Home network security is not optional!
Too many home networks are
wide open
and ripe for abuse
- How much do you know about home network security?
- Do you know what a zombie is?
- Is your computer "own3d"?
- Have you taken steps to secure your home network?
Home network security should be a priority for everyone but unfortunately it often takes a back seat to just getting things working. You should be very concerned however - more and more computers are targeted every day.
Why should I worry about home network security?
Because bad people are looking for your personal information and, if not your information, then your unprotected computer for sure.
But I don't have anything "secret" on my computer, you say?
Even if this is true you probably aren't comfortable with the idea of strangers looking at your personal information - where you go on the internet, your resume, your contacts, your email. But you probably do keep sensitive information on your computer also - your banking information, your taxes, your investments.
Your computer contains a lot of personal information (whether you know it or not) about you and your family and identity thieves will steal that information and use it to harm you and your credit.
Even if you don't have sensitive, personal information, the bad guys (also called hackers) want access to your computer just as badly.
If they can gain access to your computer, they will install their own programs for their own purposes - to attack other computers while hiding their true identity, to use your computer to hold illegal files such as pirated software or pornography so other hackers can download them, to send email that appears to come from you or anything else they feel like doing.
And all the while it appears that YOU are the one perpetrating these acts since your computer is the source of the activity!
When a computer is compromised in this manner, it is referred to as a "zombie" (because it mindlessly does the bidding of the hacker and not the owner) or that the computer is "own3ed", which is hacker slang for owned since the hacker "owns" the computer to do with as he pleases.
What is network security?
Computer network security is the process of preventing unauthorized access to your private network and the data it contains. This process works most effectively when applied in layers.
The first layer in home network security is the network router, which acts as a bouncer or traffic cop inspecting all incoming traffic only allowing authorized traffic to pass through.
The second layer is typically a software based firewall program installed on the individual desktops on your network which performs basically similar functions as the router but at the desktop level.
Though more protection is always better than less, a properly configured router with a built-in firewall at the edge of the private network, makes desktop firewalls somewhat redundant. This, coupled with the fact that desktop firewalls can be hard to manage with a seemingly never-ending stream of hard-to-understand pop-up messages, software based firewalls are often too much trouble for the amount of protection they provide.
The third layer of home network security is perhaps the most over-looked and perhaps also the most dangerous of all.
The majority of network intrusions occur because of some fault or vulnerability in the operating system itself. When vendors discover these vulnerabilities, or "holes" they release updates (also called patches) to plug the hole BUT is up to the individual user to search for, find, and apply (or install) these patches.
Some method of checking for new software patches and applying them on a regular basis is key to keeping your network secure.
The fourth layer of defense is some type of anti-virus software to protect the network from the ever-growing number of viruses, worms, trojans and back-door software. This software monitors the files and activities of your computer and compares them to a database of known threats alerting you when something suspicious is detected. Up to date anti-virus software is definitely required in today's threat environment.
A final layer of protection can be gained in using various types of anti-spam, anti-phishing, and anti-malware applications. These applications are often bundled together in a suite to provide protection from threats that use web sites, email, or downloaded software to infiltrate your computer network.
The diagram below summarizes the layered approach to home network security:
Home Network Security Topics
More detailed information on the topics mentioned above can be found in the links below:
