Transcript Running Windows Securely and Efficiently

Running Windows Securely and
Efficiently
By Gary Esworthy
Overview
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About me
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Microsoft Windows
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Windows Security
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Why it runs slowly
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What you can do
Passwords
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Malicious software
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Prevention
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Removal
Keeping your
computer running
efficiently
About Me
Name:
From:
Gary Esworthy
Pittsburgh, PA
Year:
Major:
Junior
Applied Computer Science
Plans:
Internship
Microsoft Windows
Windows 3.1 (1992)
Introduced Virtual Memory
Windows 95 (1995)
First Windows OS to reduce DOS to only a boot loader
Windows 98SE (1999)
Windows NT/2000 (2000)
Released for businesses
Windows XP Home/Professional (2001)
Currently the most widely used operating system.
During this presentation, we will be referring to Windows XP
Professional.
Operating System Statistics
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Windows XP
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0.7% of Internet users
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1.2% of Internet users
Linux
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7.4% of Internet users
Windows 98
Windows Vista
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76.1% of Internet users
Windows NT
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3.5% of Internet users
Mac
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3.8% of Internet users
February 2007
www.w3schools.com
Windows Security
Or Lack Thereof
As we can see from the operating system
statistics, Windows XP dominates in terms of its
percentage among Internet users.
This makes it clear why so many viruses and
worms are written specifically for Windows XP.
Is Linux a safer option? Or is it only safe because
there aren't many people using it and/or writing
malicious software for it?
Creating Good Passwords
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The first step to ensuring your computer's security
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Use upper and lowercase letters
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Do NOT use a single dictionary word
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Dictionary or brute force attack
Use at least 1 or 2 symbols or numbers
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Make it at least 8 characters long
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Good Password: mYp@ssw0rd22
Bad Password: steelers
Malicious Software
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Originally designed for DOS as pranks or jokes
Once people realized how fast viruses could
spread, they took advantage
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Destroying files
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Corrupting the file system
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Vandalize web pages
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DOS attacks and e-mail spam
Two types of malicious software (malware)
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Worms/Viruses
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Spyware/Adware
Worms and Viruses
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Before the Internet, viruses were spread by
infecting programs or executable boot sectors
on floppy disks
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Viruses need to attach themselves to other files
With the Internet, the worm came into play
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Searches for holes in network security
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Enters the hole and copies itself onto your
computer
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Runs itself as a separate process on the system
Spyware and Adware
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People realized that they could use malicious
software for personal gain
Spyware
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Used to track users browsing habits, personal
information, passwords
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This information is usually sold to companies
Adware
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Used to force advertisements on Internet users
using popups and toolbars
Spyware
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Unlike viruses and worms that “sneak” onto
your system, Spyware is deployed by tricking
the user into thinking they are downloading
something that they are not
Usually bundled with other software
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File sharing clients
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Toolbars
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Search enhancers
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“Security Software”
A Computer Plagued by Spyware
Adware
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Short for “Advertising-supported software”
Used to display ads on a user's system without
their consent
Just like Spyware, Adware is bundled with other
software that you may download
Causing a huge controversy about the legality
of forcing users to view these advertisements
A Computer Infected with Adware
Malware Prevention
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Tips to keep your computer safe from malicious
software
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Always have an anti-virus running
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Have scheduled scans of your entire hard drive
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Regularly run Spyware and Adware removal tools
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Only download from trusted sources
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Never open strange e-mail attachments
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Never click on strange links on the Internet
Useful Prevention Tools
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These are all great tools to help keep your
computer safe and are all available free of
charge at http://www.download.com
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Anti-virus
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Spyware/Adware
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Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition
Spyware Doctor
Firewall
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AVG Free
ZoneAlarm
There are many more out there, also
Malware Removal
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If you are already infected with some type of
malware, there are several things you need to
do
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First, run all of your anti-virus and adware/spyware
scans
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Check your Add/Remove programs list for anything
that you don't think you should have
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Check your startup list for anything that secretly
starts up with your computer
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Start -> Run -> msconfig
Malware Removal (cont'd)
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If you are still having problems
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Run other adware/spyware scans
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If all else fails, you can always back up your data
and format your hard drive
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It takes time, but it may be the only way to be sure you
completely got rid of the malware
After any malware is removed, be sure to follow
proper prevention steps to ensure your
computer's security
Keeping Your Computer Running
Efficiently
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So you're free of viruses and adware/spyware
and it still runs slowly. What can cause that?
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Too many processes running
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Using high quality Windows visual settings
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Using programs that take up too many system
resources
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Lack of running system cleaning tools
How can we make our Windows XP system run
faster?
Too Many Processes Running
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Sometimes you can have several processes
running that you don't know about
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Many programs run without showing anything in the
taskbar
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To see what is running, you can use CTRL-ALTDELETE for a complete list of user and system
processes and how much of your system they are
taking up
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Close any processes that you don't need
Windows XP Settings
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You can tweak Windows XP's settings to greatly
improve your computer's speed and efficiency
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Use Windows Classic mode
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Turn off shadows, animations, etc
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Use a detailed view in folders instead of the huge
icons
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Turn off error-reporting
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Security hole
Windows XP Settings (cont'd)
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More settings that can improve your computers
speed
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Cleaning temporary files and recycle bin
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Temporary internet files, internet cache, stored
passwords, cookies, etc
Turn off system restore
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Takes up huge amounts of system resources and isn't a
very good backup method
Using System Tools
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On a regular basis, you should
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Run a disk defragmenter
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Run disk clean-up
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Deletes temporary internet files
Deletes downloaded files
Compresses old files
Empties recycle bin
Task scheduler
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Can schedule these activities to occur automatically
every day, week, etc
Conclusion
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Using these techniques, our computers should
run faster and safer
There is no system that is completely safe from
attacks, so you must use caution
If you don't know what a file is or where it's
coming from, do not download it or open it
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Use smart passwords
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Use common sense