Importance of Protecting Hard Disk against Possible Intruder Attacks

Protecting the hard disk of your computer against possible intruder attacks is very, very important. There are easy steps to ensure this.

 


PC Optimizer PRO

Combination of useful tools

All-in-One system cleaner, which includes registry cleaner, tracks eraser, file shredder. There are also some add-ons, which make the software especially useful - startup manager and built-in backup system. There is also an option to scan PC online. Buy for 29,95 online.

 

Blancco File Shredder

by large security software supplier

Blancco file shredder

While Blancco Lite and Pro are primary for large businesses (company has over 1.5M licensed end-user in various industries), we recommend to try Blancco - File Shredder (buy Blancco File Shredder for $32.45). This tool is a file shredder, which supports shreddering of single files, folders, recycle bin, temporary files and wiping of free disk space.

 

ShredAgent file shredder

with background mode wiping

Shred Agent file shredder

The Shred Agent is so-called "background mode" file shredder. This approach to wiping is more secure and easier to implement in business of any size. With Shred Agent you also can wipe free disk space for selected drives or schedule the wiping on a regular basis.

The professional version of Shred Agent costs $60, but home users for non-commercial application can purchase the tool for $45.

 

WinShredder File Shredder

with system and browser cleaner

WinShredder - file shredder by PCSecurityShield

PCSecurityShield is a well known internet security solutions provider, which focuses on personal privacy and security tools, including antiviruses and online shields.

This is a very nice feature-rich utility that can be purchased for $29.99 in company online store.

 

Max File Shredder

uses 7-pass DOD wiping method

Max File Shredder software

Max File Shredder uses a 7-pass DOD wiping algorithm for both file wiping and wiping free disk space. Also, the program has a "Privacy Guard" options that helps to get rid of unnecessary records in Internet Explorer browser.

The program is available in Max Secure Software online store for $29.95.

 
Learn more about file shredder and disk wipers in our file security blog.

There is no such thing as one hundred percent security, so we all have been told. This is indeed true, to some extent. However, this does not mean that you should just let your guard down that easily. You will still have to do whatever it takes to keep security as efficient as possible. This is especially true when it comes to protecting your computer, particularly your hard disk, from possible intruder attacks.

You may think there is no need to be that protective of your computer or your system. But there is indeed an inevitable need. There are actually many different ways for an intruder to infiltrate your system. But the easiest way to infiltrate one’s system would be through local access. Let us say that you work in an office where there are a bunch of computers hooked up to a single network for your team. All members of the team actually have access to the local drives of all computers hooked up to that network. And it would only be a matter of time for one such member to find reason to access the hard disk of another member through that network. You would not even be given any warning signs for such infiltration. That is, if the perpetrator does not do anything that would give him away, such as delete or modify files in your system. In fact, if you are not careful enough, this violation of your rights can very well go unnoticed.

Fortunately, there are a number of things that you can do to protect yourself. For instance, you can create a password on the configuration of your BIOS. This process would only take a few minutes of your time. What needs to be done here is to press the Esc button, the Tab button, and then the F1 key, or any other key that would give you access to the BIOS configuration. Once you have access, you can then find the configuration menu, where there should be a tab or option on security. Open that tab and proceed to creating a reliable password for your system. Make sure to choose a password that is decent. Do not go for the usual password involving birthdays or anniversaries because they are very easy to crack.

You should also set your system to boot starting from your hard drive. There are times when your system would start booting from drive A or from your CD-ROM drive. This should not be the case at all. This is because the perpetrator could very well be using what is known as a CD-ROM bootable OS, to steal sensitive information from your system. One such bootable application is the Knoppix. Thus, make sure to program your computer to start booting from the hard drive. Make sure to save the changes before you exit your BIOS configuration.

As for the user accounts on your computer, you have to make sure that all administrative accounts come with reliable and strong passwords as well. This way, perpetrators would have a hard time infiltrating your system. The typical operating system from Windows comes with a Guest account. You should also disable this option because culprits can come in the form of guests, and with such an account, they can still find ways to hack into your system.

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