Unfathomable Unnecessary Software

Welcome to my Week 6 post!

How much of the software on your system do you regularly use?  Chances are, there are programs the system manufacturer added before you bought it.  A term for this type of program is Bloatware.  However, you might have willingly installed something just as useless on your own.

Software that is never or rarely used can make your system more vulnerable to an attack.  Almost every piece of software has a flaw of some type that is an entry point for a malicious user.  Uninstalling that software removes any possiblity of exploiting those vulnerabilities.

So, first things first...what do you have installed on your computer?  If you don't know, that's a good place to start.  Since the majority of computers are running some version of Windows, this will be geared towards them.  If you are running another OS from Apple or a *NIX variant, the methodology still applies but you'll need to do more research on the actual process.

To start off, you need to know what you're dealing with.  In newer versions of Windows, you'll b looking for "Apps & Features", which is located in the Settings menu.  The quickest way to access this menu is to click this icon:

Then click the All settings button:

In the Find a Setting text box, start typing "uninstall," and your search results will populate.  Once you have results, select Programs and Features.  Doing this will bring up a list of programs installed on your system.

Now you need to start looking through the list.  What programs are on the list that you don't recognize?  You can either make a list of what you don't know, or you can start researching them as you go down the list.

For instance, I have a program called ETDWare X64 15.7.0.1_WHQL published by ELAN Microelectronic Corp...no idea what this is!!!!  Time to pull off some Google-Fu!  When I start looking into this mysterious program, the first hits from Google are for a site called www.shouldiremoveit.com.  According to this site, this is program that allows my laptop touch pad work.  I don't think I'll be removing it.

I recommend that you keep moving down the list and research everything you don't recognize.  Even if the program is legitimate, you might still not want it.  My system came preinstalled with some trial versions of software I had no intention of using, such as movie or music players.  These were some of the first programs to disappear from my system.  I recommend you do the same thing, your computer will thank you.

REFERENCES:
https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST15-003
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2966113/windows-pcs/bloatware-what-it-is-and-how-to-get-rid-of-it.html

Elusive Encryption

Most likely, you've had something go wrong with a hard drive turning it unusable, at least temporarily.  Maybe your operating system was corrupted in some way, but you still had data on the drive you needed/wanted.  If you had the availability, you removed the drive and put it in another system to pull the data off before reinstalling your system.  Time consuming but easy, right?

As easy as that process is, it is just as easy for someone with malicious intent to steal your data by physically taking the drive.  Yet, there is a way to protect it.  For this week 5 post, I will be talking about encrypting your data in order to safeguard it.

One method to safeguard your data is to use whole disk encryption.  This is most commonly used on removable media such as a flash drive, but can be applied to your internal (laptop or desktop) hard drive(s).  When the drive is encrypted like this, you will be prompted for a pass phrase each time it is plugged in and/or turned on.  The pass phrase is the key to unlock the system and allow it for use.  Without it, the hard drive is just a fancy paperweight.  One drawback of using this method is the time it takes for the initial setup, which can last several hours depending on system performance.  Another drawback is security while in use.  Once the pass phrase is entered and the drive is unlocked, it can be accessed by other users on the network or locally on the system.

You can use file encryption to protect specific files on your system.  File encryption works in pretty much the same way as the whole disk method, but is very focal on what is encrypted.  Protecting financial, medical, or other private data should be the main focus.  Your iTunes library should be protected just fine without encrypting each MP3.

Using these methods together is a great way to protect your data while at rest.  But what about in transit via e-mail or other transportation methods?  While it can take sometime to set it up, it could be worth it to use a secure messaging program called Pretty Good Privacy (PGP).  PGP can be integrated into different web-mail programs, like with the Chrome plug-in.

There are many different options for each of these methods, so it's best to do some research to find out which one will work best for you.

As always, thanks for reading!

References to checkout:
https://www.symantec.com/content/en/us/enterprise/white_papers/b-pgp_how_wholedisk_encryption_works_WP_21158817.en-us.pdf
http://lifehacker.com/five-best-file-encryption-tools-5677725
http://lifehacker.com/how-to-encrypt-your-email-and-keep-your-conversations-p-1133495744
http://encryption-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
http://www.howtogeek.com/200113/htg-explains-when-should-you-use-encryption/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2025462/how-to-encrypt-almost-anything.html
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2013/jun/06/laptop-encrypt-personal-data
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy
https://www.comodo.com/home/email-security/free-email-certificate.php

Baffling Backups

Welcome to Week 4!

