ptalk > May 2004

Don't sass me!

If you are a Windows user, you should do yourself a favor and read this article. It is a very thorough article on how to secure your Windows computer against viruses and other ‘malware’:

Coping with Windows

If you have a broadband connection, either cable modem or DSL, the very first thing you should do, before you event think about turning on a new Windows computer and connecting it to the internet, is to buy a hardware firewall box, and put that between your computer and your broadband connection. This is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself. (Some people have estimated that it takes less than 90 seconds for a cracker to find a new machine on the net to exploit it.) It’s the first thing mentioned in the above article, and something that I’ve mentioned before:

Homelan(d) Security

Anyone who has a hardware firewall would not be affected by the Sasser worm (because it exploits a flaw that requires it talking directly to your PC — with the firewall in the middle, the worm can’t get through). Anyone who does not has probably already found out that they are in for a lot of trouble.