Tuesday, July 19, 2005
The buzz about security these days is all about the Internet. Everyone is worried about all the nefarious programs that can be delivered right to your system via the Internet. Problem is, the Internet is not your biggest security problem. The biggest threat you face is to your local machine -- security issues would exist even if you unplugged the network cable that leads to the Internet.
This is not to say that you shouldn't pay attention to Internet-related security; you should. You just need to be aware that if you don't make your system secure from non-Internet-related threats, you're missing the most likely source of security problems.
Consider these, as examples:
Data loss. You have hundreds, if not thousands, of hours invested in the data on your system. The old adage is true: Time is money. So the time you spend amassing your data represents a huge investment. Losing data is a huge security risk. If you run a small business and lose your data, your business could be severely damaged.
The more your investment is worth, the more important it is to back up data. Minimize the chances of damage by periodically doing backups.
Data recovery. When you delete information from your hard drive, Windows marks as free the hard drive locations previously occupied by the data. This means the locations are once again available to store information. Notice that Windows only marks the locations as available; it doesn't actually delete data. That's right -- the data previously stored on the hard drive is still there, until it's overwritten by new data. With the right tools, the data in these deleted locations can even be recovered and viewed.
The accessibility poses a security threat if someone starts using your system. To avoid this problem, many disk utilities include programs that completely erase data by overwriting it with new data and then deleting it. System Mechanic includes a program called Drive Scrubber, and McAfee's QuickClean includes a program called Digital Shredder. Either program -- or their counterparts from other system utilities -- helps ensure the security of deleted data.
If you give your system away or sell it to someone else, they can use software to access your deleted data. Make sure you use a secure deletion program like Drive Scrubber or Digital Shredder to remove all traces of your data before the old system leaves your hands.
This is not to say that you shouldn't pay attention to Internet-related security; you should. You just need to be aware that if you don't make your system secure from non-Internet-related threats, you're missing the most likely source of security problems.
Consider these, as examples:
Data loss. You have hundreds, if not thousands, of hours invested in the data on your system. The old adage is true: Time is money. So the time you spend amassing your data represents a huge investment. Losing data is a huge security risk. If you run a small business and lose your data, your business could be severely damaged.
The more your investment is worth, the more important it is to back up data. Minimize the chances of damage by periodically doing backups.
Data recovery. When you delete information from your hard drive, Windows marks as free the hard drive locations previously occupied by the data. This means the locations are once again available to store information. Notice that Windows only marks the locations as available; it doesn't actually delete data. That's right -- the data previously stored on the hard drive is still there, until it's overwritten by new data. With the right tools, the data in these deleted locations can even be recovered and viewed.
The accessibility poses a security threat if someone starts using your system. To avoid this problem, many disk utilities include programs that completely erase data by overwriting it with new data and then deleting it. System Mechanic includes a program called Drive Scrubber, and McAfee's QuickClean includes a program called Digital Shredder. Either program -- or their counterparts from other system utilities -- helps ensure the security of deleted data.
If you give your system away or sell it to someone else, they can use software to access your deleted data. Make sure you use a secure deletion program like Drive Scrubber or Digital Shredder to remove all traces of your data before the old system leaves your hands.
