Re: Best place for a password?

From: Richard S. Westmoreland (richardsw_at_suscom.net)
Date: 10/01/04

  • Next message: Rob Slade, doting grandpa of Ryan and Trevor: "REVIEW: "Biometrics for Network Security", Paul Reid" 
    Date: Fri, 1 Oct 2004 07:29:45 -0400

    "t. wise" <terwise111@yahoo.com> wrote in message
    news:C-udnTFuVPF1PsHcRVn-vg@adelphia.com...
    > Under WinXP, I can set a password for my user account, in which case I'm
    > prompted for the password about halfway through the boot-up process ... or
    I
    > can set a password through my BIOS, in which case I'm prompted almost
    > immediately.
    >
    > Is one a better way to secure my computer from prying eyes than the other?
    >

    Why not use both?

    One protects your machine from hands-on tampering.

    The other protects your machine from remote tampering, via network.

    And like Stephen Howard replied, you could use encryption to secure your
    data in case your hard drive is stolen or your network password is cracked.
    But even that isn't perfect, because if you're actively using your computer,
    that data is being decrypted while you're using it.

    So my additional suggestion is to install a personal firewall product, like
    ZoneAlarm or Sygate, and make sure your NTFS permissions are all in order.
    Wouldn't hurt to turn on some auditing (don't over do it!) so in case
    someone IS accessing your files, you have an audit trail to track them down.

    Rick

  • Next message: Rob Slade, doting grandpa of Ryan and Trevor: "REVIEW: "Biometrics for Network Security", Paul Reid"

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