VBNET
FAQ



Protect your computer


The following should be used as guideline information and as a jumping point to your own research. There are a number of other solutions available and you may turn up other ways that better serve your protection needs.



VBNet bears no responsibility and offers no technical support for the following information. The following is designed to educate users on our network to best utilize their Ethernet/Internet connection with the least amount of worry.



LIGHTNING PROTECTION
It is HIGHLY recommended that you protect your computer by surge protecting all lines that can carry electricity. A little known fact: Electricity can jump through the Ethernet cable and telephone lines where they attach to your computer, so just protecting the electrical outlets won't provide optimum safeguards against lightning.

Surge protection can be classified as:

  • Good: Surge protection strip, no Ethernet or telephone line protection
  • Better: Battery Backup, no Ethernet or telephone line protection
  • Best: Battery Bckup, plus Ethernet and telephone line protection


      • Of course, the absolute safest way to protect your computer during a lightning storm is to unplug any lines that attach your computer or other equipment to the walls.

      Surge protectors can be found at computer stores, office supply stores, and online. The following links go to some of the most popular providers of surge protectors.

      www.apc.com
      www.tripplite.com - good source for Ethernet/telephone line protectors
      www.belkin.com
      www.minutemanups.com



      ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
      Everyone has heard horror stories about viruses corrupting data, or worse, entire operating systems. Downloads using peer-to-peer software and e-mail attachments are favorite avenues of viruses/trojans to invade computers.

      There are quite a few very robust anti-virus solutions available online the days. We're pretty impressed with a free (for non-commercial use) product called Avast! Free Anivirus, which offers comprehensive real-time protection for web, P2P, network, filesystem and more. Highly recommended!



      FIREWALL SOFTWARE
      Firewalls are essentially designed to keep intruders out of your computer. There are any number of ways to gain access to an unprotected computer, but one of the best safeguards against outside intrusion are Firewalls-- both hardware and software.

      The following information centers on software solutions and are for some of the more common programs available:

      www.zonelabs.com - Zone Alarm, Free software for personal use
      www.symantec.com - Norton Personal Firewall



      SPYWARE/MALWARE REMOVERS
      Spyware or Malware is software put on your machine without your knowledge, usually by other, presumed legitimate software. A favorite practice of peer-to-peer software producers is to add other software that often times is installed to your computer without your approval. Sometimes this additional software can cause configuration issues or worse.

      The following companies provide free malware scanning and removal tools:

      www.malwarebytes.org - Anti-malware, Free for personal use
      www.lavasoftusa.com - Ad-Aware, Free for personal use



      MISCELLANEOUS
      There is a wealth of information out there and this page only scratches the surface. Other topics you might bear in mind that may require some additional research include the following:

      • File and Print sharing should be turned off or at the very least password protected if sharing folders or hard drives. Others online can potentially see your computer if you have this function turned on. To disable, research the topic online and follow the directions. In general, under network settings, look for File and Printer Sharing and disable or remove it.
      • Keep your security patches updated, especially for Windows operating systems and Internet Explorer. To do this, in Internet Explorer, look under the Tools menu and choose "Windows Update".
      • Other niche software designed to address less malicious items such as dealing with e-mail spam, cookies and how to block them, and getting rid of those annoying pop-up ads.
      • Use a common sense approach to keeping your computer protected and you should have a safe, productive time using the Internet and your computer. Enjoy!