Sidewinder on security at home

If you have an NHS email address, you can use the Microsoft Home User Programme to put Microsoft software on your home PC. But you will still need to follow a few simple rules to keep your home PC safe. Davey Winder provides a helpful guide.

If you haven’t done so already, then have a look at the Microsoft Home User Programme. This enables NHS employees to get licensed copies of Microsoft Office to use on their home computers - for free.

Indeed, as of March 2007, this handy scheme even covers the Office 2007 suite. But even with this in place, your home computer environment will probably not be as secure as the computer environment you’re used to at work. Unless you follow some simple steps to lock down your PC and get safe online that is…

Step 1. Hunt hackers

In automotive terms, a firewall is simply a barrier between the engine compartment and the inside of the car where you and your family sit. It is designed to prevent fire from spreading into your personal space and doing you harm in the event of something bad happening.

"Use AntiVirus software… but don’t get too enthusiastic and install more than one application as they can conflict… " Replace engine compartment with Internet, and car with computer, and you have pretty much described a computer firewall.

The good news is that you already have one if you are using Windows XP (Service Pack 2) as your computer’s operating system. This can protect you from the attention of hackers trying to access your computer without permission in order to steal your data or hijack the system for nefarious purposes.

The better news is that if you have Windows Vista then the firewall has been upgraded to provide protection not only from people trying to get into your computer, but from rogue applications trying to send out data as well. This can prevent spyware from sending information home and remote access Trojans from communicating with criminals on the other side of the Internet.

Step 2. Mash malware

Malware is a term that can be applied to both virus and spyware infection and it needs to be protected against if you value your data, your system integrity and even your own identity. These nasty little applications exist to cause trouble to you and anyone you communicate with via your computer.

Luckily, there is plenty of AntiVirus and AntiSpyware security software available that will scan your PC for signs of existing problems and then disinfect it, as well as keeping it free from any further infections.

By installing such software and - very importantly - keeping it up to date you can help yourself and other computer users steer clear of any contact with data bandits (good AntiVirus and AntiSpyware software will update itself automatically).

Don’t get too enthusiastic and install more than one AntiVirus application though, as they can conflict with each other and cause your computer to slow down or even crash. It’s better to go for an all-in-one solution such as Windows Live OneCare (http://onecare.live.com) which combines AntiVirus and AntiSpyware with protection against phishing (email scams to part you and your money). It also includes a firewall.

A new service from Microsoft is the Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner (http://safety.live.com) which performs a free in-depth scan of your PC and removes any infections found.

Step 3. Batter spam

Nobody likes junk mail, whether its delivered by the postman or your email software. But whereas the stuff coming through your letterbox is just annoying, email spam can be a threat to your security as well. Everything from virus infection to serious phishing attempts are brought to you by spam.

Protect yourself from this menace by using the spam filters that are built into just about every modern email application, including Microsoft Outlook. These use a number of different technologies, none of which you really need to know about in depth, in order to stop as much spam as possible from bothering you.

Use the ‘junk e-mail options’ dialog box to get the best results for you, and to prevent genuine email getting wrongly squashed as spam. Spam filters are easy to configure, and with a little effort can be hugely effective. 


"Spam filters are easy to configure, and with a little effort can be hugely effective."

Step 4. Update IT

The bad guys never rest: they are always developing new threats to make your life miserable and attempt to avoid detection by the good guys. Don’t make life any easier for the cyber-criminals by leaving them with old software, and old security vulnerabilities, to exploit.

Nobody is perfect, but when the bad guys find ways to exploit the Windows platform, Microsoft will issue updates to patch the holes and protect your computer from vulnerability.

Head for the Windows Security Centre, which you can find in your computer’s “control panel” after clicking the “start” button in either XP or Vista, and simply turn on “automatic updates” to ensure your PC is always kept up to date with system and application patches.

About the author: Author, journalist and consultant Davey Winder has been writing about security issues for 16 years and is the current IT Security Journalist of the Year, an award from BT.