CPF is Canadian Parents for French educational opportunities, a non-profit volunteer based organization. For more information about CPF see our web site at  http://www.cpf.ca

CPF FRENCH INTERNET ADDRESS LIST

0530-2.    Internet Safety - Home Computing, Notes

 Home Computing, Notes

Reminder - save your work often and backup your files.

One option to improve your computer's security and protect your PC from from the latest viruses is to check
http://www.microsoft.ca/protect

- Anti-spyware from Microsoft. Help protect your PC from spyware and other potentially unwanted software.
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

- web sites you visit on your computer can collect & leave identifying information from/on your computer. Web ‘cookies’ are data files that let web site operators and advertisers record the trail of sites that a person on a computer visits as well as online purchases and electronic transactions. When you connect to a web site that uses cookies, the files are sent to your personal computer's hard disk without your knowledge. Each cookie brands your web browser with an electronic serial number. To avoid this you can go to  http://www.anonymizer.com  and use their internet browser to remain anonymous, it may slow your internet access.

http://www.proxymate.com
http://www.zeroknowledge.com
http://www.enonymous.com
http://www.pfir.org
http://www.efc.ca

- when you visit a web site, sometimes a small window opens that you cannot close. This is called a mousetrap. They exist sometimes because there is contract where they are paid for the number of clicks. Sometimes the only way to 'close' them is with CTRL + ALT + DEL or to restart your computer.

- it is good to have anti virus software (like 'AntiVirus' in 'Internet Security, Family Edition' from Norton ) on your system to check for viruses on diskettes or CD-roms you access from your system and to check for viruses from Internet downloads or e-mail. This anti virus software must be updated regularly from the Internet, some systems do it automatically for you. In addition, if you have high speed Internet access via ADSL or cable and your computer is linked to the Internet for extended periods of time (making it more available to 'hackers'), it is a good idea to have additional protection like 'Personal Firewall' and 'Privacy Control' in 'Internet Security, Family Edition' from Norton
or   Freedom® Internet Security software from TELUS

If you have more than one computer in your home and the computers are connected to a CABLE/DSL Broadband Router (or D Router) to connect to an ie. modem for high speed cable internet service, the D Router usually provides the internet security 'firewall', but you still need anti-virus software from  Norton (or similar) on your computers for e-mail and downloads.

- if you have high speed Internet access via ADSL or cable and your computer is linked to the Internet for extended periods of time (making it more available to 'hackers'), it is a good idea to shut your computer down at night to make it less available to 'hackers'. For further security when you shut down you can also unplug the electrical power.

- if you have high speed Internet access via ADSL or cable and your computer is linked to the Internet for extended periods of time (making it more available to 'hackers') - and - you have another computer at home that is not linked to the Internet, you may want to keep your personal information on the other computer that is not on the Internet. Your personal information might be finances on software like Quicken, or passwords for something like e-mail accounts. You would still need protection on your Internet access computer against password theft as there are keystroke copying programs (intrusive software) that 'hackers' can try and install on your computer to copy every keystroke you make on your computer, including things like online banking passwords. Re bank account numbers and passwords: telephone banking, ATM banking and PC banking all use parts of public communication networks and all have security risks.

An alternative to keeping personal information on another computer not linked to the Internet, is keeping personal information on diskettes, CDs or other storage devices that can be physically removed from  a computer that is linked to the Internet. For example, by removing a diskette (with personal information) when you are not using it, the personal information is not accessible for extended periods of time, avoiding making it more available to 'hackers'.

- remember, re security and extended availability, you can unplug your computer's Internet connection, power supply and camera connection, for example, when not in use.

- re high speed Internet access being always on, for a way to switch it off see  http://www.saafnet.com/
 
 

