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Data Recovery Resource

Protection Against Internet Threats

The increase in computer internetworking, with the Internet as a prime example, has created new opportunities for data loss. Network-based data is potentially more vulnerable than ever to viruses, worms, Trojans and hacker attacks, and high-speed broadband internet connections increase the danger by an order of magnitude.

It is therefore a good idea to perform a risk analysis, no matter how unimportant you believe your system to be. List the types of data you have stored on your system, the importance of each, and the threats you perceive to them. This should better prepare you for recognising what needs protecting, and deciding how to protect it.

Some viruses are programmed specifically to damage data by corrupting and deleting files, or even erasing the entire hard disk. Protect against virus-related data loss in the following ways:

• Avoid downloading software from unknown, suspicious or untrustworthy sites
• Immediately delete junk mail and other e-mail messages with questionable subject lines
• Update your anti-virus software regularly
• When in doubt, do not open or execute any files or email attachments that are unfamiliar
• Have a backup plan.

Your private documents and photos, credit card numbers and passwords may be available to anyone on the Internet with bad intentions. While it is possible for a hacker's primary motive to be the destruction of data, it is more likely that this could occur as a side-effect, or to cover tracks. In order to properly protect your data from possible hacker attacks, follow these guidelines:

• Install personal firewall software that will detect and block intruders
• Always keep patches and security fixes from software vendors updated
• Choose a different password for each purpose, keep them secret and change them often
• Sensitive data should be encrypted
• Have a backup plan!