Firewall Wizards mailing list archives
RE: The home user problem returns
From: StefanDorn () bankcib com
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 09:04:52 -0500
Let me get this straight, You 'secured' your wife's PC by removing a few pieces of software, put Mozilla on it, slapped on some freeware spyware detection and just let 'er rip? Rule #1: Don't let a system access the internet unless you've secured the access, and know exactly what's allowed inbound and outbound through your network. Rule #2: Don't let people who don't know what they are doing run with administrative permissions, or full access to your network services. Rule #3: If you run Windows, get an antivirus and configure it to scan everything that comes in and out of the system, be it a read/write operation or network traffic. It's not the ideal solution, but until Microsoft makes their OS a little smarter, you need it. I think user education is important. However, there needs to be a control for those people who simply refuse to learn it. Using Marcus' car buying analogy, you could take it a step further by looking at people getting licensed to drive. Driving without a license can land you a fine or in jail for a night, or if you were to get in an accident, you can encounter some serious legal repercussions. People who refuse to learn the rules of the road don't get licenses, and if someone who is licensed breaks the rules too many times, their license and record can be marked and/or revoked. ISPs could adopt this model by either classifying users based on testing them on their knowledge (take a few web based tests about web security or something, and the ISP will open up more ports/access for you?), or perhaps by basing it on limiting or locking out repeat offenders. Stefan Dorn firewall-wizards-admin () honor icsalabs com wrote on 09-13-2005 07:39:53 PM:
hermit921 <hermit921 () yahoo com> wrote:[snip]On the good side, I have a friend who is almost totally computer illiterate, but has never had a virus or spyware or any other malware. Rule #1: never double click any attachment. If you have to open it,
choose
a program that should open that type of file and do a File -> Open. Blindly following these rules has kept her safe for over 10 years. So
I
know people can learn, at least by rote, regardless of understanding. Rule #2: never use Microsoft software. This probably helps an immense
amount, too.[snip] Your friend could be my wife. WinXP (home edition) for some three years or so. (She *insisted* on having a 'doze PeeCee.) OE was *immediately* removed from the desktop and replaced with Pegasus. IE was *immediately* de-fanged (turned off all the ActiveTrojan stuff), then used to fetch Mozilla. Wife was told "Use this. Use the other only if this doesn't work.") Computer's behind a "firewall router" (configured by your's truly, naturally). Same aggressive mail server filtering rules as at work. I only a week or two ago finally broke down and put AV software on it, because one of her correspondents insisted my wife was sending her infected JPEGs. (She wasn't.) She has had SpyBot S&D for some time, and uses it religiously. It can be done. I've seen it with my own eyes. Jim _______________________________________________ firewall-wizards mailing list firewall-wizards () honor icsalabs com http://honor.icsalabs.com/mailman/listinfo/firewall-wizards
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Current thread:
- Re: The home user problem returns, (continued)
- Re: The home user problem returns R. DuFresne (Sep 13)
- Re: The home user problem returns Mason Schmitt (Sep 13)
- RE: The home user problem returns lordchariot (Sep 13)
- Re: The home user problem returns R. DuFresne (Sep 13)
- RE: The home user problem returns Behm, Jeffrey L. (Sep 13)
- Re: The home user problem returns Mason Schmitt (Sep 13)
- RE: The home user problem returns Jim Seymour (Sep 13)
- RE: The home user problem returns Scott Pinzon (Sep 13)
- RE: The home user problem returns hermit921 (Sep 13)
- RE: The home user problem returns Jim Seymour (Sep 13)
- Mitigating MS risks [Was: home users] Tina Bird (Sep 14)
- RE: The home user problem returns StefanDorn (Sep 22)
- RE: The home user problem returns hermit921 (Sep 13)
- RE: The home user problem returns Paul D. Robertson (Sep 13)
- RE: The home user problem returns Tina Bird (Sep 13)
- RE: The home user problem returns David Lang (Sep 14)
- Re: The home user problem returns Michael Cassidy (Sep 22)
- RE: The home user problem returns R. DuFresne (Sep 13)
- RE: The home user problem returns Brian Loe (Sep 22)
- RE: The home user problem returns Jim Seymour (Sep 13)