Secure Your Home Computer and Router. Windows 7 Abbreviated Version. LeRoy Luginbill, CISSP

Transcription

1 Secure Your Home Computer and Router Windows 7 Abbreviated Version LeRoy Luginbill, CISSP

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction... 2 Getting Ready... 5 Page 1 of 10

3 Introduction By giving the Introduction and most of the Getting Ready sections for free, we hope you will go through these pages, see that the instructions are easy to follow, and purchase the full manual in order to secure your home computer. Finishing these pages will help you save your data and be prepared to reset your computer to a secure operating state. Nothing in this abbreviated version will cause you to lose any data or settings. Millions of computers around the world are currently infected with viruses and other malware that steal personal data like usernames, passwords, and bank account information. Also, hackers create Botnets by putting malware on unprotected computers around the world. One Botnet alone has over 30 million infected computers under its power. When they are ready, hackers send commands to those infected computers and order them to attack other computers in something called a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. Some recent attacks were performed against PayPal, Mastercard, and several banks. Botnets are also responsible for sending billions of spam s. One infected machine can send 25,000 spam s per hour, without the knowledge of the computer owner. If your computer normally runs great, but slows to a crawl every now and then, you should suspect your computer of being infected with Botnet malware. If you enter important information like a username, password, or bank account information, and the screen strangely takes another second before allowing you to move on, you might suspect that a keystroke logger is stealing your information. For more information on Botnets and keystroke loggers, you can read articles on these and more topics on our homepage: The people who create malware are very clever and they develop very sophisticated programs. By just visiting a website, even a normally trusted website, malware can be installed on your computer without your knowledge. This can also happen when you open malicious attachments that you thought were OK since someone you know sent them. Some viruses are known to turn off your anti-virus software so they can t be detected. Other viruses constantly change their signatures so anti-virus programs can never detect them. To protect your computer against viruses and malware, it is important to install Windows Updates as soon as they are available. Hackers download and reverse-engineer these updates as soon as they are available from Microsoft. When they discover the vulnerability that is fixed by the update, they write malware to take advantage of that vulnerability. Knowing that most users do not install updates in a timely manner, or not at all, their new malware can infect millions of non-updated computers. Again, it is important to install Windows Updates as soon as they are available. How to install updates is discussed later in this manual. Having an anti-virus program helps, but that only protects against known viruses. It does not protect against a new virus until anti-virus companies discover the new virus and write a new signature for it. At that point, you have to update your anti-virus software, or you will still be unprotected. Anti-virus programs also do not help against viruses that they cannot detect until after the virus has done its damage. If your computer has a keystroke logger, everything you type, including usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and bank account numbers, is captured and sent to the criminals that created the malware. Changing your password does not help if there is a keystroke logger on your computer. The best way to get rid of malware is to start fresh. This means resetting your computer to factory settings, securing it, securing your router, and keeping the computer secure in the future. Page 2 of 10

4 Many websites suggest methods and tools to secure your computer. However, the process they recommend has you perform these actions on your existing computer. That is the same as locking your front door when you leave for work, but the burglar is already inside the house. The only way to truly rid your computer of unknown viruses and other malware is to reset it to factory settings. After that, you should apply the methods and tools suggested on those websites. Cleaning your computer not only helps stop the loss of your personal data, it could also help stop DDoS attacks on large companies. When large companies incur cleanup expenses, they pass the cost on to customers, so, you can possibly help keep costs down by resetting your computer. Resetting could also help lower the number of spam s sent daily. This manual is written so that almost anyone with a basic knowledge of operating their computer can reset their home computer and configure it for security. This manual includes pictures that depict what you should see on the screen in some of the steps. When there are not pictures, the word picture is clear enough to accomplish the tasks. Having a clean computer is not enough. You must also secure your router. A process to secure your router is identified after the computer is secure. Lastly, there is a section on how to keep your computer from becoming infected again. The length of this manual may make it seem like resetting is a difficult task. However, some of the pages have screenshots for clarity, so the manual is not actually that long. Also, there are instructions on installing Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010, as well as several other programs. You can ignore the sections that do not apply to you, which makes the manual seem even shorter. Be prepared however, resetting will be an all-day process taking 8 hours or more, depending on how much data you have. You will personally spend about 1 to 2 hours interacting with your computer. The rest of the work is done by the computer while it resets and configures. I recommend you complete the Getting Ready section after work one night, and complete the rest of the manual (the actual process of resetting the computer) on your next full day off. Depending on the amount of data you have, it could take two full days. The value of spending up to two days pales in comparison to the cost of losing your personal and financial information, as well as losing control of your computer. Once your computer is secure, and you follow the important steps to keep it secure, you should not have to reset your computer again. However, resetting once a year is a good idea. The bottom line is that nobody is 100% certain that their computer does not contain viruses or other malware. After finishing the instructions in this manual, at the very least, you will have a clean computer that runs faster. Your ability to secure your home computer and router I bought a used IBM computer in 1986 and wanted to put in a second floppy drive. I bought the drive but did not have the money to pay someone to install it. In fear, I unscrewed the cover and looked at the inside of my computer. There sat an empty slot for the new drive, along with an open data and power cable. I slid the new drive into the slot, connected the data and power cable, and it worked perfectly. The point is, almost anyone can repair a computer and almost anyone can reset a computer to factory settings. I have reset several hundred computers since the 80 s, and by following the instructions in this manual, you should be able to reset your computer without paying someone several hundred dollars to do it for you. Please note that it is important to follow the instructions step-by-step. Use of this manual I realize that you can this manual to several friends. But, with the very low price of the manual, I ask that you tell your friends where to purchase the manual. I understand that it is logical to buy this manual once and reset all the Windows 7 computers that you own in your home. As long as you personally own all of the Windows 7 computers you are resetting, that philosophy is OK. If you are using Page 3 of 10

