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GENERAL SECURITY INFORMATION
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| Q: Are there free Firewall, Anti-Virus and Parental Control (Web
Filtering) products? |
| Q: Definitions |
| Q: What is Spoofing? |
| Q: Do I need to change my IP address to protect myself against
spoofing? |
| Q: What is Copyright Infringement? |
| Q: What should I know about wireless networks and
security? |
| Q: I have a home network. What should I know about security and
networking? |
| Q: Pop-ups |
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Q: Are there free Firewall,
Anti-Virus and Parental Control (Web Filtering) products?
A:
Most
vendors offer a demo version of their product. Usually, these demos are
limited-time evaluation versions. Some vendors offer products that are free for
personal use and most of these will work. However because they are free they can
only be used "as-is" and are generally not fully supported. If you are a
residential Standard or Pro customer or a Cogeco Business customer, you can get
COGECO Security Services free of
charge. If you do not already have
a security product installed, COGECO recommends that you install it at www.cogeco.ca/security It is
a fully supported product that is maintained and managed by COGECO.
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Q:
Definitions
A:
The site www.whatis.com offers an
excellent search engine for definitions of technical terms.
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Q:
What is Spoofing?
A: Spoofing is the act of
using someone else's identity. There are two types of "Spoofing": e-mail and
network. E-mail spoofing is commonly used by spammers to hide the true origin of
their messages. Network spoofing is using someone else's IP address in order to
(usually) hide malicious activities.
COGECO uses several network filters
to negate IP Spoofing. While we attempt to effectively filter spoofed e-mail
traffic, it is difficult to filter all of them out without jeopardizing
legitimate e-mails.
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Q:
Do I need to change my IP address to protect myself against
Spoofing?
A: An IP address is much
like a phone number for your PC. It is a unique identifier that lets the rest of
the Internet know where to send return data, such as e-mail or Web pages. Your
IP address is included in your e-mail headers and is often temporarily logged by
the administrators of the Websites you visit so they can track how many people
are visiting their Website.
IP addresses are sometimes used to track down
machines to attack, however most hackers generally also use many other ways to
locate a vulnerable PC. Consequently, changing your IP address will not usually
block attacks.
For example, malicious programs like Trojan horses often
have a built-in component alerting attackers that your IP has changed and
sending this new IP address to them.
To find out your IP on a computer
with NT/2000/XP / 98, click START then RUN and type in CMD to open a
command prompt, and type in “ipconfig/all”. Your IP address will be listed
under a section that starts with the title Ethernet Adapter and on the line IP
Address.
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Q:
What is Copyright
Infringement?
A:
Copyright infringement is the violation of copyright laws
through unauthorized copying or use of a work or other subject matter under
copyright, such as software, music and video as well as many other types of
works.
COGECO understands that there is some confusion as to the current
legal status of copyrights on the Internet and we recommend you contact Canada
's Department of Justice for more information on this subject at http://canada.justice.gc.ca/
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Q:
What should I know about
wireless networks and security?
A:
Wireless networks allow PCs and other devices to connect
to the Internet from anywhere within generally a 10- to 100-foot perimeter
without having to use a cable modem. Although very convenient, connecting
without wires creates additional risks.
Steps to secure your home
wireless network and ensure a safer online experience include:
- Enabling encryption such as WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
or WPA (Windows Product Activation).
- Disabling or locking-down remote management.
- Using Media Access Control address (MAC address) filtering
to limit access to only authorized devices.
For more information on how to implement these security
precautions, see the documentation and instructions that came with your wireless
router. The following sites also offer detailed suggestions but are somewhat
more technical:
Broadbandreports.com:
http://www.broadbandreports.com/faq/8698 Extremetech:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1152933,00.asp
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Q:
I have a network. What
should I know about security and networking?
A: Routers, hubs and
switches allow you to share an Internet connection amongst several PCs and to
link several home PCs in order to quickly transfer files and share a printer.
However, it is important to secure your network so that it does not become open
to unauthorized access and use. Here are some simple steps to ensure your
network is restricted to authorized use only:
- Ensure your hardware is up-to-date. For example, many router
manufactures offer firmware upgrades that respond to threats that may have
emerged since you purchased your hardware. Visit the manufacturer's Website for
more information.
- Disable or 'lock-down' remote management of your networking
device. Check the documentation that came with your hardware to find out how to
do this.
- Always use passwords that include both letters and numbers.
CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) offers an in-depth
beginner's guide to home networking security at
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/home_networks.html
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Q:
Pop-ups
A: Pop-ups are those
annoying boxes or windows that suddenly appear when you visit a Website. They
are used to advertise products and link you to other Websites. These ads can
often be more than a nuisance, especially when multiple pop-ups are generated by
visiting a single Website and new windows appear each time you close the first
one.
Recently such ads have been intentionally misleading users by
making these small windows look like a normal system warning, complete with OK
buttons looking similar to Windows. Often these ads offer users services to
remove the annoyances they themselves are using.
There are several tools available to block pop-ups, which are
included with XP Service Pack 2 as well as the Google, Yahoo and MSN
toolbars.
COGECO Security Services include a pop-up blocking component,
which will be available free of charge as part of our security suite for our
residential Standard & Pro HSI (High Speed Internet) customers as well as
for our Business HSI customers. A 2$ monthly charge applies for our residential
Lite customers.
Broadbandreports.com offers an excellent introduction to
Pop-Ups at http://www.broadbandreports.com/faq/7858
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