Image by explainthatstuff via Flickr

______________________

See that line? Looks pretty thin, doesn’t it?

As thin as it is it’s wider than the space between the read/write head and the platter inside a standard, non-solid-state, hard drive when the drive is running. Called the flying or floating height as well as the head gap, the distance is measured in the millionths of an inch. Compare the common head gap of .5 microinches with the width of a human hair at over 2000 microinches.

There’s a lot of good general knowledge about hard drives on the internet so I don’t want to reiterate everything they have to say here. If you’re interested in learning more, a good place to start is this article at PCGuide.

What I would like to pass along are some tips on handling a computer keeping the above information in mind.

• Do not move a tower computer while it’s running. You might get away with a very small movement but even that risks causing the read/write head to crash into the platter, a phenomena those of us who worked with computers 30 years ago referred to as a head crash. That’s far worse than a software crash or blue screen. You can’t reboot or reinstall your way out of a head crash. Once the head touches the platter, especially if that meeting is violent, the hard drive is destroyed. You’ll be lucky to retrieve any data off that drive.
• When moving a laptop, do so as gently as possible and move it as short a distant as necessary. Many modern laptops have a locking mechanism connected to an accelerometer that can detect abrupt movement and lock the head in place to prevent head crashes. Older laptops lack this hardware, and a sudden movement can be just as disastrous as I mentioned above.
• Dust particles, including smoke particles, are larger than the head gap. Keep your computer and the area around it as dust free as possible. Use canned air to clean out the dust from inside your computer tower at least once a month, more often if you keep it in a place prone to dust buildup or around pets.
• Remember that vibrations from the floor near your computer can be just as detrimental to your hard drive as moving the computer itself. As much as possible restrict heavy walking and running and jumping kids from the vicinity of the furniture holding your computer. If you need to move your desk or do anything else that might cause your computer to suffer abrupt movement, turn the computer off. This will park and lock down the heads.
• Many hard drives in the 500 GB range and above contain multiple disks. The heads travel in between these platters. The risk of a head crash increases with the increase in the number of platters.

There are many reasons to treat your computer, whether tower or laptop, gently. The above are only a few.

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Did you realize that failing to keep your electronics clean could actually impact your security?

Back in the ’70s I was fortunate enough to work in both law enforcement and national intelligence. Both taught me that often the most useful intelligence or evidence comes from the most mundane sources. This was in an era when electronic door locks were the height of technology. We would frequently amuse ourselves by guessing the passcode of a door based solely on the wear pattern of the keys.

People tend to be unaware of just how often they type their password (and too many people only have one password for all their online activities) every day. On light-colored keyboards, the keys used most often become more soiled and more worn than other keys. On dark-colored keyboards, the most used keys become shiny. By looking for the most worn, dirty and shiny keys on a keyboard, I can get a reasonable idea of which keys you use to type your password. This method isn’t foolproof nor does it guarantee I would be able to guess a complex password based on which keys were used the most, but it does provide a means of making it easier for me to reconstruct your password.

Users of the iPhone and iPod touch that password protect their devices have a similar problem. The face of the device retains finger impressions clearly visible on the glass. We know that iPhone passwords are 4 characters long, and by seeing where the fingerprints on the glass face line up with the “enter password” screen, we can pretty easily determine which 4 characters are being used. All we have to do then is try various combinations until we get the right one.

I’m not sure that cleanliness is next to godliness, but I can say that electronic cleanliness is a good security practice. Clean off your keyboards with a paper towel slightly dampened with alcohol every day. Wipe off the face of your iPhone or iPod with a lint-free or microfibre cloth daily.

Don’t let dirt compromise your security.

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Hardware drivers are programs, bundles of code that tell one machine (usually a computer) how to interact with other machines like printers, cameras, scanners and monitors that connect via a port on the computer.

One of the reasons Windows takes up so much room on your hard drive (Vista requires about 4GBs of disk space to install) is that Microsoft has tried to include many drivers for common hardware in the operating system. This means that when you plug your new monitor in, Windows will most likely have a driver available for it already available. Windows will search its installed driver database and apply the most appropriate one. It may not be the best driver for your device. We’ll get to that in a moment.

A common frustration with other operating systems like Macintosh and Linux is that quite often the best drivers are not available for those systems. Writing driver software is hard work, so it’s often performed only for the most popular operating system. Usually the code is propriatory. This means coders who want to write drivers for the Mac or for Linux can’t access the driver application in order to adapt it to a non-Windows system. Mac and Linux users are often forced to use generic drivers that don’t provide the functionality that drivers written for Windows do.

Many devices require specific drivers in order to access all their functions. Extra buttons on a mouse won’t work with generic drivers. Multi-function printers need a driver that tells the computer how to use all its functions. Generic drivers or drivers provided with Windows are usually not specific enough to get full use out of your hardware.

This is why I recommend checking, every six months or so, with the device’s manufacturer for the latest driver specific to your device. Go to their website and look for a “Downloads” or “Support” section. You should know your device’s exact model so you can download the driver best suited to your hardware. Most drivers download as executable files (.exe) that you simply need to click on after downloading. They’ll install the drivers and any additional software your hardware needs to function properly.

There are times you’ll need to reinstall drivers. You may get a new computer you want to use your current printer with or you may want to use your camera with your laptop. Maybe Windows just lost track of your device’s driver, or you’ve had to reinstall Windows and now need to reinstall all your hardware drivers. Sometimes you can’t even use your computer until you install the correct driver especially in the case of monitors or ethernet cards. You’ll need to use another computer to download those drivers and transfer them to the computer that needs them.

My suggestion is to buy a USB memory stick. A 2GB stick would likely work, but with prices low these days why not pick up a 4GB stick so you know you have enough space for all your drivers. Use a silver Sharpie to write “drivers” on it so you know it’s your driver storage device. Then download all the latest drivers onto it. Keep it in a safe place where you can find it when you need to install a driver onto your computer. Every six months or so update the drivers on your USB stick.

Using this tip can prevent a lot of frustration the next time you need the best driver for your hardware.

I was just reading a post to Friendfeed that reminded me of my intention to pass along a simple tip that has saved me hours of frustration.

That post addresses a box of keys. Many people have them; a box of keys from ages past that no one has any idea which locks they go to.  When I first conceived this tip I was thinking of the many chargers we accumulate as we add more and more electronic gadgets to our lives.

How many of these things are floating around your house? I must have ten or more. The worst thing is that they are all far too similar. The only differentiating factor is the tip, and that usually doesn’t suggest a specific piece of electronics. Does it go to my old PDA or my new cordless razor?

They often don’t have a name brand on them, that would be helpful. And you can’t simply plug them into the wall then into a gadget to see if it powers up. Get the polarity wrong and you could fry a valuable device.

So whether you have a box of miscellaneous keys or a dozen no-name chargers, here’s a simple and inexpensive way to keep track of where all these things go and what they belong to.

The metallic silver, fine point Sharpie.

On every charger in my house is written the device it goes to in silver Sharpie. Even chargers that carry an identifying brand I write the exact device it powers. You may have to write small, especially on keys, and you may have to renew the label every so often, but seeing a charger with “SamCellPhone” written in silver on the plug-in means I don’t have to try and read the “Samsung” embossed on the side.

Silver Sharpies are great for writing on any dark object. Just please, don’t be tempted to use it to write your universal password on the bottom of your laptop for easy reference.

Microsoft has introduced a new way to analyze your system for issues and offer advice for correcting them.

With one click, Microsoft Automated Troubleshooting Services will detect problems on your machine and automatically fix any common problems that are found. Check back often as we are adding new Fix it diagnostic solutions all the time!

New diagnose and repair solutions

• Windows Vista Aero Glass visual effects are not working
  Automatically diagnose and repair problems when the visual Aero Glass effects, themes, and transparencies are not working on your computer.
• Printing problems and printing errors
  Automatically diagnose and repair when you cannot print, or for problems installing a printer, connecting to a network printer and related errors.
• Your CD or DVD drive cannot read or write media
  Automatically diagnose and repair problems with your CD or DVD drive when trying to read or burn media in Windows Vista.
• Hardware devices not detected or not working
  Automatically diagnose and repair problems when the device manager does not detect your hardware, audio, USB and other devices, or when your devices are disabled or not working.
• Problems with sound and audio or no sound
  Automatically diagnose and repair problems with sound and audio on your computer or when your computer does not play sound.

