Freelance Technology: Computer security

Staying safe & protecting your data

If Hollywood sensationalism is to be believed, then every man and his dog are advanced cyber-terrorists who want nothing more than to drain your bank account, max your credit card, and maybe initiate nuclear war with an unspecified superpower. The truth is that the world of computers isn’t actually as dangerous as many people think, as long as you take a few simple precautions against potential threats.

Today I’d like to talk about a few simple precautions that you can take against viruses, theft and data loss, and hopefully being armed with this knowledge will allow you to sleep a little easier at night.

Let’s start with the very basics of securing your computer…

Antivirus software

Apple users, please feel free to skip the next two paragraphs and use the time to sit there grinning smugly to yourselves, but for us Windows natives, this is a topic that simply must be addressed. Unfortunately, the due to the nature of Microsoft’s operating system, keeping Windows patched up and secure is a never-ending task, but one which must be done nonetheless. There are plenty of options when it comes to antivirus protection, but just like every other profitable industry, some companies’ claims can be misleading. The truth is that there is no perfect answer to the problem of antivirus protection, but since I haven’t suffered from a virus since the turn of the century, let me share my secret with you.

Quite simply, the best anti-virus that I have come across is AVG. The fact is that AVG simply does the job, without any fuss. Whereas many anti-virus suites like to keep you informed over their every action by means of pop-ups audible alerts, which is both annoying and counteractive to productivity, AVG just sits happily in the background, just doing its job brilliantly without interrupting your day. It is a comprehensive package that stays constantly vigilant to the presence of viruses and spyware, with a number of helpful tools for further maintenance, but I generally find that simply by installing and forgetting about it, I never have a problem. The best bit? It’s free, for the basic package at least. I have never found any need to upgrade to the paid version, as the free version does such a sterling job of keeping my computer safe. Just to clarify, the free edition is a fully functional system; not a demo, and it’s not going to expire at any point. AVG make a large bulk of their money by selling large scale antivirus solutions to massive corporate networks, so out of the kindness of their hearts they have been offering a simple, free version of their system to the general public. My advice – download AVG Free Edition today, but remember to uninstall your old antivirus first. Take a look at the benefits of the paid version, and if you like what you see then spend the money, you won’t regret it.

OK Mac users, now that you’re back with us, I’m afraid I have some rather unsettling news for you, as I’d like to now cover an area which affects yourselves as much as the rest of us.

Theft

Being the victim of theft is never a pleasant experience, but it is made all the more traumatic when the item being stolen contains all your recent work, your passwords, and a multitude of other sensitive personal information. As an incredible number of people now use laptops as their primary computer, particularly in the world of travelling freelancers, keeping your system safe is a number one priority. The bulk of laptop theft can be avoided with a bit of common sense and a sense of vigilance, but there are other ways of ensuring the security of your hardware and the data contained within. The main thing you need to be aware of is the Kensington lock, a hardened steel cable that allows you to anchor your laptop or desktop to a secure point, much like a bike lock. Retailing for around £25, this is an invaluable tool for anyone who needs to lock down their property whilst in public. Practically every laptop in existence as well as a large number of desktop systems (and even the Xbox 360, as I discovered recently), has a small oval slot somewhere on the chassis, into which the business end of the lock can be attached, meaning that a potential thief would have to destroy a large portion of the computer in order to remove it. The employment of a Kensington lock could save you an incredible amount of trouble, time, work and money, so pick one up.

Protecting you data

Suppose that for some reason beyond your control that your laptop fell in to the wrong hands. What could happen next? Well, if you’ve saved all your passwords into a text document, as well as having saved all of your passwords in your web browser, then the outcome could be devastating. The moral of the story? Don’t leave sensitive information for a thief to find. This is common sense to most, but it bears repeating. Although I enjoy the luxury of saved passwords in Firefox on my desktop, I simply tolerate the need to type my passwords in manually when I am on the move. While genuine, bona fide malicious hackers are rarer than gold dust, pretty much anybody can get into your accounts if you give them the passwords.

