Security Tips for your Windows PC
If you are running Windows XP then you should have already
installed Service Pack 2, as this improves the security of the
Windows PC. If you have not already installed SP2 then there are
some known issues with Windows XP Service Pack 2, the main one to
look out for is if you have a Certain Celeron D processor which can
mean that after installing SP2 your machine will no longer boot.
There is a Hotfix for this and applying this prior to Service Pack
2 will result in trouble free upgrade. If you would like to know
details of these hotfixes and issues please contact me.
Running a firewall is your best line of
defence, preferably with a hardware firewall at the entry point to
your network as well. Windows XP SP2 firewall can be configured
automatically for all XP Workstations which are part of a Windows
2003 domain. This makes configuration and enforcement much more
controllable in the corporate environment. (eg. disallowing users
access to turn it off).
So if you are running the firewall, how do you
know it's working. Well there are some helpful websites provided by
firewall vendors which will scan your IP address for open ports and
give you the results.
Two you could to try are :
http://scan.sygatetech.com and
http://security.symantec.com
If you intend on using one of these sites or a similar site then
make sure you tell your network administrator, otherwise they could
think you are under attack as the probes are quite thorough.
