Business is looking up, and you are finally saying goodbye to that old PC you have been using for the past three or more years. You get your new machine, and you can hardly wait to get it out of the box, connected and get on the net to see how much faster this are with the new hardware, but is your new system ready for the internet? I mean, sure, you have a web browser (probably Internet Explorer) and you have a virus scanner, so you are ready to go, right? No, you are not - not yet, anyway.  Let me explain.

Ready To Go
Most people assume that when you open that new PC you are ready to go, that you have all the latest and greatest patches and there is no software or hardware configuration needed. In a perfect world or one where you work with a VAR (Value Added Reseller – and this is just one of the places where the value is added to the purchase), your system would be complete and up to date as of the date it was boxed. Well, as you may guess, this world is far from perfect. Unfortunately, when you buy a PC from an electronic superstore, warehouse club, mail order giant or Joe (you know Joe,, he is the guy who build the PC’s in his basement or garage), you get just what they got on the OEM CD from Microsoft, or the image they blasted from a ‘Ghost’ of a hard drive. These setups are almost as good as a default install of any software, and you know how good those are (if not, check any of my articles about NOT doing a default software install).

60 to Zero in 30 minutes or Less
That’s what it takes, 30 minutes or less and your brand new computer will be turned into a large pile of parts that is as slow (and possibly slower) than your old PC. But how can that be? Well, industry analysts say that it takes only 20 minutes for an un-patched and unprotected computer to be attacked once connected to the Internet. We wanted to test this, so we loaded a computer with an active (and up to date) virus scanner and a standard firewall. We then installed Microsoft SQL Server 2000 without patches (yes, I knew what I was doing). Bing, bam, boom – 20 minutes later, I had a machine that was infected with the SQL Slammer virus. Luckily, I was ready to unplug the unit from the network, but my intelligent switch saw the activity on that port and partitioned the unit and removed it programmatically from the network. This does not include anything that may be new out there. As you can see, it takes very little time to turn your new PC (or any PC for that matter) into a zombie.

How Do I Protect My Investment
If you are like me, you bought the computer for you to use, not for someone else to track your internet movements, send you ads, use your hard drive and bandwidth to trace, track and take control of other computers. Malware and Spyware applications and utilities are everywhere. These pieces of code can be used to steal passwords, credit card numbers, etc. Often times, you will download these when you get a ‘free’ utility or game. You would be surprised what you agree to in the license agreement, but in some cases the people who send these programs to your computer are so unscrupulous they do not even tell you they are installing these Malware / Spyware programs, they simply install it in silent mode, and your compute gets slower and slower, day by day. PC’s that have been compromised by Virus, Worm, Trojan and Malware infections can be found everywhere, in homes, businesses and government offices. You must follow one simple rule; do not assume your new (or old) PC is safe. Instead, assume you are not safe and be ever vigilant. Once you have the correct mindset, you can easily follow these next steps to keep your computer safe.

8 Simple Steps for PC Safety and Productivity
There are many things you can do to make sure you are safe. Make sure your system is running the latest and greatest patches for the operating system and your applications. Equally important, make sure your applications work with those patches, i.e. Windows XP SP 2 did not work with many applications. It will with most now, but you should still check before you upgrade. Virus scanning is a must, just as having a firewall is important. Windows XP SP2 has a firewall built in, but most experts agree that while it is better than no firewall at all, it is not as good as most third party firewalls. Spyware detectors / removers are very important as well. SpyBot Search and Destroy is one of the best, and it is free. Microsoft has one too that purportedly will be free for home users and is available for business too. It became a Microsoft product when Giant Software’s offering was acquired. So How about a check list:

1. Install Antivirus Software
2. Keep Antivirus software updated – daily
3. Install a firewall
4. Disable default file sharing
5. Create a host file to block access to know Malware and pop-up sites
6. Keep your Windows software updated
7. Install at least one Anti-Spyware program
8. Keep that Anti-Spyware program up to date and run it daily (assuming it does not have an autorun option

Following these steps will keep your computer as safe as possible. If you have other computers at home or the office, make sure they are safe too. If you have an IT department, make sure they get a copy of this article. The information contained here will ultimately make their job easier and keep the office enterprise clean.

How can I get more information on this subject?
You can get more information about this subject? Well if you have support with us, ask us. Often times we will have additional suggestions should you have an infestation. The software vendors’ (McAfee, Symantec. Microsoft and others) web sites and knowledge bases can be a wealth of knowledge as well. If you have questions or comments about this article, contact me. (JohnBoline@hagerman.com).

All product names / logos, company names / logos are copyrights of their respective holders. John Boline is an MCSE, CNE, USE and a member of the Network Professional Association. The content herein is often based on late-breaking events. Much of the material is based on information from sources that are believed to be reliable. Hagerman & Company, Inc. disclaims all warranties as to the ultimate accuracy or completeness of the information. Hagerman & Company, Inc. and its employees shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained within this article or for any interpretations thereof. The recommendations, positions and best practice policies outlined herein represent Hagerman & Company, Inc. initial analysis and therefore are subject to change as further information which may have bearing on these positions is made available. The reader assumes sole responsibility for the selection of these materials to achieve its intended results. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Entire contents © 2004 Hagerman & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden.