Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook

So you have a firewall. How do you know that the firewall is working properly? Here’s a terrific resource for checking your firewall strength: GRC Shields Up! The site has been around a long, long time (I remember it waaaay back about 6 years ago now! Maybe even older!). I rely on it to tell [...]

Every computer should have an anti-virus software program running, as well as a firewall. Back in the early days of the Internet, before baddies like trojans, worms, and viruses were invented and dispersed, security wasn’t much of an issue. But as with all things, people have taken the benefits of technology and have twisted them [...]

Gone are the days when you could just connect your computer to your Internet connection and let ‘er rip. Viruses, worms, trojans, and malware are circulating on the Internet, seeking an open door or window (commonly called ports for computers) or an unsuspecting user who will download a file, open an email, or visit a [...]

I got my first laptop, an HP Pavilion, in 2003; it came pre-loaded with Windows XP. I made the mistake of connecting it to the Internet BEFORE turning on Windows Firewall. (Oddly, Windows Firewall was turned off by default– DUH!). While downloading Windows updates the first few minutes of using the laptop, I was hit [...]