Win.XP Home Security

[Grace McCormick]

My son and daughter-in-law are connected to the net
through a cable modem. I have recently connected to the
net through cable modem.
I have just had a very unpleasant weekend trying to
help my son repair a security breach in which two Trojans
and a virus had been downloaded by one of his children.
Do we need more firewall than the one provided by XP?
What security programs are recommended for Windows XP
Home Edition to allow more parental control?
My son had never taken any precautions with his
security system. I have used all security provided with
WinXP and set his secrity for him. Are we safe enough or
should we have more? We both use Norton Antivirus and
keep it updated.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Grace;
For most the Windows XP firewall is adequate.
The major differences are:
1. No reporting when something happens.
2. No control over outbound traffic.
Neither of those are issues to everyone.

If you have the firewall enabled and you update weekly Norton AV and
also run Norton AV at least weekly, you are doing OK.
However you still need to be careful what you download.
Although Norton and ICF are good, do not blindly depend on them.
That is somewhat like setting a safety on a gun and continually
pulling the trigger, it may just fail.

 

[Kent W. England [MVP]]

Most malware (viruses, trojans, worms) and most spyware (adware, browser
hijackers, searchbars, etc.) are installed by deliberate action. The
user usually has to click on something to get malware or spyware
installed.

Most viruses come through email attachments, since those are anonymous.
You can't even trust attachments from your friends, because some malware
sends itself on to addresses in the infected user's address book. You
shouldn't open any unsolicited attachments, even ones from your friends,
without an anti-virus scanner running in the background.

Most spyware is installed from web site download clicks. You must read
the User Agreement to understand whether the spyware will hijack your
home page or your search engine, and whether the software can be easily
uninstalled. Most spyware web sites have a URL found via the FAQ page to
tell you where you can download an uninstaller. Many spyware programs
have no included uninstaller.

Some spyware comes in bundles with other software. If you uninstall the
primary software, the spyware remains installed.

Some spyware will install itself when you visit the web site, if your
security settings are too lax. But these seem more rare.

Get Adaware and/or Spybot to remove installed spyware at:

Downloads - Support - Lavasoft:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/

SpybotSD - Download Spybot - Search & Destroy by PepiMK Software:
http://security.kolla.de/index.php?lang=en&page=download

SpywareGuard - Real-time protection against spyware.:
http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html

SpywareBlaster - Prevent spyware from ever being installed!:
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

 

[Guest]

I would strongly recommend getting a 'proper' firewall such as ZoneAlarm
(which is free!) or Norton Personal Firewall 2003. Both give you full
control of what your system can communicate and stop hacking attempts etc.
Using a combination of a firewall and upto date virus scanners, you can feel
safe in using your computer on th internet. I cannot recommend the Windows
XP firewall for people with anything better than a 56k modem because it does
not give you much control and can easily be bypassed.