On the topic of passwords, I have taken one particularly effective security measure to protect myself that I’d recommend you consider applying to your own computer: The majority of computer systems have a front-line security system hard-coded into the hardware itself, which you can activate on your own machine very easily. You know the mish-mash of text and numbers that flashes up as your computer boots up? That’s called the BIOS, and it is the process that the system runs in order to properly establish control over the hardware present. Most people don’t want or need to know much else about it, but there is a feature present in the BIOS that may save your bacon if your computer was ever stolen – most have a security password option that can block unauthorised users from even getting as far as the operating system, and it’s particularly tricky to bypass. To activate BIOS password protection, keep your eyes open as the system boots. You should see a message suggesting to press a key, usually ‘delete’ or one of the function keys, in order to enter set-up. Once in the BIOS setup, typically a rather antiquated blue menu screen, have a look around for an option to set a password and follow the instructions given. This is a pretty serious piece of protection, and is, in my opinion, a great deal more secure than a Windows password. While I can break into any Windows password protected system in under 5 minutes, the presence of a BIOS password would have me scratching my head for significantly longer, as it would the average laptop thief.

Now, despite having denounced the Windows password system, it does still have its uses. It is particularly useful if, like me, you like to work in public places frequently. Thanks to my time as a cocktail barman I enjoy the privilege of a lifetime free coffee pass at a popular local bar/restaurant, so spend a lot of my time writing and researching with a latte on the table. As pleasant as this may be, it does leave my computer vulnerable to prying eyes if I need to take a phone call outside, or nature calls. For these moments, having a windows password activated gives me a convenient screen lock that isn’t too easily defeated in the short time I am away from my machine. Set a password in Windows through the User Accounts part of the Control Panel.

Jim’s handy tip of the day: pressing the Windows key and ‘L’ at the same time instantly locks the desktop. Try it.

Backups

Hopefully some of you may have read my previous article on backing up your system with Norton Ghost. For those that haven’t, I’d recommend taking a look at it at some point very soon, as it is one of the most critical things that you can do to ensure the security and integrity of your system. For those of you that don’t know, Ghost effectively takes a snapshot of your hard drive which can be reloaded at any point. This is best performed on a fresh installation of Windows, and can be used as a great security measure from then on. Given that Windows has the unfortunate habit of picking up weird little bugs and glitches during normal day to day use, as well as saving an inordinate amount of sensitive personal information about you over time, I like to perform a full system wipe every couple of weeks or so. To perform this kind of operation by manually installing Windows, configuring it and installing every piece of software manually is a hellish task that I wouldn’t wish on anybody (though I seem to do this for friends on an all too often basis…), so read up on Norton Ghost and see how you can set up your system to be easily cleaned regularly. This has the double benefit of keeping your system quick on its toes as well as wiping any personal information that may cause you trouble if it fell in to the wrong hands.

Finally, a point which has been made time and time again, but will always bear repeating; Backup, backup, backup. As well as backing up your system, you need to make sure that your data is also safe. Norton Ghost can also be used to backup data drives to an external location such as an external hard drive or USB key – see my review of the Kingston 64Gb DataTraveller for a compact storage solution that packs enough capacity for data backup. Losing a week’s worth of work is a nightmare, but losing 6 months’ worth is a potential career-ender. Don’t let it happen to you. Keep your data backed up anywhere you can.

Given my intense dislike for the climate of fear generated by sensationalist news headlines and unrealistic Hollywood dross, I don’t want to leave you with the feeling that ‘they’ are out to get you. They probably aren’t. The truth is that 99.99% of people have no intention of stealing your laptop and using your personal information against you, but when you hold your career on your computer then it’s time to think about that 0.01%, and protect against them. My point is that whilst the world is a far safer place than many people think, a bit of common sense can go a long way towards making it even safer for you AND your career.

If anyone has any further questions regarding security, please feel free to leave a comment and I’ll endeavour to answer every one personally.

By Jim Hatley

Image by Pieter Musterd