Ditch broadband/DSL for dial-up?

Would you consider ditching your always-connected broadband or DSL Internet connection for the slow and clunky dial-up connection? What an absurd question you might say. And yet, there seems to be a report on LA Times that seems to indicate that frustrated users are doing just that.

The people in the story say that spam, virsues and spy/adware are overwhelming them and their computers ability to deal with it. After trying to deal with it, they’ve resorted to either using the Internet less or moving to a solution where they can control when their computer is connected to the Internet.

It this really the solution to a growing problem? I don’t think so. These people need to be taught about the steps that can be taken to ensure that you and your computer are safe while being connected to the Internet. Broadband and DSL Internet connections provide a great service when used properly.

Spam control

1. Email addresses: The best way to deal with spam is to ensure that you only give out your personal email address to people you know and trust. Never use it for online shopping . If it is imperative that you give your email address out to a stranger on the Internet, then create a free account on mail services such as Hotmail, Yahoo, GMail and give it out.

   This allows you to abandon email addresses as they get overwhelmed by spam and other trash.

2. Email rules: Virtually all email clients such as Outlook Express and Thunderbird allow you to setup mail rules that will ensure that incoming messages are from expected sources. The rules can be setup to delete any messages coming from unexpected senders, or can be filtered on specific words.

   Different packages provide differing levels of rules control. But all of them provide enough capability to make it tough for spam to get into your inbox.

Viruses/Trojans
The most annoying and dangerous software are viruses and trojans that can attack and take over your computers. In the old days, these programs were written to eliminate the computer by either deleting files or making the operating system unable to run.Newage virus writers have realized that it’s better to make use of a computer they’ve just taken over by silently using it to do their work for them.

These compromised computers are called ‘zombies’. They don’t present any indication that they’re compromised but as long as they are connected to the Internet, the outside controller can use it to broadcast spam, other viruses, or hack into restricted websites. All the while, the information being broadcasted is that of the innocent victim.

1. Anti-Virus Software: Your best defense against these malicious programs is to use an anti-virus software available from Symantec, McAfee and others. These are commercial software but there are free ones available as well. Keep your virus definitions up-to-date and you should be safe.

Spy/Adware
The growing trend in the past 5 years has been the advent of spy and adware. These are small programs that accompany other larger programs and get installed quietly. Their purpose is varied from information gathering to malicious key tracking. Most versions of these programs are designed to watch your browsing/buying habits and report them to a master. This allows the master to either send you directed advertisement in pop-up ads or sell that information to others.

1. Cookies: These are small files created by your browser as you browse the web. Most of them hold non-personal information to make your visit of a website unique and memorable. There are however much more negative uses for these tiny files which can store nearly any information the web page creator wants them hold.

   The best defense against spying cookies is to ensure that your browser is setup to accept cookies only from trusted websites. Virtually all websites today use cookies these days and it is hard to differentiate between good ones and bad ones. It is just safe to completely disable the use of cookies to protect yourself entirely.

2. Cleanup software: As part of your weekly computer checkup, it is good to run a system scan with your anti-virus software. In addition, it is usually a good idea to run a spy/adware clean up scan as well. Programs such as AdAware from Lavasoft and Spybot Search and Destroy will scan your system for spy/adware cookies, programs and even Windows registry entries and allow you to delete them.

Pop-up Ads
Nothing is more annoying than browsing to a website and being inundated with pop-up ads. Every click brings a pop-up ad with it, eventually your whole desktop is filled with these annoying windows. The Google toolbar for Internet Explorer and the Firefox browser have support for pop-up blocking. Use these tools to ensure that the windows that show up are the ones you requested.

Firewall
The first line of defense is always the best defense. If you can prevent a direct attack on your computer you will save it from being infected by a variety of things that would require drastic actions.

Most new cable and DSL routers come with a built-in firewall. This hardware firewall ensures that no malicious attack can take place against your computer because it isn’t physically connected to the Internet. Not connected but connected.

Confused? Let me explain.

A lot of people talk about IP (Internet Protocol) addresses without knowing or caring what they are and how they work. Every computer that is connected to the Internet has a unique IP address that allows access to it. This is very similar to your mailing address, there maybe similarities between your mailing address and someone elses, but there are enough unique attributes to ensure that mail that is meant for you gets delivered to your home.

When you connect your computer to the Internet through a cable or DSL modem, you get an IP address that your computer will use to communicate with other computers. This means that others can directly communicate with your computer and attack it. Putting a firewall in between your computer and the cable/DSL-modem means that your firewall gets an IP address valid for Internet usage and gives your computer an IP address valid only for internal usage.

Noone on the Internet knows what your computers IP address is and thus cannot attack you. But you can contact computers on the Internet using your firewalls IP address and get the responses without any interruption.

Take these few steps and you can keep your computer, information and yourself safe from whatever may roam the Internet.

Cheers

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