Security
Concerns for Broadband Users
Why would a
hacker be interested in my home computer?
"I don't keep anything on my hard
drive that could be of any possible value to anybody
else," many of us wonder, "so why would I be a
target?" You might be surprised. Hackers find home
computers, especially those with DSL or cable connections
to the Internet, very appealing. If you are a broadband
user, your computer is more susceptible to hacker attacks
because you have an "always-on" connection to
the Internet. Hackers can be dangerous to you for several
reasons:
- Many hackers don't want your personal
data so much as they're looking to hide behind your
computer and use it to attack others without your
knowledge.
- Your computer stores more information
than you may realize - information that's potentially
very useful to someone out to steal your money or your
identity; and
- A home computer is much easier to
break into than a heavily-fortified, secure corporate
site.
Hackers like to hide behind home
computers with broadband connections
Home users with high-speed Internet connection are
attractive to hackers because they can use port scans to
see that you're online, so they can take over your
computer. If you have a broadband (i.e., high-speed DSL or
cable) connection, you're more susceptible to hacking than
people with dial-up modems. Why? Because personal
computers with broadband are connected to the Internet any
time the computer is on; and because their connection is
ultra-fast, hackers find it more fun and efficient to use
them for disruptive purposes than a (usually much slower)
dial-up modem.
Hackers routinely scan IP addresses for
open ports. Essentially, ports are doors that an
application goes through to communicate through the
Internet, so when hackers run a port scan they're looking
for ports that are open. They can see that there's a live
computer at a certain IP address. And while dial-ups often
connect using different IP addresses, your broadband IP
address is more likely to be static, which makes it easier
for a hacker to find you.
A hacker could install an application
onto your system without your knowing it, so that any time
you're on line the application goes through your Internet
connection and calls out to say, "I'm open, I'm
available, come and use me."
Use me for what? Hackers may not want
your data so much as they may want to hide behind your
computer and use it to attack other computers. So, without
your being aware of it, you could be helping a hacker do a
lot of malicious mischief.
You may have more on your computer
than you think you do
"I just use my computer for email and research and
connecting to the Internet," many users say, or,
"I don't have enough money in my checking account to
make it worth anybody's time or energy to steal it."
But to hackers, that's not necessarily the point. They're
not targeting your computer specifically, they're looking
for any machine with an open port. And broadband
connections mean that whenever your computer is turned on,
even if you haven't opened your browser to access the
Internet, you're vulnerable to attack.
If you do online banking, trade stocks,
or buy anything over the Internet, you're a potential
target, even if you're just surfing. Do you use financial
software such as Quicken or Money? Then your private
financial information is on your hard drive. Even if you
don't shop or bank via the Internet, you probably keep a
copy of your resume on your computer.
Your resume would, in a one-page
document (probably and conveniently named
"resume" on your desktop), give a hacker almost
all of your personal data: where you work, your address
and phone numbers, previous employers, where you went to
school. And that information is potentially very valuable
to any hacker interested in identity theft - because that
hacker could find your credit card and social security
numbers and, pretending to be you, order just about
anything over the Internet.
Home computers are easier to hack
If you think about it, the Internet is just a giant
network of connected computers. So when you log on, you've
essentially made your system open to anybody else who's
online - and some of those people do not have your best
interests at heart.
"Yes, but," you might say,
"hackers should be going after big corporations
because they have tons of money and millions of customers
in their data base." Right. And most of these major
corporations also have full-time IT staff who put in place
all kinds of security measures - firewalls and anti-virus
programs and such. Imagine yourself as a burglar. Would
you rather rob a well-guarded bank, with bars and locks
and safes, or instead would you hit a house that has open
windows and doors and no alarm system? Why break into
something that's heavily-fortified and secure, when you
could easily target a wide-open home where the owner may
not in fact be aware of his or her vulnerability and may
never discover the break-in so you can go back in any time
you want to? Don't make it easy for an intruder to find
your home computer. A smart user will take steps to
discourage hackers by installing a personal firewall.
You safeguard your home by locking your
doors, so why not make your home computer more secure as
well? Use Norton
Personal Firewall
to keep your PC safe in
an online world. It protects you from hackers trying to
scan your personal files, steal data, or damage your
system. Norton
Personal Firewall,
Norton
Antivirus 2003, and other
indispensable Internet tools are available together as Norton
Internet Security, your comprehensive online security
suite for protection against hackers, viruses and privacy
threats.
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