Quote:
Originally posted by Chewbacca:
I just got a new PC and upgraded from W98 to XP w/SP2. Under 98 I never had a virus or suffered from an attack and only had one case of spyware due to user error
So how does a fellow like me who's programing expirience is Basic ( circa 1985) and Scripting for NWN plug these reported holes in Windows XP?
Does the firewall with my router and the software firewall I use do the job, in addition to being overly cautious about email attachments and using spyware killers like adaware and SBS&D, ect.?
What in reality and in lay-terms should I be worried about?
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- One smart thing you're already doing is self-auditing... being overly cautious with email attachments (I don't open em... EVER).
- Don't cruise the internet using the administrator account (most people do). Set up an account with "user" access and that will help. If you're feeling adventureous you can muck around with file permissions to limit the access your browsing user has to various directories (readonly access limits the mischief bad software can do).
- A Hardware firewall helps a LOT (as long as it's set up properly, double check the docs and online help/forms for your firewall to make sure your setup is solid),
- Keep XP up to date, turn on the auto-updates if they aren't already.
- Get a good virus package (there's a lot of reviews on the net) and adware scanners. (Adaware and Spybot)
- Give Firefox a try for browsing, IE's tight integration with windows (stupid idea of Microsoft's IMO) makes it a vulnerability. There are some things I don't like about it (like the fact that I can't get google toolbar like functionality) but it's free, compact, and about as reliable as IE (judging from the number of crashes I experience of each).
Most of these things don't require much work but will help a lot... but the most important thing is common sense... no email attachments, never install anything that "pops up" during browsing, keep your updates, antivirus signatures, spyware/malware signatures up to date and scan regularly.