Desktop Security

Desktop Security … what is it?

It refers to anything that will keep prying eyes from viewing anything you don’t want them to. It’s not just about your "desktop", it’s about your whole computer. Encrypting or password protecting access to those files. Hiding them if need be. It can even go as far as by a keyboard that has credit card sliders in them, and actual fingerprint security to gain access to your computer after it falls asleep, or when you turn it on.

You can be sure as hard as you try to protect everything you want on your computer, there is someone out there trying just as hard to override whatever you do. Which is where viruses, keyloggers, and spyware come into play. The first step in protecting your computer, or desktop security, is to get excellent virus, spyware, keylogging protection. We recommend Zone Alarm or PCTools. Even better are these programs also have programs that will allow you protect your browser from attacks, programs to allow you protect your files via passwords or encryption. And if you use a macintosh, pctools has a free version for virus/spyware protection to protect your computer, and Apple has a program called File Vault built right into it’s operating system that will encrypt all your files, if need be, and a master password will be needed.

Now all those things help protect your computer from the outside, but what about an inside job, friends, neighbors, family, co-worker. How do you prevent them from using something like a keylogger on you. Here’s a simple trick. Internet explorer for Windows, and Safari for Mac have special encoding in them to stop all keyloggers from seeing what you type in password and https fields. As of today, Dec 7th, 2009, as far as I know, and have tested them multiple times, is Firefox does not prevent this.

But a keylogger shouldn’t be issue if you use proper desktop security like using passwords that are not your dog’s or children’s name. And, no, birthdays are not a good password. If the person can’t figure out your password that is the absolute greatest deterrent to most people. And as far as hackers go. If you use Force Field by Zone Alarm, hackers will have absolutely no way of getting to you through your browser. If you use Zone Alarm’s or PcTool’s firewall software hackers will have no way of getting to your computer through your ip address.

Desktop Security isn’t just about using desktop security software on your computer. If you use an airport, or wireless signal to access the internet, then you need to password protect your airport or wireless hub. All around me there are unprotected networks which I can just log on to. That gives me access to their network. From there I can cause all sorts of havoc if I knew how to! So password protect your network as well!