- for families interested in connecting more than one computer in their home (creating a wired or wireless home network) to their high speed internet service, the following notes on 'Home networking' may be of interest regarding 'how to' and related internet safety concerns. - for families who already have a wired or wireless home network of computers, the following notes on 'Home networking' may be of interest regarding internet safety concerns.     Home networking         A simplified summary of security is:             1. all computers need anti-virus software to protect against problems with ie. e-mail and downloads.             2. a single computer on high speed internet service needs firewall security software to protect             against ie. 'hackers'.             3. with more than 1 computer on the same high speed internet service, usually D-router hardware is             used to connect the computers and has firewall security built in.                 3-a. if the computers have dedicated wires connecting them to the D-router, no further security                         is needed.                 3-b. if the computers are using hardware that transmits the high speed internet service over existing                         electrical wiring, the hardware usually has an advanced security encryption option to prevent                         neighboring households from accessing your data traffic over the power line system.                 3-c. if the computers are using hardware that creates a wireless system transmission for the high                         speed internet service, check that the hardware has some kind of security option to prevent                         neighboring computers from accessing your data traffic over the wireless system.         Regarding connecting more than one computer in a home to a high speed internet service:                 -    if the home has radiant heat floors, these may interfere with wireless transmission                      devices available for home use, at least as of March 2003.                 -    if there are other concerns about setting up wireless transmission in a home.         There is a way to use the existing electrical wiring in a home to transmit a high speed internet         service.         A new product called NeverWire from PhonexBroadband http://www.phonex.com  can         help. NeverWire uses the existing electrical wiring in a house to set up a wired network. The         NeverWire units are about $150 each and you need two units to connect two computers to a high         speed internet service. There are other companies with this kind of product.         An example of how this is done follows (remember it is important to follow manufacturers         directions, like at one point during installation of NeverWire units power to all devices to be         networked must be turned off - the steps described here are only to help your understanding         of this method of networking):             - connect a D-router, for example, an SMC Cable/DSL Broadband Router http://www.smc.com                (ie. model SMC7004VBR-CA Barricade Broadband Router at about $90)                to the high speed internet service modem.                There are other companies with this kind of product. SMC has a 24hour/7days technical                support line to help with questions about the settings on your computers once using the                D-router. Most high speed internet service providers allow for 2 IP's or computers on a                home's service. Most high speed internet service providers allow for a D-router to be used                in connecting more than one computer to the service. When a D-router is used, instead of 2                IP's, there is one IP accessing the service. When a D-router is used, the high speed internet                service provider may have to be contacted, as the incoming and outgoing mail server names on                your computer(s) may have to be changed.             - plug the first computer into the first position on the D-router.             - plug one end of a NeverWire unit into the second position on the D-router and the other end                of the NeverWire unit into an electrical outlet. Set this NeverWire unit's switch to 'Hub'.             - at the second computer's location, plug one end of a NeverWire unit into an electrical outlet                and the other end into the computer. Set this NeverWire unit's switch to 'PC'.             Note: for privacy on the network, the NeverWire units have an option to set up advanced                       security encryption to prevent neighboring households from accessing your data traffic                       over the power line system. It is recommended to use this option.             Note: the NeverWire units cannot be plugged into the same outlet as a power surge protection                      bar. As computers, for safety, should be plugged into power surge protection bars, each                      computer needs to be within reach of two electrical outlets.             Note: the second NeverWire unit in a network can be used alternately on any number of other                      computers. You could purchase a third NeverWire unit and dedicate it to a third computer                      and so forth.             Note: The SMC instructions for the SMC7004VBR-CA Barricade Broadband Router say it is                       safe to connect and disconnect Ethernet cables from your computer(s), Barricade, or                       broadband modem when it is turned on. At one point in the installation (only) of the                       NeverWire units, power to all devices that will be networked must be turned off.             Note: if a home has an outdoor electrical outlet, a notebook computer on battery power can be                      used with a NeverWire unit.             Note: to connect to a wired high speed internet service a computer must have an ethernet card.                      Generally, new computers have this, older computers do not. Ethernet cards can be                      installed on some older computers.  With older computers it is a good idea to check with                      your high speed internet service provider re computer processor speed and memory                      requirements.             Note: in this example the D-router hardware device has security, like the firewall software                      available for computers connected directly to high speed internet service. If the                      D-router does not have firewall security, there should be firewall security software on                      the networked computers. There should be anti-virus software on the networked                      computers to avoid problems through e-mail and downloads.             If a wireless network is used in a home to connect more than one computer to a a high speed             internet service, for privacy, the hardware transmitting device should have security to prevent             neighboring computers from accessing your data traffic over the wireless system.  At an             initial point in the wireless network a hardware device should have security, like the firewall             software available for computers connected directly to high speed internet service. If there             is not a hardware device with this kind of firewall security, there should be firewall             security software on the networked computers. There should be anti-virus software on the             networked computers to avoid problems through e-mail and downloads.             With both wired and wireless networks, if you wish to go beyond sharing high speed internet             service, perhaps to share files or peripherals like a printer - if the computers have different             versions of ie. MS Windows, like Windows 98 and Windows XP, then there are usually             difficulties due to incompatibility.

