While surfing the net at the weekend it occurred to us that nobody had ever truly gone into the depths of Internet security. Why do we have it, why so complicated, what does it all mean etc.? Sure some people have talked about it, yet very few have ever actually done anymore than merely accepting its existence.

ISPreview decided it was high time somebody explained the problems and solutions to the Internets most feared issue, security. A quick tally around our local offices revealed that the majority thought a simple login and password was enough to protect their essential information. Very few even knew what a firewall was and even less understood the meaning of 'ports', generally making the obvious association between those on the back of your computer.

Security, but why?

The chances are if you're the one asking why we need security, then you're the one that needs it most. So first things first, lets try to answer the most obvious question, why do we need it? Imagine the Internet as a house; it has doors, windows and an alarm system. You need a login and password to open the main door, but that doesn't mean to say your windows can't be open or even broken by another. In fact worse still, you could have left the backdoor open without even knowing.

Admittedly if a malicious individual targets your system, then you've likely been involved with some sort of on-line community. Usually chat or discussion groups such as IRC (chat), ICQ (chat) or Usenet (Newsgroups), all primary areas where people congregate. Such systems often make details such as E-Mail, name and IPs open to all. The most worrying thing about all this is that it only takes a single IP (yours) in order to access the system.

Of course security affects the Internet as a whole and not as individuals, your not always at risk directly but also from a far. For example, ordering goods using your credit card over the net is extremely hazardous unless you know what to look for. Internet thieves (hackers if you will) often gain access to such sites in order to steal financial and private details, from there your information can be sold on for profit and financial details used in illegal purchases.

Watching for the obvious

This is the part that takes longest to explain, so please try and bare with us as we'll be suggesting a lot of methods for preventing such security breaches. However there is one important thing to remember, you can NEVER be 100% secure no matter what you do. We can only suggest the best methods for prevention, however even these can't be fool proof.

Online Ordering:

Did you know that big store chains such as Dixons and PCWorld have had their online divisions hacked repeatedly in the past? Countless credit card details have been stolen and the page defaced in often-humorous ways. This goes to show that even the biggest people can be at risk from outside infiltration, no matter how secure.

The best advice that can be given is to always check a 'secure server' for the ordering system is in action. There are many variations of these servers from SSL to standard encryption. The latest ones support 128Bit Encryption and send the data directly to the bank and not to be held on the server, these are the safest but unfortunately people rarely explain which they use. It's always wise to check with the site before you place an order. Another piece of advice is to avoid poorly designed websites; they may have put as little effort into the security as they did the design.

E-Mails:

Hardly used but used none the less, people often use E-Mail to send Trojan horses over the Internet. All you have to do is open the E-Mail and that's it. A Trojan horse is a way of describing a program behind a program. The software could state it is a greetings card from your sister, yet in reality it holds a program that sends your details over the Internet.

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