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Chicken Little Entrepreneurs
Chicken Little is hurrying Umbrella 'neath her wing. She thinks the sky is falling fast So goes to tell the King. But, after she has spread the news And all is told and said The good old King just laughs at her And sends her home...
Introduction to Dedicated Servers
A dedicated server is a single computer on a web-hosting network that is leased or rented, and dedicated to just one customer. A service provider monitors the computer’s hardware, network connectivity, and routing equipment, while the customer...
The Economics of Spam
Tennessee resident K. C. "Khan" Smith owes the internet service provider EarthLink $24 million. According to the CNN, last August he was slapped with a lawsuit accusing him of violating federal and state Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt...
The Seven Deadly Habits of a DBA... and how to cure them
Calling widespread bad habits in database administration "deadly" may seem extreme. However, when you consider the critical nature of most data, and just how damaging data loss or corruption can be to a corporation, "deadly" seems pretty dead-on. ...
What Is VSAT Broadband?
VSAT broadband is similar to cable and DSL services for your computer. It is Internet service through a satellite dish that is placed on your home or business. It is another option for a high-speed Internet connection that is considered to be one of...
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Worms, Horses, Bugs and Thugs
Worms, Horses, Bugs and Thugs by John Geiger
"A determined hacker is hard to stop. But those malevolent crackers would rather walk through an open door than pick a lock" writes Michael Fitzgerald of Extreme Tech.
With all of the viruses, worms, trojan horses, and other new phenomenon called by old words running rampant, how do we provide a little peace of mind for ourselves and our workplaces? Like locking our house, stopping the mail, or adding a security system to our home or automobile, there are some simple things we can do to make it less attractive or at least less obvious to be the next target of these malicious acts. Most of the following preventative measures are free or of little monetary expense and simple to implement, but can prevent immense cost.
If you have the time or inclination to read only this far, take note of the one preventative measure that probably has better payoff than all the others combined, and that is to not open e-mail attachments (especially any ending in .exe) unless you are absolutely positive they are safe. Positive in this case means more than recognizing the first name of the sender, or a familiar subject line. A telephone call e-mail to the sender (if the message is not expected), or use of other simple measures to double-check not only the authenticity, but freedom of contamination is just prudent. If you established the initial communication (say to a reputed software vender for download) you are much safer than if something comes unsolicited from the other end. It is not worth taking chances just for curiosity's sake.
Next on the importance scale is to make sure you have some sort of virus protection software installed on each computer. There are two major providers of such software, as well as several smaller. The majors (McAfee and Symantec's Norton) and both are comparable in price, features and usability. They can be purchased at your local retailer, or even downloaded from the internet and then updated via
download forever after. I have copies of both, being used on separate computers and although there are minor differences in user interface, they both are highly rated and effective. It is important to update the software frequently and each provides a recommended frequency and procedures. Most versions provide a setting that will automatically download updates as they are available and that is quite frequently. It doesn't get much simpler than that.
The two steps above are the biggies for software related gremlins, but there are the human variety as well, who take pleasure in snooping around your hard-drive, or even commandeering your PC and invisibly using it to transmit, infect, or otherwise interfere with other computers and/or the network as a whole. Two important steps will go far in protecting you.
First of all make sure you have a firewall installed. There are hardware versions (built in to modem, router, or separate box) and there are software versions available. If you connect via broadband (DSL, Cable, T1, etc.) you may be wide open to attack 24/7. Your ISP can most likely provide this as a service as well so check with them before buying anything else.
Second, periodically check for updates available for both your operating system, and your browser. Microsoft has a free service available to provide these update patches via automatic notification. One important point to note: Microsoft (maker of over 80% of all PC operating systems) will never provide software patches via e-mail, so if you see that as an offer (remember unsolicited above), it is a hoax.
Be smart; be safe and you will sleep better at night.
About the Author
John Geiger owns and operates the local affiliate of WSI Internet Consulting and Education, a Toronto based global network of consultants, developers and production centers providing turn-key internet business solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises. He can be reached at 828-320-5929 or www.webmasters-wsi.com
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Tom's Hardware |
: Tom's Hardware Guide is the Internet's premiere resource for hardware news and reviews. |
www.tomshardware.com |
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HardwareCentral - Your source for in-depth computer hardware info. |
HardwareCentral is the #1 Hardware Information Resource on the 'Net. Featuring over 600 pages of Hardware information, including advice on System ... |
www.hardwarecentral.com |
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Apple - Hardware |
Find your favorite Mac, iPod and other Apple accessories. |
www.apple.com |
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Ace Hardware |
Nationwide (United States) hardware and home improvement retailer. Includes products, dealer locator and corporate information. |
www.acehardware.com |
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Computer hardware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
The hardware of a computer is infrequently changed, in comparison with software and ... Personal computers, the computer hardware familiar to most people, ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Hardware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Hardware is the general term that is used to describe physical artifacts of a technology. ... In a looser sense, hardware can be major military equipment, ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Open Directory - Computers: Hardware |
Hardware Central - Computing-centric community providing vital information, support, tools and interaction facilities for power computer users and ... |
dmoz.org |
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Microsoft Hardware – Home Page |
Learn about Microsoft mice, keyboards, desktop sets, webcams, media center peripherals, gaming products, fingerprint readers and presentation tools. |
www.microsoft.com |
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AnandTech: your source for hardware analysis and news |
Independent hands-on reviews of computer hardware such as motherboards, graphic cards, and CPUs. |
www.anandtech.com |
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hardware.com - Routers, switches, firewalls, servers, memory ... |
Supplier of new and refurbished networking hardware and approved and compatible network accessories. Located in the United Kingdom. |
www.hardware.com |
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Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters |
From the article: "Although the news caused barely a ripple of reaction in the audience of software and hardware engineers, there are industry analysts who ... |
hardware.slashdot.org |
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InformationWeek HardwareTech Center |
Our hardware coverage ranges from mobile computers and PDAs to servers and supercomputers, and the infrastructure issues enterprises deal with every day. ... |
www.informationweek.com |
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What is hardware? - A Word Definition From the Webopedia Computer ... |
This page describes the term hardware and lists other pages on the Web where you can find additional information. |
www.webopedia.com |
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Google Directory - Computers > Hardware |
Hardware Central - http://www.hardwarecentral.com/ Computing-centric community providing vital information, support, tools and interaction facilities for ... |
www.google.com |
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Gifts: Unique Gifts & Gift Ideas at Restoration Hardware |
At Restoration Hardware, you'll explore an exceptional world of high quality unique gifts. Browse our products to find gift ideas & more at Restoration ... |
www.restorationhardware.com |
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HwB: The Hardware Book |
HwB provides you with circuits, pinouts, cable/adapter descriptions and other technical information. |
www.hardwarebook.net |
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Reg Hardware: Product News and Gadget Reviews from The Register |
More Gadgets Stuff. 5th December 2006 12:09 GMT. Author: Reg Hardware ... 27th November 2006 15:31 GMT. Author: The Hardware Widow ... |
www.reghardware.co.uk |
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red hat hardware compatibility lists |
hardware.redhat.com/ - Similar pages |
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TrueValue.com |
Here's our tip to hang strands of lights with ease. Jeanenne & Jim Tucker Plantation True Value Hardware Richmond, TX ... |
www.truevalue.com |
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A complete illustrated Guide to the PC Hardware |
A complete illustrated Guide to the PC Hardware, Logic and Architecture. 500 easy-read articles about the modern PC. Understand the basic architecture of ... |
www.karbosguide.com |
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