- http://www.familywave.ca
site from Microsoft Canada, to help people use technology better at home.
Familywave's sections on networking - http://www.microsoft.com/canada/familywave/goodstuff/default1.asp
Wired -  http://www.microsoft.com/canada/familywave/products/hardware/broadband+networking+-+wired1.asp
Wireless -  http://www.microsoft.com/canada/familywave/products/hardware/broadband+networking+-+wireless1.asp

- at  http://grc.com there is a service called 'Shields Up!' that will do a free security check on your computer.
 
 

- Notes from The Community Learning Network "Network Nuggets" on computer firewalls: We start with some basic information about *firewalls*, then present a few selected Web sites with more information at the lay level. Note: this is not about protecting home computer users from bad content -- this is about protecting your computer from damage by hackers and others who may secretly want to use your computer for various purposes. A firewall is something that controls access into your computer via its modem. It is named after the insulating barrier between a car's engine and the passenger compartment. For home users, the firewall usually takes the form of software that runs in the background on the computer that has a cable modem. Why a firewall? Because with a cable modem or one of the new always-on DSL phone modems, your computer becomes a sitting duck -- continuously connected to the Internet, therefore accessible to hackers at their leisure. You would be surprised how public your hard drives and files are in the typical cable-modem installation. A firewall is the equivalent of a home security system for your computer. It keeps vandals and burglars out! And just as a home security system has to be installed over every outside door and window, firewall software has to be set up so that  every possible method of entry into your computer from the Internet is protected. (Many home users of firewalls fail to protect every point -- a task called "configuration" -- so if you are installing one yourself, read *all* that the manual has to say about configuring the firewall.)   1.  http://www.oit.duke.edu/oit/policy/firewall/ The Office of Information Technology at Duke University has a clearly written introduction to firewalls, and recommends one firewall solution for home users that is free. 2. "The Secure Telecommuters FAQ" Page http://telecommuting.about.com/smallbusiness/telecommuting/library/weekly/aa020200b.htm Set up in the form of an FAQ for people who work from the home (i.e. teachers, no?), this site starts with "What is a firewall?" and goes on to recommend four low-cost firewall products for the home. 3. Firewall Appliances http://netsecurity.about.com/compute/netsecurity/library/weekly/aa022900a.htm Site 2 above recommends this site for more information. The products it reviews are pricey, but the information is good. Every producer of firewall software also maintains a reasonable (if biased) Website with information at the technical level of its typical users and customers.

 
 

- Notes from The Community Learning Network "Network Nuggets" about on-line advertising blockers: Ad-Aware:      http://www.lavasoft.nu Pop-Up Stopper: http://www.panicware.com Have you heard of those? They're freeware (donation requested but not required) programs which protect your PC from intrusive advertising and unwanted cookies. I got them on recommendation from the Jerry Pournelle "Chaos Manor" column at http://www.byte.com. I installed them a few months ago, at work and at home, and have had a much more tranquil browsing experience ever since. Pop-Up Stopper is the one that lets me view sites like The Colouring Pages without being bothered by the pop-up ads. It simply stops any extra screens from opening. I set it up so I hear a ricochet-like "boing" sound whenever it intercepts a pop-up window. That's important, I learned, because it sometimes shuts off a pop-up window which *should* open to view information that you request from a Web site. The odd advertisement still gets through, but nothing like the ones I used to get. Ad-Aware stops the more insidious kind: unwanted cookies and programs that install themselves on your PC without your permission.  For instance, the aggressive ad site Xupiter once installed itself as my Internet Explorer default search engine, and I could not remove it. But Ad-Aware looks for just such installed malware, and removed it in short order. As Jerry Pournelle said, "recommended."  Nuggets does not normally feature commercial software, even if it is free, but these programs are too useful to pass up. Other brands are available at utilities-download sites.

- re unwanted e-mails or spam, see
 http://www.forbes.com/columnists/2003/06/16/cz_sm_0616spamintro.html

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