Chapter 11. They Couldn t Hit an Elephant at This Distance


Chapter 11. "They Couldn't Hit an Elephant at This Distance"

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." The last words of Major-General John Sedgewick, shot dead in front of his troops while defiantly strutting around in plain sight of the enemy line, berating their shooting abilities.

Complacency in home security is dangerous. A little hard work (and humility) can go a long way toward making yourself less of a target. Securing your home network does not have to be complicated. We have given you 10 solid tips for what to do, and most of them are pretty straightforward.

As a final note, it is important to understand that security threats and security tips are not a one-to-one mapping. In other words, each security tip helps protect against multiple types of threats. As well, each threat sometimes takes more than one security tip to protect yourself against it.

It is a bit like your home security. Locking the front door protects you against home invaders, trespassers, and people stealing your wallet and your DVD player. However, you also need to lock the windows, the garage, and maybe install an alarm system.

Home network security is the same. Threats can enter your computers in multiple ways. All 10 security tips that we have presented here work together in concert to protect against many types of threats, and you should follow all 10.

Table 11-1 shows how the different security tips relate to several common threats. The table shows both which threats a security tip helps protect against and which security tips are needed to protect against a specific threat.

Table 11-1. Threats and Tips


As one example, let's consider computer viruses. The obvious security tip to protect against this threat is to install and use antivirus software on your computers. However, as discussed in Chapter 3, "Tip 3: Use Antivirus Protection," antivirus software is not 100-percent effective. We also need firewalls to prevent intrusions and to block malicious programs from accessing the Internet. Keeping the operating system updated also reduces the holes in the software that a virus can exploit. Common sense can help prevent you from opening that e-mail containing the virus in the first place. And, if all else fails, having a backup of your computer can save your butt when all lines of defense have failed and the virus wrecks your computer.

So, please follow all 10 tips. If you do, you will not be bullet-proof, but at least you will be as secure as someone can be without spending a ton of money (and much more secure than the average Internet user).

We leave you with a final thought. There's a joke that goes something like this:

Two guys are out walking in the woods and they come across a pretty angry bear. One guy freezes; the other starts lacing up his running shoes. His friend stops panicking for a minute and asks, "Why are you doing that? Do you really think you can outrun a bear?" The other guy says, "I don't need to outrun the bear. I just need to outrun you."

Home network security is no different. Lace up your shoes.



Home Network Security Simplified
Home Network Security Simplified
ISBN: 1587201631
EAN: 2147483647
Year: N/A
Pages: 130

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