This page is really 'off-topic' as far as the bigger picture of the Northumbria Community website is concerned. But experience shows me that a large proportion of people who use the internet regularly have little or no understanding of the security issues involved. This is a bit like visiting a dangerous foreign country and going for an innocent walk in the most dangerous part of town at night - because you didn't know the basic ways to keep yourself safe. I'd like to think that we can do our bit to help our friends, by raising that awareness...

These comments relate specifically to PC's running Windows operating systems. If you are a Mac owner, you don't need me to tell you that you can move on with a smug and confident feeling, because you will already know that.

The subject of computer security is way beyond the scope of this site, and I’m not really qualified to speak authoritatively anyway - although that doesn’t usually stop me speaking… but there are one or two basic issues which you should be aware of. Here goes:

Whenever you connect to the Internet, your computer is open to external attacks by hackers. You are only ‘at risk’ whilst you are connected – which for most people is not all the time, although those with a broadband connection are indeed permanently connected.

Windows is notoriously very insecure by default, which means that the clever Microsoft people didn’t really care much for security issues when they developed it. Perhaps they assumed that the world was full of the sort of people who are part of the Northumbria Community. Anyway, it isn’t – and some of these hackers have learned how to compromise your computer, and can ‘come in’ to have a look around. If they find something interesting, they’ll steal it, or use it. The thing to be most concerned about for most of us I suppose, is our financial details such as Account numbers and Credit Card details. They don’t usually want to steal these in order to pay off your balance…. but they can also lift things like log-in details, or even 'hijack' your computer to turn it into a spam server.

There is a very simple and inexpensive solution, which will simply eradicate this risk, and that is to install a ‘firewall’ on your computer. Everyone must do it, and the reason most people don’t is because they don’t know. But now you do.

Windows XP, the latest version of the Operating System, has a firewall built in. Microsoft finally got bullied into including one as part of the system, and it is OK but not brilliant. If you're running XP, you need to manually turn it on, because it's not on by default. The best firewall (not that I’ve tested them all myself, you understand) seems to be ZoneAlarm, and there is a free version available here. (You need to look carefully for the free version, it's almost hidden behind the attempts to sell you the 'Pro' and 'Plus' versions. The freebie is fine for most people)

Firewalls have the effect of actually making your computer appear invisible, so a hacker’s tools don’t even see your computer. That's cool.

If you install a firewall, you usually have to spend a few minutes telling it how you want it to behave, then it works quietly in the background all the time. Occasionally it might ask you a question, if some program tries to access the Internet, but it’s no hassle really.

If you’re interested in this whole security issue, have a look at the Gibson Research Corporation’s website. And remember, just because I’m paranoid, that doesn’t mean they’re not out to get me… be sure to come back here if you nip off to the grc site! While you're there, you could go to the 'hotspots' section and run the ShieldsUp! test on your computer. It's very revealing...

On a similar, related theme, I just want to check that you are also running effective virus protection software on your computer, and that you update the virus definition files at least once a week - more if you’re diligent. You are, aren’t you? If you’re not, you’re effectively swimming in contaminated water, and the only thing you can be absolutely sure of is that eventually you will catch something. When that happens, you will wish with all your heart that you had been running effective virus protection software on your computer, and that you had updated the virus definition files at least once a week.