07Jun 10 Points to keep your network secure and safe from hackers and viruses
If you are connected to the Net (especially with an “often on” connection such as cable or DSL), you are at risk for intrusion from hackers or with infection from a virus or spyware. This can happen without your information. You can be browsing, logging on and off numerous internet websites, etc., and be compromised. Nonetheless, you can safeguard yourself from this sort of intrusion by following a couple of easy steps.
1.. Use a firewall to block all incoming connections from the World wide web to services that ought to not be publicly accessible. By default, you need to deny all incoming connections and only permit services you explicitly want to supply to the outside world.
2.. Enforce a password policy. Complex passwords make it hard to crack password files on compromised computers. This assists to stop or limit damage when a computer is compromised.
3.. Make certain that programs and users of the pc use the lowest level of privileges necessary to complete a task. When prompted for a root or UAC password, make sure that the program asking for administration-level access is a legitimate application.
4.. Disable AutoPlay to prevent the automatic launching of executable files on network and removable drives, and disconnect the drives when not required. If write access is not needed, enable read-only mode if the alternative is obtainable.
5.. Turn off file sharing if not necessary. If file sharing is needed, use ACLs and password protection to limit access. Disable anonymous access to shared folders. Grant access only to user accounts with strong passwords to folders that need to be shared.
6.. Turn off and eliminate unnecessary services. By default, several operating systems install auxiliary services that are not critical. These services are avenues of attack. If they are removed, threats have less avenues of attack.
7.. If a threat exploits one or a lot more network services, disable, or block access to, those services until a patch is applied.
8.. Configure your email server to block or get rid of email that contains file attachments that are frequently utilised to spread threats, such as .vbs, .bat, .exe, .pif and .scr files.
9.. Isolate compromised computers swiftly to prevent threats from spreading further. Perform a forensic analysis and restore the computers making use of trusted media.
10.. Train employees not to open attachments unless they are expecting them. Also, do not execute software that is downloaded from the Internet unless it has been scanned for viruses. Merely visiting a compromised Web internet site can trigger infection if certain browser vulnerabilities are not patched.
When it comes to performing business on the internet, security is a two-way street. Safe on the web transactions demand intelligent behavior on the part of buyers and proactive security policies and procedures on the component of Web websites.
Companies that sell goods or services on the web also have a responsibility to keep their transactions secure and private. And the far more web sites know about present e-commerce security threats, the much better job they can do at protecting their transactions. Your browser really should comply with industry security standards, such as SSL Certificate. SSL(Secure Socket Layer) is a security Protocol.

