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140 Village Shopping Center
Westminster, MD 21157 (410)- 848-7100
File Sharing
Computing technology allows not only
users in a PC workgroup or domain to share files with its own users, it also
allows internet users to share files that are either housed on their individual
computers or on servers.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) applications,
such as those used to share music or video files, are some common uses of
file-sharing technology, but these P2P applications introduce security risks and
may even put your information or your computer at risk.
What risks does
file-sharing technology introduce?
How can you minimize these
risks?
For more information regarding
information file sharing and the risks of exposure, please visit
United
States Computer Readiness Team
Printer Sharing
Sharing printers over your home
PC network, can make it easy for everyone to share one printer and reduce
expenses of having to supply a printer to each user.
But, if your network is on high
speed DSL, Cable or other broadband service for internet, you should know before
opening up your printer port to your local clients that connection may (in doing
so) expose your network to outside attack due to built-in vulnerabilities in
file and printer sharing.
There are some things you
should know first, that can help secure your home network or business network
from invasion.
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When you enable file and printer
sharing in windows systems, you need to be sure your file shares use
strong passwords for authentication.
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Leaving password fields blank is an
open door straight to your PC network, and should never be considered to be
a good policy.
Establish security before creating shares
Recommendations
If you tele-commute use your
employers security guideline as a start for setting up security for your
home system.
Use virus protection software
Use a firewall
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Network firewalls (whether software or
hardware-based) can provide some degree of protection against attacks
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No firewall can detect or stop all attacks, so it’s
not sufficient to install a firewall and then ignore all other security
measures.
Don't open unknown email attachments
If you must open an attachment before you can
verify the source, we suggest the following procedure:
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be sure your virus definitions are
up-to-date
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save the file to your hard disk
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scan the file using your antivirus software
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open the file
Don't run programs of unknown origin
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Never
run a program unless you know it to be authored by a person or company
that you trust
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Don't
send programs of unknown origin to your friends or coworkers simply
because they are amusing -- they might contain a Trojan horse program.
Disable hidden filename extensions
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Windows operating systems contain an option to
"Hide file extensions for known file types"
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The option is enabled by default, but you can
disable this option in order to have file extensions displayed by
Windows.
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After disabling this option, there are still
some file extensions that, by default, will continue to remain hidden.
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There is a registry value which, if set, will cause
Windows to hide certain file extensions regardless of user configuration
choices elsewhere in the operating system.
Keep all applications, including your operating
system, patched
Turn off your computer or disconnect from the
network when not in use
Disable Java, JavaScript, and ActiveX if possible
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Be aware of the risks involved in the use of
"mobile code" such as ActiveX, Java, and JavaScript.
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A malicious web developer may attach a script
to something sent to a web site, such as a URL, an element in a form, or
a database inquiry. Later, when the web site responds to you, the
malicious script is transferred to your browser.
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The most significant impact of this vulnerability
can be avoided by disabling all scripting languages.
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Turning off these options will keep you from
being vulnerable to malicious scripts. However, it will limit the
interaction you can have with some web sites.
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Many legitimate sites use scripts running
within the browser to add useful features.
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Disabling scripting may degrade the
functionality of these sites.
More information on ActiveX security, including
recommendations for users who administer their own computers, is
available in
http://www.cert.org/archive/pdf/activeX_report.pdf
Disable scripting features in email programs
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Because many email programs use the same code as web
browsers to display HTML, vulnerabilities that affect ActiveX, Java, and
JavaScript are often applicable to email as well as web pages.
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Therefore, in addition to disabling scripting features
in web browsers, we recommend that users also disable these features in
their email programs.
Make regular backups of critical data
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Keep a copy of important
files on removable media such as ZIP disks or recordable CD-ROM disks (CD-R
or CD-RW disks)
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Use software backup tools if
available, and store the backup disks somewhere away from the computer.
Make a boot disk in case your computer is
damaged or compromised
Use virus protection software
- Couri Technology recommends the use of
anti-virus software on all Internet-connected computers. Be sure to keep
your anti-virus software up-to-date.
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