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Preventing electronic invaders

How secure is your computer business?

Phil Duffy
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 02/01) - In today's computer-oriented business world, protecting your system from hackers and electronic crooks is paramount: for your e-commerce customers and to protect your own electronic information.




Over the past several months the theft of important on-line data, from customer lists to client credit card company have been big news around the world.

And it's not only big businesses that must worry about on-line security. It's important for anyone who relies on computers.

When it comes to protecting your computer and your computer e-commerce accounts there are basically two different types of security.

The first is physical security. This is also known as a clean desk policy. Physical security is simply protecting the computer itself from being accessed by unauthorized personnel.

This type of security includes things like camera monitoring. How well protected your computer is in the event of a fire is another consideration.

Will the machine be ruined by the sprinkler system if the alarm goes off?

Your data must also be secured.

Charles Boulet is the General Manager of the Northern Learning Company, a computer training company that does business around the NWT and Nunavut, and has extensive knowledge about aspects of data security.

"If you are running any type of publicly accessible computer system you will need to look at the various levels of network security available," said Boulet.

"You have to balance out the cost factor and determine what will suit your specific business needs," he added.

When it comes to e-mail, the big thing you have to watch out for are the attachments that come with the e-mail itself.

This is where crippling worms and viruses can lurk. One of these nasty little surprises can get into your address list and mail itself out to everyone on it. This is after it has performed whatever evil function it was made for.

Some viruses can change the settings on your computer, rendering it useless. Most computer bugs, however, are designed to pirate information.

A firewall is basically a filtering system that will red-flag any communications that have a virus or worm attached to them.

Some of these fire-walls can actually quarantine unwanted attachments.

There are also anti-virus software packages you can purchase that will encrypt your mail so that only authorized personnel can read it.

"Firewalls are by no means impenetrable. As security software operating systems evolve, so do the tools to bypass or hack into them," said Boulet.

"Encryption technology to disguise text is gaining popularity because it is very hard to crack. Again, as fast as this technology grows so does the technology to bypass it," he added.

An example of a popular encryption package would be the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), package.

Another widely used package is one introduced by a group known as the Cult of the Dead Cow, called Back Orifice. This is a spin-off of Microsoft's Back Office package.

"The Cult of the Dead Cow are arguably the best Windows programmers out there. They have been successfully hacking Windows programs for years."