Protect yourself on the Internet

Bruce Schneier, Security Guru said nothing you can do to protect yourself on the Internet!

He said the best barrier against security threats is prevention.

Security products are still ­important just like seatbelts to keep fatalities in automobiles low, he said.

Here, Schneier listed the things that home users can do to improve security:

1. Turn off the computer when you’re not using it, especially if you have an “always on” Internet connection.

2. Keep your laptop and PDA with you at all times when you go outside — treat it as you would a wallet or purse.

3. Back up data regularly.

4. Set up automatic updates so that you automatically receive ­security patches.

5. Limit the number of ­applications installed on your machine.

6. Limit the use of cookies and applets.

7. Keep in mind that Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption does not provide any assurance that the vendor is trustworthy or that its database of customer information is secure.

8. Think before you do business with a website. Limit the financial and personal data you send to it.

9. Never reuse a password for something you care about. It’s fine to have a single password for low-security sites, such as for newspaper archive access.

10. Assume that all PINs (personal identification numbers) can be ­easily broken and plan accordingly.

11. Never type a password for a service that you care about, such as a bank account, into a non-SSL encrypted page. If your bank makes it possible to do that, complain to them. When they tell you that it is OK, don’t believe them; they’re wrong.

12. Turn off HTML e-mail. Don’t automatically assume that any ­ e-mail is from the “From” address. Also delete spam without reading it.

13. Use either a combination or separate antivirus and antispyware software. Always update them.

14. Use personal firewall ­software. If you can, hide your IP address. There’s no reason to allow any incoming connections from anybody.

15. Install an e-mail and file encryptor. Encrypting all your e-mail or your entire hard drive is unrealistic, but some mail is too sensitive to send in the clear. Similarly, some files on your hard drive are too sensitive to leave unencrypted.

Schneider admits that none of the measures are foolproof.

But these precautions are all good network-hygiene measures, and they’ll make you a more difficult target than the computer next door.

And even if you only follow a few basic measures, you’re unlikely to face many problems.

Source: A silver lining in a gloomy outlook