(Note: You can only run this using Internet Explorer 7 or 8. It does not support Firefox or other non-MS browser.)

(Thanks to Greg Duncan and Corrine at Security Garden for the link)

Surely by now you’ve heard of the potential threat by the Conficker.B worm. Here’s what Microsoft has to say and what they suggest to avoid infection and what to do if you think you may be infected.

Aliases:
TA08-297A (other)
CVE-2008-4250 (other)
VU827267 (other)
Win32/Conficker.A (CA)
Mal/Conficker-A (Sophos)
Trojan.Win32.Agent.bccs (Kaspersky)
W32.Downadup.B (Symantec)
Confickr (other)

Worm:Win32/Conficker.B is a worm that infects other computers across a network by exploiting a vulnerability in the Windows Server service (SVCHOST.EXE). If the vulnerability is successfully exploited, it could allow remote code execution when file sharing is enabled. It may also spread via removable drives and weak administrator passwords. It disables several important system services and security products.

Microsoft strongly recommends that users apply the update referred to in Security Bulletin MS08-067 immediately.

Microsoft also recommends that users ensure that their network passwords are strong to prevent this worm from spreading via weak administrator passwords.

How do I know if my computer is infected?

System Changes

The following system changes may indicate the presence of this malware:

• The following services are disabled or fail to run:
Windows Update Service
Background Intelligent Transfer Service
Windows Defender
Windows Error Reporting Services

• Some accounts may be locked out due to the following registry modification, which may flood the network with connections:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
“TcpNumConnections” = ”0×00FFFFFE”

• Users may not be able to connect to websites or online services that contain the following strings:
virus
spyware
malware
rootkit
defender
microsoft
symantec
norton
mcafee
trendmicro
sophos
panda
etrust
networkassociates
computerassociates
f-secure
kaspersky
jotti
f-prot
nod32
eset
grisoft
drweb
centralcommand
ahnlab
esafe
avast
avira
quickheal
comodo
clamav
ewido
fortinet
gdata
hacksoft
hauri
ikarus
k7computing
norman
pctools
prevx
rising
securecomputing
sunbelt
emsisoft
arcabit
cpsecure
spamhaus
castlecops
threatexpert
wilderssecurity
windowsupdate

Recovery Instructions

Microsoft strongly recommends that users apply the update referred to in Security Bulletin MS08-067immediately.

To detect and remove this threat run a full-system scan with an up-to-date antivirus product such as the Microsoft online scanner (http://safety.live.com). For more information, see http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/vista.mspx.

Note: Computers infected by Conficker may be unable to connect to web sites related to security applications and services that may otherwise assist in the removal of this worm (for example, downloading antivirus updates may fail). In this case users will need to use an uninfected computer in order to download any appropriate updates or tools and then transfer these to the infected computer.

Microsoft Help and Support have provided a detailed guide to removing a Conficker.B infection from an affected computer, either manually or by using the MSRT (Malicious Software Removal Tool).

For detailed instructions on how to manually remove Conficker.B, view the following article using an uninfected computer:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/962007 – Virus alert for Win32/Conficker.B and manual removal instructions

Additional information on deploying MSRT in an enterprise environment can be found here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891716 – Deployment of MSRT in an enterprise environment

Preventing infection

Take the following steps to help prevent infection on your system:

• Enable a firewall on your computer.
• Get the latest computer updates for all your installed software, including Security Bulletin MS08-067.
• Use up-to-date antivirus software.
• Use caution when opening attachments and accepting file transfers.
• Use caution when clicking on links to web pages.
• Protect yourself against social engineering attacks.

(Source-Microsoft)

No matter how conscientious you are, no matter how much physical security you provide for your laptop (or your desktop) the fact remains that the possibility of your computer being stolen is real. Once your computer has been stolen, there’s usually no way to determine if the data stored on your hard drive has been compromised or not. You may be among the lucky ones to have their stolen computer returned and still be the victim of data theft.

