Analyzing Your Computer's Security

Most people think of security in terms of protecting a computer and the information stored on it against attacks by malicious programs such as viruses and malicious people known as hackers. Windows Vista is the most secure Microsoft operating system to date. It helps you protect your computer from these and other external threats with a number of built-in security features, including:

• Windows Firewall, which helps you prevent unauthorized transmissions to and from your computer.

• Windows Defender, which helps you detect software that might pose a potential threat to your privacy or your computer.

• Windows Security Center, which monitors the types of protection on your system.

• User Account Control, which requires specific acknowledgment and an administrator password when accessing settings that could disrupt your computer or affect its users.

• Windows Update, which makes it easy for you to ensure that your computer has the latest security tools.

Any computer that is connected to the Internet, whether full-time or intermittently, is exposed to the risk of attack. This risk should always be taken seriously. You can protect your system in the following ways:

• Work behind a firewall. If you have a direct Internet connection, the firewall that is built into Windows Vista forms a secure bridge between the external Internet and your computer. If you are working on a home network, your firewall might be installed on the computer that controls communications between your home network and the Internet. If you're working on a domain, the firewall is a secure bridge between the Internet and your organization's intranet, to which your computer is connected. In all cases, the firewall protects your computer from intrusion.

  Windows Vista includes Windows Firewall, a program that protects your computer from initiating or receiving unauthorized external connections, such as those attempted by certain kinds of computer viruses. With Windows Firewall, the only connections that can be made to your computer are those either initiated or approved by you.

  Windows Firewall is turned on by default for all users and all connections to your computer, including local area network (LAN), Virtual Private Network (VPN), and dial-up connections. Windows Firewall settings are controlled from the Windows Security Center. You can make changes to the configuration of Windows Firewall for your own user profile without affecting other users' configurations.

• Protect your computer with Windows Defender. While you are connected to the Internet, malicious software (malware) and spyware might try to install themselves on your computer. They can also be attached to CDs and DVDs. Once installed, they can harm your computer or steal information, either immediately or at a future time. Windows Defender, which comes with Windows Vista, helps you protect your computer by alerting you when an installation program starts, or when a program tries to run itself or change your settings.

  As with a virus-protection program, you can use Windows Defender to scan your computer for suspicious software, either manually or on a regular schedule. It can quarantine or remove any malware or spyware it finds. It is important to keep the Windows Defender database of the software you don't want on your computer up to date, because Windows Defender uses this database (which consists of files called definitions) to identify the software. Fortunately, you can rely on Windows Update to automatically update the Windows Defender definitions.

• Install all available security upgrades. Use Windows Update to automatically keep your Windows Vista computer up to date with official Microsoft-issued product updates and Windows Defender definitions.

  See Also

  For more information about Windows Update, see "Updating Windows System Files" in Chapter 1, "Getting Started with Windows Vista."

  
  

• Use third-party antivirus software. Select a program that monitors your hard disk drive and external drives, as well as all incoming and outgoing files.

• Never open unidentified e-mail attachments. In particular, don't open any files that have an .exe extension.

  See Also

  For more information about e-mail security, refer to Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Step by Step or Windows Vista Step by Step, Deluxe Edition by Joan Preppernau and Joyce Cox (Microsoft Press, 2007).

  
  

• Regularly check Windows Security Center. You can make sure all your computer systems are set for optimal protection in this one handy location.

In this exercise, you will examine your Windows Firewall setting options. Then you will explore and modify the Windows Defender options. Finally, you will view the status of your computer's protection against unauthorized external connections, viruses, spyware, and other threats. There are no practice files for this exercise.

1.	In Control Panel, click Security, and then click Security Center. Windows Security Center opens.
2.	In the left pane of the Windows Security Center window, click Windows Firewall. Windows Firewall opens. [View full size image]
3.	Read the information about your current Windows Firewall status, and then click Change settings. In the User Account Control dialog box, if you're logged on as an administrator, click Continue. Otherwise, enter an administrator password, and click OK. The Windows Firewall Settings dialog box opens, displaying the General tab. If your computer is connected to a domain, the settings might be unavailable (gray), indicating that firewall policies are controlled by the domain administrator.
4.	Read the descriptions of the three basic options: On (recommended), Block all incoming connections, and Off (not recommended). Unless you have another firewall protecting your computer, the On option should always be selected. Before you use an unsecured or otherwise risky connection (such as a free Internet connection in a public location), return to this dialog box and select the Block All Incoming Connections check box. Tip Clicking the Tell Me More About These Settings link at the bottom of the tab displays the Understanding Windows Firewall Settings topic in Windows Help And Support. You can find further information about Windows Firewall here.
5.	In the Windows Firewall Settings dialog box, click the Exceptions tab. Then scroll the Program or port list to see the basic exception types, noting which items are selected. You can specifically allow external communications by certain types of programs by selecting the corresponding check boxes on this tab. When Windows Firewall prompts you to allow or deny a connection from a program you are using, connections that you allow are selected here. (And you can reverse your selection from here.) You can add a specific program or the port it uses to the list, and you can specify whether the program or port is unblocked for external communications with any computer, only the computers on your network, or only specific computers. (If you play interactive Internet games, you might find it necessary to unblock a specific port.)
6.	Click the Advanced tab to display a list of the network connections currently protected by Windows Firewall. You can select each individual network connection to be protected by Windows Firewall. If you are concerned that your firewall protection might be compromised by settings you've changed, you can restore the default Windows Firewall settings at any time.
7.	In the Windows Firewall Settings dialog box, click Cancel. Then close the Windows Firewall window.
8.	On the Start menu, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Defender. Windows Defender opens. [View full size image]
9.	On the toolbar at the top of the window, click Tools. The Tools And Settings page opens. [View full size image] From this page, you can control the way Windows Defender works and monitor the software running on your computer.
10.	In the Settings area, click Options. The Options page opens. [View full size image] From this page, you can control the frequency and type of automatic scanning, the actions taken by Windows Defender when encountering a suspicious item, the real-time protection in effect, and other options.
11.	Scroll the page and notice the available options. Then in the Automatic scanning area, set the frequency and time for automatic scans to occur, select whether to perform a quick scan or full-system scan at that time, and click Save. In the User Account Control dialog box, if you're logged on as an administrator, click Continue. Otherwise, enter an administrator password, and click OK. It is a good idea to keep the default setting to automatically scan your computer, but you can change the frequency and approximate time when you want the scans to take place to match a time your computer will be available.
12.	In the Security window, click the Check this computer's security status task. Windows Security Center opens, displaying the status of the four security essentials. [View full size image]
13.	Make sure that all four settings are set to On. If any are not, click the corresponding Find a program button to locate and install the missing security application.