Tech Connect: How to survive the Internet jungle

By Mike McKay, vice president and general manager, Keystone IT, Iowa City

Would you venture off into a jungle without knowing where you are going? Would you proceed without tools and weapons?

Would you venture out without the best survival training? Not hardly.

Yet every day business people embark on dangerous ventures with little preparation. They have the naive innocence where everything they see is as it seems - harmless and friendly.

Of course, I am talking about the Internet.

From a business standpoint, the Internet can hold dangers for your business that are just as real as taking a walk into the jungle without taking any steps to ensure a safe trip and return.

Something bad will absolutely happen to you.

To think how really bad, think about losing all your accounting and payroll data. Think about someone getting into your HR files.

Or, how about losing your customer database? An article in The Gazette on Aug. 25 talked about how small businesses are targets of criminals who penetrate their computers and then empty their bank accounts.

These things happen every day.

Let's take a look at some of the infections you can expose your computer to if you are not very careful. First, we have the good old worm.

Nasty worms exist in the jungle and on the Internet. A worm gets into your computer through a compromised application such as Internet Explorer.

It also can get in through an infected email or document. It then copies itself within your computer.

These typically compromise your computer's security, then wreak havoc. A good example of this at the highest level was the Stuxnet Virus that targeted the Iranian nuclear program.

It really screwed things up for the Iranians, setting back their nuclear program considerably.

Then there is the Trojan Horse. This virus gets into your computer by appearing to be something it isn't. Just like a real, biological virus that makes you ill or kills you - think Ebola in the jungle - these make your computer “sick.”

They usually destroy data or install other viruses that let other computers have access to yours. Your computer and your contact list may then be used to infect others.

Or, your computer can become a robot in a large network - a botnet - designed for a denial of service attack on other networks like the Pentagon, a defense contractor, a banking system, etc. The only purpose of these attacks is to shut down Internet access for the target.

A symptom you would see because of one of these viruses is slowness in processing, problems finding things, etc. It is controlling your computer, not you.

A new Mafia-style use for the Trojan Horse has become popular. Like the original Trojan Horse, you open it and your computer is immediately infected.

This virus goes to work taking over the operations of your computer. It usually kills all your security software including anti-virus applications, it encrypts your documents so you can't use them and can do a lot of other damage.

It now owns your computer. To add insult to injury, you get a pop-up that tells you to click and buy some software to “fix” your computer.

Thus, the term for these nasty invaders is “ransomware” - sometimes called “spyware.” However, don't pay the ransom, as you will just reward the thugs for being parasites of the first order.

There are some products you can get from reputable software companies that can help eradicate it. Or, find a good computer shop that has experience in dealing with these things to help you get out of the mess.

There will be a cost to get your computer back, no matter which route you take.

These viruses are spreading and will not be wiped out with a vaccine. I just did a Google search for “free hacking software to download” and got over 30,000,000 hits.

Some of these send you a disk with all the computer tools you need to become a hacker.

So what should you do? Back to the jungle analogy: Be prepared, be observant, be careful, avoid anything you don't understand and follow the rule, “If it doesn't look right, leave it alone.”

A realistic view: assume that at some time you will be hacked and your computer will be taken over. Therefore, always have a very current backup that you can use to reinstall all your data.

Have all of your installation disks for your operating system and your applications ready to use.

Being prepared to start over is much easier on your mind and body than being hit with the cold reality that your computer is now just a big paper weight, and you have no idea what to do next.

So, enjoy all the wonders of the Internet, but be alert.