The easiest way to prevent a thief from making use of the data on your computer is to encrypt the data itself, or make the data invisible to anyone but yourself.

Here’s what Microsoft recommends for users of Windows XP…

This article describes how to encrypt a folder by using Encrypting File System (EFS).

Encryption is the process of converting data into a format that cannot be read by others. You can use EFS in Windows XP to automatically encrypt your data when it is stored on the hard disk.

The EFS feature is not included in Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.

NOTE: You can encrypt files and folders only on volumes that use the NTFS file system.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
2. Locate and right-click the folder that you want, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, click Advanced.
4. Under Compress or Encrypt attributes, select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box, and then click OK.
5. Click OK.
6. In the Confirm Attribute Changes dialog box that appears, use one of the following steps:
   • If you want to encrypt only the folder, click Apply changes to this folder only, and then click OK.
   • If you want to encrypt the existing folder contents along with the folder, click Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files, and then click OK.

The folder becomes an encrypted folder. New files that you create in this folder are automatically encrypted. Note that this does not prevent others from viewing the contents of the folder. This prevents others from opening items in the encrypted folder. For example, if another user attempts to open a Microsoft Word document that has been created in the encrypted folder, the following message appears:

Word cannot open the document: Username does not have access privileges
(drive:\filename.doc)

If another user attempts to copy or move a document from the encrypted folder to another location on the hard disk, the following message appears:
Error Copying File or Folder

Cannot copy Filename: Access is denied.

Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected
and that the file is not currently in use.

(Source-MS kb 308989)

Encrypting a file or folder in Windows Vista is even easier, provided you have either the Business, Enterprise or Ultimate version installed. Users of Vista Home Premium or Basic will need to find an alternate method, which we’ll get to shortly.

In Vista…

To encrypt a folder or file

1.Right-click the folder or file you want to encrypt, and then click Properties.
2.Click the General tab, and then click Advanced.
3.Select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box, and then click OK.

NoteThe first time you encrypt a folder or file, you should back up your encryption certificate. If your certificate and key are lost or damaged and you do not have a backup, you won’t be able to use the files that you have encrypted.

To decrypt a folder or file

1.Right-click the folder or file you want to decrypt, and then click Properties.
2.Click the General tab, and then click Advanced.
3.Clear the Encrypt contents to secure data check box, and then click OK. (Source-Windows Help & How-to)

Since not everyone runs Windows, let’s take a moment to see how this is done on a Mac.

Encrypted data is thoroughly scrambled and can be unscrambled only with the correct password. The best encryption methods—known as strong encryption —make it essentially impossible to decrypt data, no matter how much trickery or brute force the thieves use.

Encrypted folders are particularly good if you carry your data around on a laptop. In the office, you can often copy confidential files to a secure server, and you have other security tools (like locked doors and server-based backup systems) to protect your data. When you’re carting your livelihood around in a shoulder bag, you’re better off building the security into it.

Fortunately, Mac OS X has some powerful built-in encryption tools. It has included FileVault—which encrypts your entire Home folder—since version 10.3. But few Mac owners use FileVault, and security experts agree that it’s overkill, because it’s clunky and less than foolproof, and because it’s kind of silly to encrypt all your music, photo, and video files along with your truly confidential documents.

Your Mac also includes a less blunt instrument: Disk Utility. With it, you can create encrypted disk images that act (in most respects) like regular folders, except for one big difference—they won’t mount unless you supply the correct password; when unmounted, they’re digitally scrambled. You can even set up such an encrypted folder to open automatically (with a password) whenever you restart or log in to your Mac. You can then put only the files you really need to protect into that encrypted folder, while leaving your iTunes and iPhoto libraries, browser cache files, and less sensitive documents alone.

