"Deep in the sea are riches beyond compare.
But if you seek safety, it is on the shore."

Securing your computer

This page is about securing your computer and wondering about issues related to computer security and privacy in general.

There are no “safe” (i.e. “idiot & tamper proof”) operating systems in the market. Windows2000 and WindowsXP do provide higher degree of safety than Windows95, but only if you really know what you are doing. By default, no operating system or program is safe. And no matter how “safe” the operating system is, there is always one way to go around it: take out the harddrive and put it to other computer that has an operating system, boot that computer and its OS, and then read or alter the content of that attached, ripped-off harddrive...or change some settings on it, add some users to it, install trojan horse onto it and so on. There is, therefore, very little you can actually do to make your operating system safer, but, as I have sayed, there are PLENTY of ways to make the programs you run with it safer.

Only OS that would be safe would be a such OS that, not only it was 100% bug free, but also the entire harddrive would ALWAYS be in encrypted form so it cant be opened or altered, and you would boot it and “open” the encryptation from a floppy disk (which you carry with you so it cant be tampered). By the date, there is no such operating system on the market. I wonder why? Perhaps Microsoft doesn’t bother giving us such because most of the people are satisfied at the current one… ;) ..and because nobody in the Linux community has yet came up with one. SFS or secure file system is coming but it has not been tested enought to say how much security does it really have. Also, SFS does NOT encrypt root partition (atleast I couldnt find a way to do it in my Linux).

It is not justified to say that Linux is much more secure than Windows, that is to say. Linux has had its share of bugs, security holes and issues. There is always a problem when the actual program gets bigger and bigger...nobody has a control on it and can find bugs in it. It must be stated tought that Linux and *BSD dont have hidden backdoors since they have open source code. We cant know for sure about Windows since it does not have open source code. System like openBSD is very secure on its default install, but then again so is Windows 3.11 too.

If you want to be totally safe, use pencil and paper instead of computers. Remember that the security is only as strong as its weakest link! Don’t bother setting up secure settings, firewalls, etc. if other people who use your computer switch them off or alter your settings. Like your children and sisters ;) Teach them either about the security and how important it is, or just simply say to them: Don’t touch ANY settings. If they don’t believe you, either teach them more, or just ban them from using your computer or install a program or operating system that prevents them from altering settings. There’s no point on you building up everything and the next person coming to your computer discarding everything you just did.

12 quick tips

* Update / patch ALL your software every now and then!
* Check / adjust ALL your settings so they are safe, since they ARENT by default!
* Use firewall to control what goes in and out from your computer!
* Use good passwords: at least 13marks long, containing both letters and numbers. Remember to change your password every few months atleast and dont ever use the same password in two places!
* Get a good antivirus program: NOD32, F-Secure or Norton Antivirus and keep it updated!
* Don’t open or execute files that you are not 100% sure are absolutely safe nomatter where or how you get them.
* Wipe your historyfiles (like cookies, internet history and temporary files, etc.), logs and personal files, with specific wiping program (like Eraser) instead of just deleting them.
* Use encryption to enhance your privacy! Use encrypted email (like Hushmail or Ziplip), www-surfing and encrypt sensitive files on your computer.
* When you are finished using some internet-based service like email, sign out of it rather than just closing your browser! Also, when you leave your computer, make sure that none of such programs or connections are left open that someone could abuse. In WindowsNT/2k/XP, press Windowskey+L to lock the workstation.
* Don’t use public computers for anything you need to type in your logins, they usually have Trojan horses that capture your passwords.
* Make backups and store them in safe place! Easiest way to do a total-backup is to make an "Image" of your harddrive or partition and store it on safe location, but floppies will usually be just fine for storing documents, etc.
* Don’t assume anything. If you don’t know, find out! If you can't or don’t understand, ask someone who knows! There’s nothing more dangerous than doing something you don’t really know anything about. That’s the best way to cripple your system or get a Trojan horse on your computer!