Feb 21, 2000 - 08:12 PM

How to Protect Your Home Computer From Hackers

By Peter Svensson
The Associated Press

Here is how to protect home computers running Microsoft Windows 95 or 98 from hackers and other snoopers on the Internet:

- Turn off the option that lets others look at your files and use your printer. To do so, click the Windows "start" button, go to "settings" and select the "control panel." In the control panel window, double-click the "network" icon. In the network window, click on the "file and print sharing" button, and uncheck the two checkboxes in the new window.

- For additional protection, get a "firewall," a program that monitors your computer's connection to the Internet. Security expert Steve Gibson of Gibson Research Corp., in Laguna Hills, Calif., recommends ZoneAlarm, which can be downloaded for free from Zone Labs Inc. at www.zonelabs.com. Another option is Symantec Corp.'s Norton Internet Security 2000, which sells for $50 to $60. Information can be found at www.symantec.com.

You can test how secure your computer is at Gibson Research's Web site, www.grc.com.

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Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), February 21, 2000

Answers

zone alarm is only for DSL or cable modem connections, correct?

-- lou (lanny1@ix.netcom.com), February 21, 2000.

Thank you for the tip regarding the WWW.GRC.COM web site. It has the best explaination I've seen yet as to how the various network protocols interact, and how it is possible to have a secure internet connection (even cable, DSL, etc.) without paying for a "personal firewall."

A lot of people could save a lot of money if this information was more widely disseminated.

-- E.H. Porter (just@wondering.about it), February 21, 2000.

Lou,

I'm using ZoneAlarm on Windows 95 and Windows 2000 (beta) with a normal modem connection.

-- Dean -- from (almost) Duh Moyn (dtmiller@midiowa.net), February 21, 2000.

Is this primarily a problem for windows machines? Or are Macs also vulnerable?

Thanks.

-- winter wondering (winterwondring@yahoo.com), February 22, 2000.