Here’s how to create such a folder and set it to open only with the proper password. (You must be running OS X 10.4.)
Create your disk image

First, launch Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities). Choose File: New: Blank Disk Image. Choose a maximum size for your folder; I use 4.7GB, so even if I fill up the disk image, I can still burn it to a DVD-R. Under Encryption, choose AES-128 (the only encrypted option). From the Format pop-up menu (near the bottom of the New Blank Image dialog box), choose Sparse Disk Image. Give your encrypted disk image a name in the Save As field, and choose a storage location on the hard disk. I called mine Cryptobaby.sparseimage and saved it in my Documents folder. When you’re done with all of that, click on the Save button.

Now it’s password time. When the Authenticate dialog box appears, choose a password. Many of us choose bad passwords—we use obvious words or number sequences that anyone with a bit of patience, intelligence, and password-cracking software could figure out.

That’s why you should press the key button next to the Password text box. Doing so will summon Apple’s Password Assistant, which will help you generate a good, strong password. In the Type menu, select Memorable (it uses combinations of words, numbers, and punctuation that are relatively easy to remember). You can create shorter or longer passwords by adjusting the Length slider; longer passwords are, obviously, more secure. If you don’t like the password in the Suggestion box, click on the down-arrow button to see more. Password Assistant will rate each suggestion in its Quality bar. You can provide your own passwords; Password Assistant will tell you what’s wrong with them in the Tips box. If you absolutely must, write down the password and store the paper in a secure place away from your laptop; otherwise, commit it to memory. Remember that if you lose the password, you’ll lose the data in the folder.

Once you’ve picked a password, verify it in the Verify box, deselect the Remember Password option, and click on OK. Disk Utility will save your new disk image wherever you specified, with the name you supplied.

Test your new disk image by double-clicking on it and supplying the password. It should appear as a new disk in the Finder sidebar, just like any other drive or removable disk. The only difference is that when you eject it, the disk image file remains on your hard drive, though no one can read or mount it without the password.
Encryption in action

Now that you’ve created your folder, it’s time to put files in it. Since it’s a working folder, not an inactive archive, you’ll be adding files to it all the time. Perhaps you just need to protect certain project folders; in that case, those are the only ones you need to copy into your disk image. Subfolders are fine; you just want to make sure you have everything you want to protect, and nothing you don’t, in one place. Once you’ve figured out which files to include, just open your new disk image and copy them into it.

Check that everything works. Eject and try to remount the virtual disk. Log out and back in. Open the files you copied into the virtual disk, to make sure they work properly. Once you’ve confirmed that your data is safe yet accessible, you can erase the unencrypted originals (or keep backups somewhere else). Choose Finder: Secure Empty Trash to make sure they’re really gone.

For maximum convenience, you can add the encrypted disk image file to your login items. That way, it’ll open and be available whenever you launch OS X. To do so, choose System Preferences: Accounts and select the Login Items tab. Click on the plus-sign (+) button, select the disk image, and click on Add. (You could also just drag the file from the Finder into the Login Items tab.) Now, whenever you restart or log in to your account, your Mac will ask for your decryption password; once you supply it, the virtual disk will mount. If you choose not to enter the password, you can continue working without mounting the disk image. If you do mount it, you can protect your files by ejecting it at any time—such as when you put your computer to sleep or step away from your desk.

Finally, make sure that whatever backup system you have includes your encrypted disk image, and that those backups are stored off-site. (Source-Derek K. Miller/macworld.com)

Encryption on a Gnu/Linux system is usually rather easy to accomplish but the methods change based on which version of which distribution you’re using. For that reason I won’t try to cover each method but will instead refer my Linux readers to this Sourceforge article.

For those running a version of Windows that doesn’t provide built-in encryption there are applications available online and in stores that will allow you to encrypt your files and folders. In some instances these applications are better than the options built into Windows. Some offer stronger encryption than provided by the operating system. For the most part these are shareware, programs that cost money to download and install, though some may offer free trial periods. If the data on your computer is sensitive enough to demand high security, I’d recommend a commercial product designed for just that task.

Following are a few examples of shareware applications:

New Software’s Folder Lock (free trial, $39.95 to buy) With Folder Lock, you can choose either to encrypt using 256-bit AES on-the-fly encryption or lock files, folders and drives anywhere on your computer. Each Locker can contain your encrypted files as well as your personal list of locked items.

