Is it safe to have internet in a workstation?

[dsquirrello]

Well as you can see this is a very easy question, but a need qualified opinion from users since i´m in doubt about this particular subject, so is good to have internet in the computer I that i use to work or is better to have another one just for internet? or maybe depends on the firewalls? i don´t really know please help

 

[carrr]

Totally depends on what you do while on the Net. If you risk a lot of exposure, then you up your chances of bringing crud into your pc environment. I use the same machine for internet and work, but I'm almost certifiable in my diligence when it comes to sweeping my machine and screening what I download. If you've got a good firewall, sweep regularly for scumware, maintain a good AV routine, and routinely click NO on all the crap that asks to come on board and booger up your machine, then I would say "Yes," it's safe to have internet access on your workstation. Just back up everything you don't want to lose regularly and be careful who you let on the machine...

 

[joejava]

goto

http://www.dslreports.com

and find the section where it will look for security holes on your internet connection. That will let you know if you have something inadvertent opened up. I assume you do not have any web servers on the workstation. Code Red and now SQL slammer certainly point out the wisdom of not having software like that (read MS unpatched) open to the internet. These are the types of obvious things DSL reports will find for you.

also follow the advice above about keeping off crud and having a good anti virus routine going

 

[franklin97355]

Go to Steve Gibson's site

http://www.grc.com

for more info on protecting your computer if connected to the net. Have a good firewall if you plan to connect to the net, one of my friends had just hooked his computer to the net and within half an hour someone was snooping at his doorstep. (he had zonealarm and it let him know)

 

[fluxvoovoo]

Run a good firewall to keep out intruders. As far as Virii go, I personally use an e-mail program called Pegasus Mail. It is a freeware program that can be downloaded here:

http://www.pmail.com

It has a selective download feature that allows a good look at what is waiting for you on your mail server before downloading. And the program itself is not anywhere near as vunerable to the VBS virii that are such a nuisance to users of outlook and outlook express. The only virus I have ever caught was the lame "happy 4th of july" a few years back. And it didn't hurt anything (actually it was kinda pretty)and I do NOT run an A.V. program in the background at any time. Every now and then I do go to:

http://www.housecall.antivirus.com

where I run their free online scan. Of course using the selective download I am careful what I do recieve, being wary of attachments especially those with a ".exe" file type.

 

[Grenage]

If your internet is coming through a router/firewall onto the network then configure the firewall as you wish, having an application such as zonealarm on the local machine is handy to stop things going out (or in if you dont have a hardware firewall).

Keep your Anti-virus definitions up to date, and as said above run spyware searches on a reguar basis.

And of course if you're using windows, make use of the internet connection to keep your system up to date with patches and service packs.