Safeguards from hackers invading your computer

Competitors or hackers can use the Internet to get at data on your hard drive or company server.

TCP/IP is the language of the Internet.  This network protocol specifies how data-be it a Webpage, e-mail or downloaded file-must be formatted, addressed, transmitted and received.  It also enables the sharing of files and printers between computers.  Under the right circumstances a determined hacker can exploit this capability, reading, changing and deleting files on the hard drive or server it targets.

You can not do much to safeguard the data you entrust to a remote server, but you can takes steps to protect the data on your own PC.  If your computer stands alone, not connected to any LAN, all you have to do to prevent this invasion is to disable all file and printer sharing.

Right-click on the Network Neighborhood icon on your desktop and select Properties 

Select the Configuration tab

Then File and Printer Sharing button.

Clear the two checkmarks in the next dialog and click OK.

or

Start, Settings then Control Panel

Network Icon  double click

Configuration tab

Click on File and Print Sharing

Clear the two checkmarks in the  dialog: "give others access and allow others"

and click OK.

If you do share information across a LAN, either through dedicated or Dial-Up Networking (DUN) connections, locking out hackers is more complicated.  You can't disable all file and printer sharing, because that would prevent you and others on your LAN from sharing resources.  But if resource sharing across your LAN is accomplished via the NetBEUI protocol, you can prevent sharing via the TCP/IP protocol.

On the configuration tab you may have noticed a list of installed network components.

Scroll through the list in search of entries that begin with TCP/IP->   followed by the name of an adapter.

Highlight each in turn, and click the Properties button on each

and then the Bindings tab.

Ignore any warnings suggesting you make changes via the Dial-Up Networking folder.

Clear the two checkboxes: Client for Microsoft Networks   and   File and Printer sharing for Microsoft Networks

and Click OK.

If a warning message appears, asking if you would like to bind a driver......Click NO

If you use TCP/IP even for local sharing, you have to leave sharing via TCP/IP enabled.  But there are several other things you can do to block outside access or make such access futile.

One, assign passwords to all shared disks, folders and printers by right-clicking on each one, selecting Properties,then Sharing tab.

For Printer,

Enter an appropriate password and click OK.

For a drive or folder,

Windows lets you grant any of three access types: 

Read-only

Full  (read and write)

Depends on Password.   This selection lets you specify two passwords: one for read-only access, the second for full access

The actual access granted depends on which password the remote user knows and enters.