austraLasia #1324
Keep it safe: apply the preventive system!
ROME: 11th November 2005 -- The last item in what may become a short series on simple computer stuff obviously struck a chord. Here is another, in response to a request: how can we Salesians exercise our moral responsibility to protect our computers from nasty things coming in and from those who may want to pry into or worse steal sensitive documents? And we have to do this in just a paragraph or two! It won't be complete, but here is something to work with at least.
1. The term 'we Salesians' is used deliberately above - it wouldn't hurt a Province to give some thought to the issue as a policy. A new slant on the Preventive System, I realise, but an important one nonetheless; a Computer Protection Policy might offer at least broad advice along these lines: Beware anything that solicits; change passwords regularly (6 months) and use 'strong' passwords; use at least one anti-spyware program even if you have to pay for it (there are free ones); every computer should be behind a firewall - the 'house' or 'institute' one if you have a local server, or at least the Win XP one if you have that - or both (there are other free firewall options too); beware of and probably don't use P2P breakthrough technology (Peer-to-peer file sharing) since it is open to both pornography and copyright violation; use chat and IM (messaging) cautiously - better still don't use it. Encrypt very sensitive material. There would be more, but the above is a start.
2. Now to take up a couple of the above with some simple offerings and descriptions: A firewall is an electronic wall that sits between your computer and the internet. It asks you (at least once) before something can go either way, though it's best at stopping things coming in. Many use Win XP, so use theirs. Otherwise find a free one (ZoneAlarm? Other?) No-one should be on the internet without a firewall in operation, full stop!
3. Spyware/adware: Trend Micro Antispyware is a free utility on the Web that will do the job for you - detect and help you remove. Spyware can take personal information (including passwords) from your computer. Adware is mainly a nuisance. There are free pop-up blockers which will stop the nuisance and prevent you from clicking accidentally on things that may install spyware or unwanted programs. And while we're at it, beware all 'free' offers other than Open Source 'free' and reputable company type 'free' (e.g. Avast! Home Edition will do what ClamWin will do and more but it is not Open Source, you have to register, yet it is free and stays that way) Oh - and you should be able to trust 'free' computer advice from austraLasia!
4. Passwords. Two things here. Use 'strong' passwords, e.g. IC'tRmU&P (I can't remember my username and password!) and not weak ones (qwerty-iu). Strong here means random - random with numbers, letters, uppercase, lowercase and acceptable symbols. Secondly, why not use Password Safe - a safe where you store all your different passwords - those things so easily forgotten if they are random! - where you only need one password to find all your others. Get it (free - it's Open Source) at http://www.counterpane.com/passsafe.html
5. And finally, encryption: I believe we have a moral duty to encrypt sensitive material. How can you do it? Forget simple encryption like putting things in zip files with a password. Even strong passwords can be cracked in a relatively short period of time. I suggest TrueCrypt. It is free, Open Source, easy to use and is like an industrial strongroom. You can encrypt a whole drive, a USB pendrive or even create a virtual drive which holds some encrypted files. (But remember, make the password strong or you leave the door open anyway). Just yesterday or the day before, Tony Blair lost a vote in the UK parliament because he wanted law-enforcement to have 90 days to hold a suspect. A compelling reason given was that it took at least that long to decrypt computer hard-drives of suspects. That gives you two pieces of information: (1) that TrueCrypt would take about that long to decrypt and (2) that any encryption could probably eventually be broken - at huge cost. They did it to NASA after all.
I hope there is something in all of the above for everyone. JBF
__________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml. If you subscribe, email this information and your name will come off the regular email list. RSS eliminates problems such as multiple mailings, viruses, email bloat. Think about it!
Keep it safe: apply the preventive system!
ROME: 11th November 2005 -- The last item in what may become a short series on simple computer stuff obviously struck a chord. Here is another, in response to a request: how can we Salesians exercise our moral responsibility to protect our computers from nasty things coming in and from those who may want to pry into or worse steal sensitive documents? And we have to do this in just a paragraph or two! It won't be complete, but here is something to work with at least.
1. The term 'we Salesians' is used deliberately above - it wouldn't hurt a Province to give some thought to the issue as a policy. A new slant on the Preventive System, I realise, but an important one nonetheless; a Computer Protection Policy might offer at least broad advice along these lines: Beware anything that solicits; change passwords regularly (6 months) and use 'strong' passwords; use at least one anti-spyware program even if you have to pay for it (there are free ones); every computer should be behind a firewall - the 'house' or 'institute' one if you have a local server, or at least the Win XP one if you have that - or both (there are other free firewall options too); beware of and probably don't use P2P breakthrough technology (Peer-to-peer file sharing) since it is open to both pornography and copyright violation; use chat and IM (messaging) cautiously - better still don't use it. Encrypt very sensitive material. There would be more, but the above is a start.
2. Now to take up a couple of the above with some simple offerings and descriptions: A firewall is an electronic wall that sits between your computer and the internet. It asks you (at least once) before something can go either way, though it's best at stopping things coming in. Many use Win XP, so use theirs. Otherwise find a free one (ZoneAlarm? Other?) No-one should be on the internet without a firewall in operation, full stop!
3. Spyware/adware: Trend Micro Antispyware is a free utility on the Web that will do the job for you - detect and help you remove. Spyware can take personal information (including passwords) from your computer. Adware is mainly a nuisance. There are free pop-up blockers which will stop the nuisance and prevent you from clicking accidentally on things that may install spyware or unwanted programs. And while we're at it, beware all 'free' offers other than Open Source 'free' and reputable company type 'free' (e.g. Avast! Home Edition will do what ClamWin will do and more but it is not Open Source, you have to register, yet it is free and stays that way) Oh - and you should be able to trust 'free' computer advice from austraLasia!
4. Passwords. Two things here. Use 'strong' passwords, e.g. IC'tRmU&P (I can't remember my username and password!) and not weak ones (qwerty-iu). Strong here means random - random with numbers, letters, uppercase, lowercase and acceptable symbols. Secondly, why not use Password Safe - a safe where you store all your different passwords - those things so easily forgotten if they are random! - where you only need one password to find all your others. Get it (free - it's Open Source) at http://www.counterpane.com/passsafe.html
5. And finally, encryption: I believe we have a moral duty to encrypt sensitive material. How can you do it? Forget simple encryption like putting things in zip files with a password. Even strong passwords can be cracked in a relatively short period of time. I suggest TrueCrypt. It is free, Open Source, easy to use and is like an industrial strongroom. You can encrypt a whole drive, a USB pendrive or even create a virtual drive which holds some encrypted files. (But remember, make the password strong or you leave the door open anyway). Just yesterday or the day before, Tony Blair lost a vote in the UK parliament because he wanted law-enforcement to have 90 days to hold a suspect. A compelling reason given was that it took at least that long to decrypt computer hard-drives of suspects. That gives you two pieces of information: (1) that TrueCrypt would take about that long to decrypt and (2) that any encryption could probably eventually be broken - at huge cost. They did it to NASA after all.
I hope there is something in all of the above for everyone. JBF
__________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml. If you subscribe, email this information and your name will come off the regular email list. RSS eliminates problems such as multiple mailings, viruses, email bloat. Think about it!