Our assignments this week are all related to contingency planning.  This got me thinking about what to do for your home network that most people don't, backup your data.

Most operating systems have built in backup/restore programs, but there are many third-party programs as well.  Just like my recommendation last week for antivirus software, do your research and go with the option that works best for you.  I'm not here to tell you which program to use, just some methods to getting the job done!

If you are new to the backup game, here is some terminology to help you get started:

- Full backup - this is pretty self explanatory.  This will make a full and complete copy of all data to an alternate media.  Because this is the most complete type of backup, it is also the fastest in terms of recovery time.  Unfortunately, because the data is completely copied, it takes the longest to complete.

- Incremental backup - this backup type will only copy data that has changed since the last backup.  This is accomplished by comparing file time-stamps.  This process enables these backups to be run very quickly and are smaller in size.  When restoring, these backups follow the full in the order they were taken in to make sure the most up-to-date data is restored

- Differential backup - this backup is similar to the incremental with one difference; the differential backup copies all changed files since the last full backup.  As these backups are performed, they eliminate the need to restore the last differential.  This reduces the restore time, but increases the time and space needed to preform the backup.

Now that you know the terms, you need to set your schedule.  When I was a system administrator responsible for backups, I ran the following schedule:

- Friday - Full Backup
- Saturday and Monday through Thursday - Incremental Backup

Just because I was backing up on a good schedule, doesn't mean everything was great.  In the 2 years at that job, I only had to run a restore once...and fortunately for me, it worked.  My main failure was that I didn't test my own product.

Backing up data is useless if the restore doesn't work.  If you are backing up daily or weekly, validating your data will restore properly should happen every month or two.

The last point I'd like to make is about storing your backups.  Ideally, you should be able to store your backups in a different location than where the data is processed.  For home data, some possibilities are at a friends or family members house, a bank safe deposit box, or a cloud-based service.  If this is not possible for you to do, storing the backups in a fireproof safe (or similar product) is the next best thing.

Now, stop reading this and backup your data!


Some pages to reference:
http://searchdatabackup.techtarget.com/feature/Full-incremental-or-differential-How-to-choose-the-correct-backup-type
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/back-up-files
http://www.techradar.com/us/news/software/applications/best-free-backup-software-11-programs-we-recommend-1137924
http://data-backup-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-outstanding-linux-backup-utilities/

Vexing Virus Protection

Hello reader!  Welcome to my week 3 post.

To stay on track with general computer/network security, this week I'll be talking about virus protection.  Although Windows comes with the built-in Windows Defender, there are companies whose sole purpose is the development of antivirus and security software.

I'd like to take a moment to add a disclaimer here...I am not recommending for you to use any specific product.  What I am recommending you do is this...research your options, and decide for yourself what product fits your needs.

So, with so many products to choose from, where do you start?  There have already been several reviews for the best product of 2016.  Those links are below and a great place to start.

There are a variety of free and subscription based software to fill your security needs.  But here's the kicker...just installing it isn't enough.  You need to update the software frequently, at least once a week.  Also, you should be scanning your system on a scheduled basis just in case something slips by the active defense.

While malicious software still has the potential of getting past antivirus (most likely because of a previously unknown threat), not having any protective software installed opens you to everything!  Imagine your home without locked doors (or doors at all) to keep people out.  Honest people wouldn't dare enter without your knowledge, but the world isn't filled with only honest people.

Hopefully, this information nothing you will need.  This isn't groundbreaking, but unfortunately, I think too many people use the free 6-month trial version of software they get with their new PC and don't want to pay to renew it, so they use the outdated signatures and call it good.

Friends don't let friends surf the Internet without protection...get some antivirus!

http://www.top10antivirussoftware.com/shortened-link
http://www.techradar.com/us/news/software/applications/best-antivirus-10-programs-on-test-924608
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-antivirus,review-2588.html
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372364,00.asp - Paid Antivirus List
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388652,00.asp - Free Antivirus List