Table of Contents: 1: Viruses: Attack of the malicious programs
Viruses made home computer users realize its not just big corporations
that are being attacked. The threat is at home too. A tiny piece of
programming on a personal computer can cause devastating problems. A
few common sense strategies can be used to defend against them once and
for all. - What is a virus?
- Types of viruses and how they work.
- What damage they can do
- What you can do right now to stop them
- What you can do this weekend
2: Spyware: Overrun by advertisers, hijackers and opportunists
Spyware is a term coined by security expert Steve Gibson. It’s a family
of programs that watch people’s behavior, exploit that information and
steal control from a computer. Spyware includes homepage hijackers, ad
programs and Trojans that open back doors for hackers to sneak into a
computer. Getting rid of spyware can be tricky, but once you have the
knowhow it’s easy. - What spyware is
- Types of spyware and how they work
- What damage they can do
- What you can do right now to stop them
- What you can do this weekend
3: Hackers: There’s a man in my machine
Hackers vary from data thieves to joy-riding kids. They use a variety
of techniques to get into a computer and either use its resources for
their own purposes or steal personal information, like bank account
data. You can shut them out with a few simple tools. - What a hacker can do
- How they do it
- What damage they can do
- What you can do right now to stop them
- What you can do this weekend
4: Identity Thieves & Phishers: Protect your good name and bank account
Phishing is a growing cyber crime used in identity theft. In email
phishers pretend to be your bank and ask for your personal info on a
redirected home page. They also appear in the guise of Nigerian princes
appealing for your help to extract millions from a Swiss bank account.
They are easy to spot if you know how.
- What is an identity thief
- Phishers: Identity theft on your computer
- Pharming: Redirected on the Net
- What they can steal
- What you can do right now to stop them
- What you can do this weekend
5: Spam: Unwanted e-mail from Hell
Email has been ruined for some by spam, a term used for junk email that
came from a Monty Python skit. Spam can be a plague in your inbox, but
there lots of ways to fight back and reduce the deluge to a trickle. - What is spam
- Who are the spammers
- Damage they can do
- What you can do right now to stop it
- What you can do this weekend
6: Wireless Network Snoops: Lock down your Wi-Fi network
Home networks are a huge trend in home technology, but installation
without some careful adjustments can roll out the wireless welcome mat
to anyone who wanders by your door. A few quick fixes can shut them out. - What is a wireless home network
- What is a wireless war driver
- Damage that can be done from the curb
- What you can do right now to stop it
- What you can do this weekend
7: Privacy Snoops: Cover your tracks and your reputation
Anyone inside your home can find out what you have been doing on your
personal computer. Your behavior is tracked in key places on your
computer. It’s easy to cover your tracks and your privacy if you know
where to look and what to do. - Who are the snoopers
- What info they can see on your computer
- What you can do right now to stop them
- What you can do this weekend
8: Let’s smash proof Windows! – How to tweak Windows XP nice and tight
There’s a high probability that a nasty program (and probably several)
are plying the insides of your Windows XP computer right now. Your
computer is also probably wide open to some critical vulnerabilities.
This chapter takes you step by step through what you have to do to
clean it up today and make it safe from future security problems using
free and paid programs as well as operating system tweaks, fixes and
tricks. - Cleanse existing problems
- Secure against future problems
- Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) – the big fix
- Further operating system tweaks
- Critical tools you’ll need
9: Starting from the beginning – Wiping a hard drive and rebuilding from the ground up.
The best way to be secure with Windows XP is to wipe all the data on
your system and start fresh. This chapter shows you how to wipe your
system clean and build the most secure system possible. If you’ve
always wanted a Fort Knox like computer – now you can have it. - Wipe the hard drive and freshly install Windows XP
- Download updates and turn on new security features
- Install critical security tools
- Further system tweaks
10. Ongoing maintenance – Fend off future threats!
Once you’ve taken action to secure your system you’ll need to do daily,
monthly and yearly maintenance to stay as secure as possible. It
doesn’t take much time but there are critical steps you need to take - Why your computer can become insecure over time
- Easy daily updates you should consider to stay up to date
- Once a month routines you should do to stay secure
- Quarterly security checklist and tasks worth doing
- Strategies into the future
11: Selecting software – Steals, deals and software duds A word about the tools listed in this book, how to use the advice and what you should spend. - Freeware vs. shareware
- Gimpware and commercial software
- ISP suites
- How much your security tool box should cost
- A word about commercial security suites
12: Tools of the trade – Security products you should own
- Key security software you should get
- A look at free and paid security programs available to you.
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