Just a quick security checklist for all small business offices and office computers…
- A hardware firewall (router) protecting all business computers – can be upgraded to a SMB security device for larger offices
- Encrypted Wi-Fi Network
- Employee Training
- Don’t download or install software
- Limit use of USB drives
- Don’t divulge passwords
The following should be on all business computers…
- Secure Profile Login
- Security Suite
- Should cover all types of malware and optionally include secure web browsing (software checks for known malware sites)
- Subscription valid and virus database updated daily
- Full computer scan at least weekly
- Updated Software
- A good tool for this is Secunia (http://secunia.com/)
- Data Backup System
The following should also be on all business laptops and smartphones although they can also be on office computers if susceptible to theft…
- File Encryption – like TrueCrypt (http://www.truecrypt.org/)
- Password Software protecting all passwords with a master password – like LastPass (http://lastpass.com) or RoboForm (http://www.roboform.com/)
- Optional: LoJack (http://www.absolute.com/en/lojackforlaptops/) or other tracking software
- Optional: BIOS password
This is just a minimum. There are other options like disabling USB ports on employee computers, restricting employees to Limited User accounts, restricting Internet access, requiring re-login to Windows after a screensaver kicks in, etc.
How does your business stack up?.
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Computers don’t feel pain. At least, up until now. Trust me, I’ve done things to my computer that defy the Geneva Conventions and while acting surly for a week or so, it didn’t show any evidence of real pain.
But, a group of researchers at Florida Tech is exploring ways to have future computers experience pain.
The problem, according to Richard Ford, a computer science professor and head of the research team, it that computers, for all their computing ability, are essentially dumb.
“Computers are brittle,” Ford said. “Your computer will screw up in the same way every single time. It doesn’t learn. It doesn’t adapt. If there is a (string of code) that’s messed up in your computer, it’s going to crash in the same place every time. It’s all just ones and zeros at the end of the day.”
So he’s started looking at ways to teach a computer to feel pain so it can determine there’s a problem and heal itself, much like humans use fevers and antibodies to overcome infections.
The idea is to model the human immune system in computers – to become aware of an attack, overcome the attacker, repair the damage, and be immune from the same future malware attack, all without external assistance.
Estimated time to mass production? 10 – 15 years.
Further Reading:
Machine, Heal Thyself.
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Microsoft has just come out with a free computer troubleshooter at their FixIt Center. It’s still in beta mode but I gave it a whirl. The video below is a quick demo of the PC troubleshooter…
It works on the following Operating Systems:
- Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
- Windows XP Pro (64-bit) Service Pack 2 (SP2)
- Windows Vista, Windows 7
- Windows Server 2003 SP2
- Windows Server 2008
- Windows Server 2008 R2
The tool is fairly limited right now but we’ll see if they expand it in the future.
Two other resources I’ve found for solving computer problems are:
The Windows Secrets Lounge. This is a forum dealing with Windows covering the last 10 years. They’ve just modernized it so it can be spidered by the search engines but there’s still unindexed stuff you can find by searching the forum directly.
Another option if your system is all screwed up and you don’t want to have to reformat and reinstall Windows is called Reimage.
You download and run it on your Windows computer and it ‘refurbishes’ your operating system without having to reinstall all of your data and software.
It used to just work on XP computers but now works on Vista and Windows 7 as well. We’ve used it on several client’s computers and it works like a charm, especially after a virus infection.
It’s less than $50 for one key (good indefinitely on that one computer) or less than $70 for three keys. You can also create a boot CD with Reimage on it for computers that won’t load Windows at all..
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A client recently bought a computer off the shelf loaded with a Windows 7 64 bit OS. Why? That’s just the way it came. Later he asked us if that was the right decision.
We are in a transition period from 32 bit to 64 bit systems. As with any transition there are disadvantages for the early adopters of the newer technology. First came 64 bit processors, then 64 bit operating systems, then other 64 bit software to take advantage of the new processors.
The main disadvantage of 32 bit systems is the limitation on RAM. 32 bit computers are limited to using 4 GB of physical RAM with 3 to 3.4 GB available to you, the user. It sounds like a lot of RAM, and it is, unless you are working with large files as in video editing or major scientific work. But hell, watching a DVD on your computer can have a 4 GB file.
The advantage of 32 bit is that it’s accepted technology – everything works. Continue reading .
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Using the autocomplete function in Internet Explorer to save user names and passwords or having Firefox remember passwords for sites is not a secure method of storing passwords.
I was recently checking out a handy little utility program called System Information for Windows when I clicked on an icon called ‘Secrets’ and BAM! there were all of my user names and passwords that were stored in my Firefox browser.
Eeek! I did a little research and found free utilities that can access your Firefox and Internet Explorer saved passwords – a potential security hole a mile wide. The video below shows the problem and what to do about it.
The solution for Firefox passwords can be adding a master password that you enter each time Firefox starts and you go to a page that needs your user name and password. It stays in effect until you close Firefox.
There’s no remedy for Internet Explorer other than to disable autocomplete. While the passwords are encrypted, all you need is to be logged into your Windows profile to access the passwords.
The video also shows how to turn autocomplete on and turn autocomplete off in IE and to clear your autocomplete file.
One solution discussed is RoboForm. It cost $29.95 but may be worth it. It sits in your browsers and stores encrypted passwords, name, address, etc. for use as needed.
If anyone out there has another solution please comment below..
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With the new technologies coming online such as OLED flexible screens, designers are putting that technology to use in some strange and wonderful ways.
I haven’t been able to get any information on the Rolltop laptop like a production date, etc. but it provides food for thought.
It’s like the Amazon Kindle book reader. All it does is let you read books. Where’s the portable tablet that will let you read books, watch movies and listen to MP3′s through an online subscription?
Steve Jobs, we need you. On second thought, if Apple came out with one it would be very expensive and you would have to send it in every year to replace the battery..
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