Security begins at home
For many out there this is the Back To School season, which can also mean deciding what kind of computer to get for school-bound family members. With a new OS update on the horizon for both Windows and Mac, the inevitable comparative security debate is filling blogs and news sites all over the world.
In the end, the security question is sort of irrelevant when deciding which kind of computer to buy.
The big question is still this: What are you going to be using the computer for?
Is little Johnny or Susie going to be using a computer in school? If so, what kind is in use in their school district? Will this machine instead be used by a someone going to college who’ll need it for Video/Picture/Audio manipulation? Graphic design? Perhaps a Mac would be the best choice. Will it be used primarily as a game platform, once homework is done? Windows will give you a lot of popular game options, and word processing is a pretty basic option on any OS. Studying for a CS degree? Again, it may be that Windows is the preferred choice.
Perhaps this machine will be used for web-browsing, email and IMing after homework. Both Windows and Mac have these things thoroughly covered, so we have a different question to ask: Will the person using this machine need someone to show them how to use it and/or do periodic maintenance? Would you be able to help, or would they have to take it to a repair shop each time a mysterious error message pops up or they need a new app installed? Perhaps you should choose the OS you’re more familiar with, to save the added hassle and expense of taking it to a repair shop.
At this stage of the game, there are two basic things which will have the biggest effect on the security of any desktop/laptop machine:
- Application/OS vulnerabilities
- Social engineering
No OS is completely immune from application or OS vulnerabilities. The response of the vendor is the biggest consideration and arguably at this point the major players aren’t leaving actively attacked holes open for extended periods of time. With a firewall and anti-virus software in place, the average user will be reasonably safe. (If your machine should be armored like Fort Knox, obviously “reasonably safe” won’t be sufficient, but that’s another story)
So, what’s left at that point is social engineering. No amount of OS security or security products will prevent you from putting your home address, phone number, credit card information, etc. out on a website if you’re truly determined. Malware does not have to be prevalent to be dangerous - if you’re the only person in the world who got targeted and your machine is compromised in some way, it’s still a big deal to you personally. People still need to be aware and proceed carefully regardless of what kind of machine they’re using.
contents
- Antivirus tips
- Antivirus tips (McAfee)
- Dr.Web LiveCD usage
- Disabling System Restore
- Computer infection features
- Best Practices - Internet Safety
- Anti-Spyware / Malware / Hijacker Tools
- Internet Searches - Be careful what you ask for
- 13 Ways to Protect Your System
- Wireless Security - 10 tips to secure your laptop
- Security begins at home
