Why Would You Do That?
SHA Newsletter: Vol 1. No. 13

Why Would You Do That?

I have acquaintances who decry the immunization of children and refuse to get their kids shots for measles, mumps, whooping cough and polio. These parents think immunizations are the cause of problems from infections to autism. Besides being false, such a course leaves children exposed to nasty, debilitating illnesses with lifelong consequences. It hurts the kids, and it hurts everyone around them. Why would they do that?

Nearby, there’s no fluoride in the city water. Someone decided that fluoridated water is a health hazard, despite decades of evidence that fluoride prevents cavities. When it comes up for a vote, a majority votes to keep fluoride out of the water. Why would they do that?

I saw an advertisement in a magazine offering a carton of a new brand of cigarettes. Not a pack, but a carton – enough, I figure, to get someone addicted to tobacco. Considering all the publicity linking cigarettes to cancer (much of it even provided by tobacco companies), it would be foolish to send away for a carton if you weren’t a smoker. Why would you do that?

I think you get the point. Why would you do something if you knew ahead of time that you would almost certainly be hurt by it and regret your action later?

The same is true when we try to use our computers today on the Internet. While your computer is probably in a private spot in your office or home, it’s exposed worldwide as soon as you set up an Internet connection. I’ve even read about experiments at NASA to set up an internetwork connecting spacecraft with researchers on Earth. Someday, a computer orbiting Mars could conceivably connect to your computer, unless you protect it.

So why would you NOT protect your computer? Because, I’ve discovered, it’s harder than it used to be. In the not too distant past, you purchased anti-virus software, or an anti-virus and firewall program to be protected further. Today you have many choices for protection programs that can overlap and sometimes cause trouble themselves. So here are some keywords to watch for when you shop.

Anti-Virus
This is software that scans files on your computer for malicious programs that can destroy data. Generally, antivirus programs also scan incoming email and Web downloads too.

Anti-Spyware
This generally refers to software that identifies, blocks, or removes programs which try to collect data about your computer, your Internet usage, or your identity.

Anti-Spam
This software works with your email program to identify or delete unsolicited email that you receive. Some programs work by checking lists of known sources of spam; others work by identifying patterns in the text of the message. These programs can be controversial because they can prevent you from getting email messages you need.

Firewall or Internet Security
These generally describe programs that block access to your computer from other computers on the Internet. The best firewall programs also prevent your computer from accessing the Internet unless you specifically want them to.

Privacy Guards
Programs described as “privacy” programs do various things to safeguard identifying data about you, such as your name, address, and account numbers. These programs can do any or all of the following things:

• Manage passwords you use online
• Manage and secure account numbers you need
• Block Web sites from placing cookies on your computer
• Redirect the communication between your computer and a Web site to hide the Internet address from which you are browsing.
• Encrypt email messages you send using special “encryption keys” that prevent anyone but the intended recipient from reading the message. This software also prevents someone else from sending messages that they claim are from you.
• Remove images, programs, and cookies your browser downloads from Web sites

Parental Controls
Software to prevent your computer from browsing to inappropriate Web sites. Usually this is used to protect children from adult content on the Web, hence the name. These programs are controversial because you do not always have full control over what is considered inappropriate.

Password managers
Programs to keep track of your online account passwords and to keep other programs from reading them on your hard disk. Some of them can fill in forms for you when you visit a Web site.

System maintenance and problem recovery
These programs provide you easy ways to do many useful tasks, including these;

-- Fix problems with your hard disk and improve disk performance
-- Correct errors in the Windows Registry and similar problems
-- Securely erase files so that they cannot be recovered
-- Read your hard disk by disk track, and not file-by-file
-- Change the size of your hard disk. Programs that do this are called partition editors.

Backup
There are various programs for backing up data, either by copying files or by saving a complete image of your hard disk.

Why Is It So Hard To Get (and Stay) Protected?

Publishers of these programs have begun to package them together into protection suites. The names of the programs don’t always make it clear what kinds of protection you are buying. On top of this, computer makers sometimes include these programs when you buy your computer. So you might end up having two or more programs doing the same job and conflicting with each other.

Recent versions of Windows include firewall protection, and (through updates) some small measure of anti-virus protection. Microsoft has also released a beta-test version of an anti-spyware program. Other operating systems also provide tools in various ways.

More and more ISP’s are including protection for viruses and spyware as part of their Internet service.

So it’s not too surprising to find yourself overloaded when you get to the store. But don’t let that daunt you. Now that you know what to look for, you can protect your computer.

Please note: Any trademarks and trade names of others mentioned in this message are the property of their owners, and not Stoney Hill Associates, LLC. We respect the intellectual property of others. The information provided is believed to be reliable, but we cannot guarantee that the procedures and information given here will work correctly for your specific situation.

If you would like help with a computer or software problem you face, contact us. Send an email to request@stoneyhillassociates.com.

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