running Microsoft
Windows 2000 as part of a domain or as a standalone computer, visit the
Windows Update website (windowsupdate.microsoft.com),
where you will find the latest service packs, device drivers, application
compatibility information, and system security updates. In a domain
environment, server computers running Microsoft Windows 2000 Server or
Windows Server 2003 manage the security for all resources on the network.
Windows
Me, Windows 98, Windows NT®, and Windows 95
Older
versions of Windows, such as Microsoft Windows Me or Windows 98, are much
less secured than newer versions. Microsoft strongly encourages upgrading
to newer versions of Windows to ensure the highest level of security.
Help Protect
Against Viruses
Viruses,
as well as worms and Trojan horses, are malicious programs that run on
your computer. Some viruses delete or change files. Others consume
computer resources. Some allow outsiders access to your files. Viruses can
replicate, or copy, themselves, even sends themselves to e-mail addresses
in a contacts list. Virus-infected computers can spread the virus
throughout your company and cause serious downtime and data loss. You also
risk infecting the computers of clients and customers you communicate with
via e-mail.
Basic
steps you can take
You should have antivirus protection on
all your computers. Antivirus software works by scanning the contents of
incoming e-mail messages (and files already on your computer) to detect
virus signatures. If the software finds a virus, the software deletes or
quarantines it.
Install
antivirus software
Because hundreds
of viruses are released each month, all antivirus software must be updated
regularly with the latest signature definitions so that the software can
catch the latest viruses. Look for software that automatically downloads
the latest definitions and programs from the Internet.
Never
open suspicious files
Make sure everyone in your company
understands that they should delete—without opening—any E-mail attachments
from an unknown, suspicious, or untrustworthy source.
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