Furthermore, Folder Lock’s options like hack monitoring, stealth mode, data shredding, history cleaning, auto protection, portable USB autoplay feature & virtual keyboard can enhance data security beyond anything ever achieved. In addition, a locker’s delete, move and rename are password protected to prevent data loss.

SecureIT Encryption Software 3.1.8 (free trial, $29.95 to buy) Cypherix’s Secure IT 2000 is a simple, easy to use, 448 bit encryption program that protects all your files and folders. Features Blowfish Encryption, a powerful, customizable file shredder, a Secure e-mail module and full command line support. Encrypts and protects daya on all media whether floppy disk, removable hard drive, zip drive or tape drive. Runs on all 32-bit/64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows.

Dekart Secrets Keeper 3.11 (30 day free trial, $24.00 to buy) File encryption software that combines hardware and biometric authentication with 256-bit AES encryption to protect users’ important documents and files on hard drives and portable media. With Secrets Keeper, companies eliminate data theft possibilities while meeting federal compliance regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley, GLBA, HIPAA. Tailored to satisfy an increasing global demand for encryption of endpoint equipment, such as desktop PCs, notebooks, USB flash drives, and different portable storage devices, Secrets Keeper ensures data security without long deployment procedures or personnel training.

None of the above software has been personally tested and I cannot vouch for their usefulness. They are provided solely as examples. Explore at your own risk.

One last suggestion on this topic for today.

One of the easiest and least expensive methods of file and folder security these days is to use a USB drive to store all your sensitive documents and audio/video libraries. Don’t even put these items on your hard drive. Entrust them to a USB drive and with the drive removed and safely in your pocket, no sensitive data is on your computer for anyone to steal. Remember, USB drives have a finite life, just so many read/write cycles. So be sure you have backup copies of anything stored on a USB drive.

Recently, on another blog, I posted a couple of stories about the increased risks computers and networks face from external penetration. Whether this is being done by the government or the hacker down the street, it’s an unwelcome violation of your right of privacy.

I’d like to share what I’ve learned working for both Gateway computers and D-Link help desks. Because I’m blogging from work, I’m going to break these tips into small blocks. Each tip is independent from the others, so don’t hesitate to put one tip into practice while waiting for me to post the next. I hope to post one a day until done.

A wired network, one which has ethernet cables running from the modem to the router and from the router to each device connected to the network, is inherently secure. Only someone with physical access to a computer wired to the network can gain access.

Wireless networks, on the other hand, are inherently insecure. Anything sent over radio waves can be intercepted. For this reason security specialists advise us to never conduct banking or shopping transactions that involve sharing our credit card number or other sensitive personal information over a wireless or cell phone or over a wireless network.

Yet there are a few simple steps that we can take to provide a modicum of safety for both our home or small business network and the computers we connect to that network wirelessly.

Security settings on a wireless router are hardly ever set up by default. You have to go into your router’s settings and make a few changes to ensure that no unauthorized computers can access your network or the other computers on the network.

The username and password you need to access your routers settings will vary from model to model. If you’ve forgotten yours, this list may help. Because those are so well known to everyone, the first step we want to take is to change the default router settings.

Open your browser and type in the address bar the IP address of your router. It’s usually 192.168.1.0 or 192.168.0.1. Check your router’s documentation if you aren’t sure, or try a couple of variations (192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.0) until you get a log in window. Here’s where you enter your username (admin, root, etc.) and the default password. The first page you see will most likely be the general settings page. Look for the router’s IP address (the same one you typed in the address bar).

We’re going to change that to a less popular private IP. It has to be an IP address not used on the internet. So it has to be either 10.x.x.x, 172.x.x.x or 192.x.x.x. For this example we’ll use 172.16.1.1. Enter the new IP address in the box where the old one was and select “apply”. Now look for the router password. Change this to a password you think up. Now reboot the router (there should be a button that will do this for you or you may have to power off the router for 15 seconds then power it back on.)

Once the router reboots, to access the configuration utility again you’ll have to enter the default username (most routers won’t let you change this) and your new password.

In the next few posts we’ll continue to secure your router, then move on to securing your laptop.