In today's world, many people underestimate how secure their computers are. Would you go on vacation and leave your windows open? Of course not! Why lock the doors if you are just going to leave the windows open? This obvious, but important concept can also be applied to the use of programs called peer to peer (P2P) networks.
If you or your kids have an iPod, they probably want all the newest and hottest songs, right? Many kids go for the sites that are free and easy to use. These "Peer to Peer" (P2P) Networks, such as Limewire, Junglemonkey, MyNapster, BearShare or WinMX essentially open up your computer to talk directly to other computers, rather than through a web site. Users can "share" music, video, images and other types of files easily and with no cost. Unfortunately, the users of these programs will also have access to any other type of file on your hard drive. That means password files, private documents, bank records, anything on your hard drive is fair game. When these types of programs are downloaded, you are no longer in control of the privacy of your computer.
Many of these applications also will automatically install spyware in the same process of installing the program. Spyware can do anything from allowing pop up banners to occur, track your internet surfing habits, or transmit your personal information to a third party.
Recently, blueprints for Marine One, President Obama's new aircraft, were found in a computer in Iran. These incredibly sensitive and private documents were exposed to the public (and ultimately to a non-friendly country to the US) through the use of a peer to peer sharing network. The private hard drive was exposed to file sharing. A user decided to look at the other files on the hard drive, and somehow those files ended up in the hands of another country.
For our friends and family, if you suspect that your computer has been infected by spyware or you would like to make sure that your hard drive has not been compromised by viruses, trojan horses, or other dangerous programs, contact Jeff or I. We can try to run a system check and clean out any offending programs that you may or may not know about.
Here is the link to the report about the stolen blueprints of Marine One, found in an Iranian computer published on Feb. 29, 2009.
http://www.wpxi.com/news/18818589/detail.html
