Help! There's an Intruder in my Computer

Written by June Campbell


Do you have passwords, love letters, naughty pictures or sensitive business information stored on your computer's hard drive? If you have a continuous Internet connection such as cable, xDSL, ISDN or other, you should know that it's almost embarrassingly easy for a hacker to break into a networked computer.

Once in, they can use your private information any way they see fit. As well as getting your personal documents,repparttar hacker can damage your system files or install software on your disk that allows your computer to be used in Denial of Service attacks and other destructive activities.

Similarly,repparttar 117672 hacker can activate your interior microphone or interior video recorder without your knowledge. This lets them record and distribute sound and video files ofrepparttar 117673 conversations and activities taking place in your work area.

How Hackers Do It Every Internet-connected computer has a unique set of identifying numbers called an IP address. Using special software applications, hackers send out probes overrepparttar 117674 Internet looking for live IP addresses. If they locate your computer, they look for "holes" or vulnerabilities that leave your system insecure.

For example, a computer is likely to have multiple applications (email, web browser, etc.) running onrepparttar 117675 same IP address. Each application is assigned a number called a "port" that uniquely identifies that service on a computer. Ports that allow an application to send or receive information fromrepparttar 117676 Net must be "open". In some unprotected systems, even ports that are not in use have been left open -- practically inviting attack! When hackers discover an unprotected, open port, they can use that opening to gain access to your system.

An unprotected broadband connection is easiest to hack because bothrepparttar 117677 connection andrepparttar 117678 IP address remain constant. If a hacker or a "script kiddie" finds your computer once, they can readily find it again. (Script kiddie is a derogatory name used by professional hackers to describe simple scripts used by young and inexperienced hackers).

The threat is less severe for persons connecting torepparttar 117679 Internet via dial-up modems. Dial-ups usually connect with a different IP address each log-on. Therefore, if hackers have found a system once,repparttar 117680 changing IP address will make it difficult (not impossible) to find it again.

However, if a trojan horse or back door program has been installed on a system,repparttar 117681 trojan horse could "phone home" withrepparttar 117682 IP address each time an Internet connection is made.

Back door programs allow remote users to control a system withoutrepparttar 117683 owner's knowledge. They are installed on computers by hackers, or sometimes come secretly bundled with software applications thatrepparttar 117684 user installs. Well-known back door programs for Windows computers include BackOriface, NetBus and SubSeven.

Firewalls: Your First Level of Security Firewalls are software applications or hardware devises that you install on your system. They are designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network that is connected torepparttar 117685 Internet. When a firewall is installed, all incoming or outgoing messages pass throughrepparttar 117686 firewall. Those that do not meetrepparttar 117687 specified security criteria are blocked.

Most home firewalls are software applications.

How Firewalls Work There are various types of firewalls, and they work through different processes. However,repparttar 117688 following is true for most ofrepparttar 117689 home or personal firewall software that is used today.

Realistic Goals...How To Set Them And Why

Written by Chuck and Sue DeFiore


So many people want to start a business today and be rich tomorrow. Sorry, people it doesn't happen that way. If it did, everyone would do it. There is no free lunch...it takes hard work, determination and realistic goal setting.

Think aboutrepparttar businesses you have worked at, look atrepparttar 117671 businesses in your community. I mean really look. When you go torepparttar 117672 dry cleaners, how many other people are there also. Think about what it takes for that dry cleaner to open every day. How many people he needs to come in with their dry cleaning in order to make a profit. OK, dry cleaning doesn't excite you. How about that specialty shop you want to open! You want to open a retail store that caters to people that buy Hummels, knick knacs, bric-a-brac. Will you only handle certain types? How many will you order of each type? What arerepparttar 117673 best sellers? How many will you have to sell to make money for yourself, and to also keep that shop open, or will you sell them by mail order only from your home?

Want to do business onrepparttar 117674 web? The same principles apply. How many visitors to your web site do you need to make a sale? How do you get them to visit? How do you get them to stay? You getrepparttar 117675 idea. You need goals in order to measure any progress in your business.

Realistic goals come from a well thought out mission statement, which leads to a very good business plan, which leads to a well thought out marketing strategy. You should have short and long term goals. The short term goals will coverrepparttar 117676 upcoming 6 months to 2 years. Your long term goals will go further out, let's say overrepparttar 117677 next five years. Remember, you need to give a business at least two years in order to give it a real chance. Not all businesses make a gigantic profit immediately.

Let's say you want to start a house cleaning business. Your initial plan is to work it yourself, and add independent contractors as needed. You decide on your mission statement, you make up your business plan. You want to make $500 per week, working six days per week, 10 hour days. Your marketing will include advertising in your local paper, flyers, and mailers. You can clean 3 houses/apartments per day at $25-$50. You also have to decide your price points, what will you charge for a 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, or a house with 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms, etc. After all this is done you can better determine how many of each type you will need each week to meet you goal of $500 per week. These are your short term realistic goals. Your long term goals are to eventually hire independent contractors to dorepparttar 117678 work. Obviously,repparttar 117679 more clients you market for,repparttar 117680 more independent contractors you need, but alsorepparttar 117681 more income you can generate. You will make up long term goals forrepparttar 117682 third, fourth, and fifth years of how many independent contractors you want to add and how many clients you want. Your marketing plan will reflect what you need to do to getrepparttar 117683 numbers you are projecting.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use