Securing the Door and Locking it Down

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One of the most frequent calls I got during the weekly computer show I produced in Los Angeles was about how to protect one's computer from mischief on the Internet. Denial of Service attacks, Malware, Viruses, phishing, Trojan horses, spyware, browser hijacks, root kits... the list goes on and on. These days, anyone who owns a PC has to either know someone who is an expert in computer security, or, they have to become one themselves. This is largely due to the fact that there is no need anymore to dial in for a connection in our broadband world; our Internet connection is always on. In addition, as such, our computers are always connected to the Internet and always vulnerable. In fact, it is said that an unprotected computer is infected with the Sasser virus within a minute of connecting online.

Picture it. Imagine your computer as your house. Locked up tight, safe and secure. Then, you connect it to the high speed, broadband Internet. Now, imagine that house with all the doors and windows wide open! That is the state of native PC security. However, with a few simple steps, one can lock down access to one's computer while on the net.

Battle Lines
First off, if you have more than one computer, don't use your editing system to surf the net. PCs are cheaper now than ever and devoting a box solely for Internet use to protect your edit rig only makes sense. Admittedly, as online software updates have become the norm, this "second-PC solution" may require more effort than some people will want to spend. Otherwise, you could buy a Mac and cut on Final Cut Pro. It's a fact that only a small handful of viruses have been written for the Mac platform, whereas more than 100,000 have been written for Wind…