Unified Diff

Whenever something goes wrong with our computers, we are always quick to assume that it’s a virus or spyware that’s to blame. This might have to do with the fact that they’re the most common computer problems. But what I find to be the single biggest computer problem is user ignorance.

It is possible to run Windows without a virus scanner, special firewall software, spyware scanner, or adware blocker (although I don’t recommend this). And if the user browses the Internet with care, he or she would never have a problem. The problems come from users misusing the computer. Think about your own Internet usage. How many websites do you visit that display offical-looking advertisements? The name of the game is fraud. These people know that most people won’t even read it. It looks official so they’ll just click “OK”.

Some people have said to me: “I don’t care how it works. I just want to use it”. My response is always something to the effect of “would you drive a car without first learning how to drive?” When you buy any type of machine, you get an instructions manual. Geez… my flashlight came with instructions for inserting batteries. Even when it’s simple we still read them just to be sure. But for some reason we seem to think that computers are exempt. While I realize that not everyone has the interest to master the various fields of computing, it is still our responsibility to learn the proper usage of the machine.

How do you browse safely? Here are a few tips:

• Don’t go to websites from webpage adverisements
• Don’t go to websites that offer something for free.
• Don’t give your name/address/e-mail to anyone on the Internet unless you are over a secure connection and the certificate is signed by RSA, Verisign, or Thawte.
• Don’t click on links in e-mail, copy the url and paste it in the browser’s address bar (and only do this if it’s from a trusted source)
• Don’t click “Yes” or “OK” to anything that flashes in-front of your face. Your default response is always “No” or “Cancel” unless you are certain that it’s safe to accept.
• Absolutely do NOT install any peer-to-peer network software like KaZaa, Napster, eDonkey. These programs are loaded with junk to infect your computer.
• Stay away from AOL products. If you use the AIM service, then switch to the Gaim client. AOL Instant Messenger client downloads ads and spyware stuff while you chat.
• NEVER… EVER… install WeatherBug!
• Avoid using Internet Explorer whenever possible. Unfortunately, it has too large of an attack service and too many vulnerabilities. I recommend Mozilla Firefox for general browsing.
• Be smart about where you go. Usually you can tell in the website’s domainname whether or not they’re safe to visit. Attention getters like “saveashitloadofmoney.com” are obviously bad.

NEVER DO YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK AS AN ADMINISTRATOR! This is by-far the biggest mistake people can make. Running as an administrator full-time is like saying “sometimes I need a few dollars cash so I carry my life-savings with me everywhere I go”. Have two accounts — one is your adminstrator account that you use for installing programs and configuring your system, and the second for general usage. Running Least-Privileged isn’t always convenient… but it WILL save you in the long run.

Running Linux DOES NOT MAKE YOU SAFER. If anything, for most people that will be reading this… you are worse off than if you were running Windows. I do not recommend using boxed-distributions such as Xandros or PC Linux. These products are designed to make your transition from Windows smooth. But this does not help you because you know nothing about the operating system or core computer concepts. Learning how to click buttons does not teach you Linux troubleshooting. Windows does everything for you whereas Linux does not. And if you don’t know what to look for and how to use it… you can’t possibly run safely. Realize that Linux’s target audience is computer geeks. The bottom-line is that Linux should be hard to install and use. Otherwise you learn nothing.

Finally, when you do have a problem, don’t automatically assume it’s virus/spyware/adware/cracker related. You should update and run your virus scanner, at least weekly. And the same goes for your spyware software. Maintenance tasks are never a good place to start when diagnosing a problem because they should be done regularly.

Knowledge is power. But more importantly, without it… you have no defense.