The NCSA Guide to PC & LAN Security

Chapter 2: Security Solutions

This chapter is about: Basic Concepts & Techniques

This chapter also makes some suggestions as to how you can use security resources which you may already have, or which you can acquire at little or no cost, to give you a head start in securing your personal computer facilities. Some of the suggestions are less than elegant, but then again they won't break your budget. The point is, you can get a lot of security from knowing how personal computers work and applying a good dose of common sense when working with them. Security is as much a question of outlook as it is of outlay. There is no point spending money on security measures if you do not use them, and there is no better place to start than by using the resources that you already have.

Personally, I am finding that Altavista is the best search engine for finding security related information on the Internet. You may want to spend some time with the Help section, particularly the section on limiting searches to specific URLs, and so on. But with the entire Web indexed and ready to search, Altavista is the first place I turn when I want to research something, and NO, they don't pay me to say this.

A site you might not think of visiting for security information is MasterCard which offers some excellent explanations of public key cryptography in the PDF document called SETBUS.PDF. Why? Because this is "key" to the Secure Electronic Transaction or SET standard for secure transactions. Here are some general lists of security links:

• NCSA's own Hotlinks -- most security vendors are here.
• Internet security -- a bit old, but some good sites.
• Handy source of general security info, from Seven Locks.

• Chapter 1. Security Matters: Assessing the problems, threats, and issues
• Chapter 2. Security Solutions: Basic concepts and techniques
• Chapter 3. Security Planning: Risk analysis and security policy
• Chapter 4. Secure Hardware: Defending and insuring equipment
• Chapter 5. Secure Power: Spikes, Sparks, and Electrical Threats
• Chapter 6. Secure Sites: Defending sites and systems
• Chapter 7. Secure Access: Controls, passwords, and encryption
• Chapter 8. Secure Data: Backup, backup, backup
• Chapter 9. Secure Code: Defeating viruses, worms and other malicious code
• Chapter 10. Secure Software: Piracy, bugs, and other "soft" threats
• Chapter 11. Secure Networks I: Generic network defense
• Chapter 12. Secure Networks II: Protecting name brand networks
• Chapter 13. Secure Communications: WANs, remote access, and the Internet
• Chapter 14. Secure People: Hacking and ethical issues
• Chapter 15. Security in the Future: How to become and remain secure
• Appendix A: Threat List
• Appendix B: A Brief Guide to Batch Files
• Appendix C: Computer Security Policy
• Appendix D: Notes on EMR
• Appendix E: Export Restrictions on Encryption
• Appendix F: Further Resources
• Appendix G: Glossary
• Appendix H: How Public Key Encryption Works
• Appendix I: Introduction to LANs
• Appendix J: Securing Safe Software
• Appendix K: Appraising Microsoft AV