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While computer operating systems today are much
more secure than just two years ago, there is still some user management
necessary. These operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows XP are
becoming more and more “user friendly” from a security standpoint. Many
potential security problems are locked down by default and the user
generally does not need to be concerned with implementing them.
However, computer security (“cyber-security”), in
general, is still somewhat reactive. Good examples of being reactive are
the Anti-Virus products on the market today, for example Norton
Utilities by Symantec. While they try to anticipate new types of
attacks, they still can not effectively predict specific attacks,
because the creators of such attacks are effectively on the “offensive.”
Most laptop computers today use Microsoft’s Windows
XP, SP2 as the operating system. This release has some of the best
security features currently available for a computer, but they need to
be checked or in some cases implemented by the user.
A good example of this is an anti-virus product
installed on your laptop. Not only does the Anti-virus software need to
be enabled, but the Microsoft XP settings may need to be changed to
accommodate the anti-virus changes. It is the user’s responsibility to
make sure this protection in enabled..
These checklists outline the steps you should take
to reach a baseline of security with Windows XP Home Edition and Windows
XP Professional computers, either on their own or as part of a Windows
NT or Windows 2000 domain. Additional information about these checklists
can be found on the Microsoft Website. Just search on the Microsoft site
using the term “security.”
Important: The purpose of these checklists
is to give instructions for configuring a baseline level of security on
Windows XP computers. This guide does not provide a complete list of all
security features provided in Windows XP or how to use them. A complete
list of new security features available in Windows XP is available on
the Microsoft Web site.
Windows XP Professional Configuration - 12 Steps
1. Verify that all disk partitions are
formatted with NTFS
2. Protect file shares
3. Use Internet Connection sharing for shared
Internet connections
4. Enable Internet Connection Firewall
5. Use software restriction policies
6. Use account passwords
7. Disable unnecessary services
8. Disable or delete unnecessary accounts
9. Make sure the Guest account is disabled
10. Set stronger password policies
11. Set account lockout policy
12. Install antivirus software, antishareware
software and updates
These security tips are suggested by Microsoft to
provide a baseline level of security for your computer. Additional
security steps that are very important to protect your laptop and
desktop computers include:
- Keep your data safe and backed up
- Use the Internet safely
- Protect your networks and servers, especially
when wireless access points are used
Microsoft has a tool called the
Baseline Security Analyzer that is
excellent. It helps detect security threats and is a must have tool for
anyone interested in security for a laptop, desktop or computer network.
Laptop Theft
Another very real security threat to your laptop is
theft. According to Safeware Insurance, “387,000 laptops were stolen in
the US in the year 2000 - versus 319,000 in 1999.” The FBI notes that
“over 98% of stolen laptops are never recovered.” Also “notebook theft
is the 2nd most prevalent computer crime, following virus
related offenses” according to a CSI/FBI PC Crime and Security Survey.
When your laptop is stolen, you not only lose the
hardware, you lose the data on the hard drive. This happened to my
daughter, an architecture student at the University of New Mexico. She
lost much of her portfolio of architecture projects in her first two
years because of this theft. As with most laptop owners, some of the
data was backed up and some was not. We replaced the laptop but the
sense of violation and loss was still there. She still misses that
Fujitsu P2046 laptop, as she really liked it.
Think what would happen to you business or home
records if your laptop was stolen. Even it you have it backed up and
replace the computer, you will probably feel violated by the theft.
There is also a continuing psychological cost that is often not thought of until it
happens to you. You would have no idea of where or if your data on the
laptop was stored on some criminal’s computer waiting for the opportune
time to steal your identity, or pull some other crime against you. You
would not know if one of the many laptop drives sold on web auction
sites was the one out of your laptop, or even if that laptop being
auctioned “like yours” was in fact yours.
As you can see, laptop security encompasses a
number of things. Many of these things are not really very difficult or
even very technical. They do take some thought, planning and often some
research to find out the best way to counter some of the threats that
are out there today.
The good part is that there are many security resources
which
can be very helpful and useful available on the internet today. Many
software and hardware suppliers, like Microsoft, and Dell for example,
have extensive security information, articles, whitepapers and books
available. Many county, state and federal agencies, such as the
Department of Homeland security,
FBI and CERT, also have extensive security suggestions and information
available for protecting your laptop, desktop computer, and computer
network.
For Your Safety
H. Court Young |
