On this episode of Tech Talk we revisit the topic of computer security. We'll look at some of the latest information on security threats and learn a few things that can make our computers more secure.
Guests
Alan Amesbury
Alan Amesbury
Alan Amesbury is the "tool and die guy" for the University's Office of Information Technology Security and Assurance group, where he builds, maintains, and tunes systems used to help keep the University's networks secure. He cut his teeth as the computer science department's first computer security specialist, and broadened his experience by working at a large bank and ISP. Alan will gladly discuss just about any computer security topic over a spirited game of racquetball.
Morris Beard
Morris Beard
Morris is an information technology specialist at the University. He has provided desktop and server support for both education and IT institutions for over 16 years.
Links
Security at Home is Microsoft's Web site dedicated to the security of home computers. You'll find useful information on using tools to protect your computer as well as general Internet safety guidelines.
The University of Minnesota's Safe Computing page has information on general security topics, computing news and threats, as well as instructions for how to clean up your computer if it becomes infected.
Microsoft's Improve the Safety of Your Browsing and E-mail Activities page includes step-by-step instructions about how to enable security options in Microsoft Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Outlook 2003.
Mozilla's Options/Preferences Window page explains all the available security options in the Options window of Firefox.
Phishing
When spammers send you e-mail that appears to be from a legitimate organization and ask for your account information such as your identification number and password. They then use this information to send computer viruses to others.
Malware
This is a common name for all kinds of unwanted software such as viruses, worms, trojans, and jokes.
Infection Vector
An entry point for a computer infection. This can be anything with a security vulnerability, most often e-mail and Web browsers.
Packet Sniffing
Essentially eavesdropping on your Internet communications. Information sent online is broken down to "packets" and "sniffers" intercept them in the hopes of finding information such as passwords or credit card numbers.