Keeping computers safe and healthy.Protecting computer data in the face of virus scares, hacker practical jokes, and decentralized de·cen·tral·ize v. de·cen·tral·ized, de·cen·tral·iz·ing, de·cen·tral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To distribute the administrative functions or powers of (a central authority) among several local authorities. information storage may seem daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin , and it is. But knowledge of the threats, vulnerabilities, and security basics can help. Mitchell Zahler, director of PC and LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. security for Productivity Management Group Inc. of Newark, NJ, spoke on network security at the National Computer Security Association's first International Virus Prevention Conference and Exhibition. Zahler opened with the following five rules of security: * Security exposures should never be ignored. * Security should be transparent to the user. * Security should never reduce s functionality. * Security should be implemented by a specialist. * Security should not be too costly. Zahler identified one of the biggest obstacles to network security as removable media In computer storage, removable media refers to storage media which can be removed from its reader device, conferring portability on the data it carries. A removable drive is a reader device for such media. (disks, tapes, etc.). "When we started using removable media, security went downhill," he said. But the only real solution to this problem is the diskless workstation A workstation that does not have a hard disk. Programs and data are retrieved from the network. See network computer. (computer, networking) diskless workstation - A personal computer or workstation which has neither a hard disk nor floppy disk drive and which performs all . Zahler said, "If you have a diskless workstation, I guarantee you'll never have a virus." Yet, not many people are ready to give up their disk drives. For those who absolutely need floppy drives See floppy disk. floppy drive - disk drive , he suggested having certain workstations behind locked doors that are capable of reading disks. He also stressed the importance of making good backups. It isn't enough, however, just to back up every night, he said. Employees must verify the backups are good by periodically trying to restore the data onto the computer. Computer users must also be aware of where they are storing the backups. If the backup disks A disk used to hold duplicate copies of important files. A variety of removable media are used for backup, including floppy, Zip and Jaz disks, CD-Rs, CD-RWs and DVD-RAMs. See backup. are on a shelf above the computer and there is a fire, "It's bye-bye back-ups," he said. Zahler's other suggestions for improving security included implementing policies and procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental and following them. "A policy is no good unless you follow it," he explained, just like a stop sign is no good unless you stop." He also recommended tight controls on passwords, vendors, and network files; reviewing access to the LAN; monitoring the integrity of communication lines; securing remote computer sites; and formulating a disaster recovery plan. The conference was held June 18 and 19 in Crystal City, VA, and was cosponsored by ISPNews, Washington Technology, and the Capital PC User Group. It featured 48 conference sessions on virus prevention and recovery and network security and more than 30 exhibitors. |
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