Protecting+computer+data

=Protecting Computer Data= =by Shaurya, Oak and sanghyun=

We got to improve our wiki by putting more information and few videos.. Our wiki page seems really empty. Something is really missing out here. Lets get this done fast.

=Introduction= Computer data can be deleted in many ways. Some people just do it for fun but others want to steal your business plans. Since there are so many ways to delete or steal computer data, there are also many ways to keep your computer data safe. This wiki will tell you ways you can protect your computer data from people who can access your computer and the internet.

BitLocker Drive Encryption
To protect your data from people who can access your computer you can use BitLocker Drive Encryption. Unfortunately this is only in the Ultimate and Enterprise version of Windows 7 but if you have one of those you should read on. BitLocker Encrypts the whole hard drive or a partition of a hard drive so that anyone who wants to access anyone the data inside has to type a password or insert a smart card. In this we are only going to talk about password encryption. To encrypt a drive do the following steps:
 * 1) Right click on the drive you want to encrypt.
 * 2) Click on "Turn on BitLocker... (You will need administrator privileges).
 * 3) Click on "Use a password to unlock the drive".
 * 4) Type your password and confirm it.
 * 5) Press Next.
 * 6) It is recommended that you save the recovery key somewhere but it is not required. If you do not save it you will LOSE you data if you forget the password.
 * 7) Click on Start Encrypting.
 * 8) When the encryption is done the hard drive will have a different icon.
 * 9) After restarting you will need to put a password.

Since BitLocker only works on Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise Editions there are many other encryption software. Better software are usually paid but you could find some free software on the internet like File Lock.

Using an Anti-Virus Softwares
Virus is all around the computer world and it is something that we as computer users cannot find easily unless they use other computer softwares which searches for virus. Virus is very harmful to your computer. It can delete whatever data of yours and it can also take out all the contacts and information that you have in your laptop. Virus is a dangerous thing which can totally ruin your computer and ruin your life. Due to virus, you as computer users should always have softwares which will catch virus for you and remove the virus. One of the best software for catching virus is the anti- virus software. Anti-virus software is something which every computer user should have it in their computer. Also a lot of browsers like Firefox 4 scans the file when it downloads but to be extra secured, you should always ahve anti-virus software which would double check for virus. There are lots and lots of anti-virus softwares on the internet however, they are usually not for free. If you are a person who are really worried about virus in your computer but a paid anti-virus. Virus is something you can get it from downloading a file, entering a site, playing online games or opening up a strange mail and accepting the mail by clicking the link or downloading something that is in the mail. One thing as internet users have to do is not to click on whatever. They have to be extra careful on what they are doing on the internet. Internet is the source of virus. We internet users should not enter just any sites and download whatever files. Even if the internet user have anti-virus software they shouldn't be taking riskes of downloading When you download a file it could contain a virus. A virus can delete all your data on your laptop and can also send itself to all your contacts. When all your data gets deleted it is very annoying so you should always have an anti-virus software. A lot of browsers like Firefox 4 already scan the file when they download it so you don't have to worry but in case they miss a virus your anti-virus would detect it. There are many anti-virus software on the internet but most of them are not for free.

Firewall
Firewall is not the samething as an antivirus software so don't only depend your PC on firewall. If your computer is usually connected to the internet you should use a firewall. Firewall is a software or hardware that checks the information that comes in to the PC from internet or a network. When it checks the information, it either allows blocks or allows the information to pass depending on your firewall settings. A firewall helps the computer to prevent hackers or malicious software such as worms from accessing computer through a network or through internet. Firewall can also help stop your PC from sending malicious software to other computers.

Backing Up Data
Data can be deleted any time for any reason so it is important that you back up your data regularly. If you lose all your data you can use the back up copy to get it back. You should back up your data on a hard drive that you do not use for anything else because backups can take up a lot of space. If you backup your data and you do not want anyone to get it you must keep your hard drive safely because if someone gets your backup they can access all your data. Also, computers can crash at the most unexpected times. If a computer crashes and you don't have a recent backup you could lose a lot of data.

Password Protect Network
If you have a wireless network or a network made by your computer you should password protect it. Sometimes people put easy password because the passwords have a limit like they have to be 5 or 13 character. You should think of hard password so nobody can access your network unless you want them to access. If you can't think of a password than download a program like password generator. It can generate hard passwords for you which are impossible to guess. If someone can access your network they can delete all your data or steal it.

Disable Auto Logon
In some computers as soon as you turn them on you don't need to type a password. You should always have a logon password so that if anyone turns on your computer they can't use it. If you leave you computer logged on you should shorten the screensaver time and change the settimgs so that it locks the computer when the screensaver comes on.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/bitlocker [] [] []