5 this manual in your computer repair business, I ask that you purchase one manual for every customer and give the manual to the customer when you are finished. For companies with many computers to reset, please contact me at support@secureyourhomecomputer.com. About the Author LeRoy Luginbill started a part-time computer repair business in 1988, repairing hardware and software problems and setting up networks. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in In 2004, he became an Air Force civilian with the Joint Task Force Global Network Operations (JTF-GNO), which is the organization that managed network security for over three million DoD computers. He earned the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification in In 2006 and 2007, he attended the National Defense University where he earned three Masters Certifications Information System Security Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Information Officer. In 2010, JTF-GNO was absorbed into Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) where LeRoy continued his secure architecture design work. Later in 2010, LeRoy accepted a position with the Marine Corps Forces assigned to CYBERCOM (MARFORCYBER), where he is currently the Chief Technology Officer. Disclaimers I learned how to repair computers, reset computers, and set up networks long before I became a Government civilian employee. The content of this manual is not related to my current position. As the computer owner, please ensure you back up all of your data before resetting your computer. Instructions on how to do this are shown later in this manual. I have never worked for Microsoft and do not plan to. Screenshots in this manual are the copyrights of Microsoft and Netgear. Some of your screens may look a bit different, depending on several factors like your version of English (United Kingdom, Australia, etc.), or when and where you purchased Windows 7. The instructions in this manual should be at least 99% accurate. If the instructions are not 100% accurate and you are not able to determine what to do next, please contact us at the address below from another computer. However, this is a very unlikely scenario. Your total amount of time to complete the instructions in this manual is based on having a broadband connection. NOTE: If your computer was originally a Windows XP or Windows Vista computer, please purchase the Secure Your Home Computer manual for that version of Windows and follow those instructions to secure your computer. Once secure in that version of Windows, then install Windows 7 and immediately update your Windows Security Updates before you start any programs or get online. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty While I have used my best efforts in preparing this manual, I make no representation or warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this manual and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The advice and instructions contained in this manual may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a computer repair professional in the event you cannot perform the instructions in this manual. I shall not be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial or private damages, including, but not limited to, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Please send comments, suggestions, or questions to support@secureyourhomecomputer.com. In the Subject line of the , please identify that your is about Windows 7. This manual was copyrighted in 2013 by Secure Your Home Computer, LLC. ISBN Page 4 of 10

6 Getting Ready I have seen several webpages that tell you how to reset your computer to factory settings. What is missing from those webpages is how to save your data, secure your computer and router, put the data back on the computer, and how to remain secure in the future. The following pages will help you do those things. First, let s spend some time gathering all the things you will need. Create a new folder on your desktop 1. Turn on your computer and close all open programs. 2. Right click on the desktop. 3. Move the mouse down to New. 4. Move the mouse to Folder. 5. Click Folder. 6. A new icon will appear on the desktop. Name this Secure and press Enter. There are some free programs and files you will need to download before you reset your computer. This information is available in the full version of this manual. Please continue below in order to save your data. Download computer and router instruction manuals Hopefully, you have copies of your computer and router instruction manuals. If not, look for the model number of your computer and router. Using a search engine, like Yahoo or Google, enter the name and model number of your computer in the search box and after that, type manual and then press Enter. If there is not a link for the manual that leads to the manufacturer s website, then it is best to just go to the manufacturer s website. While on the manufacturer s website, there should be a Support button. You will have to navigate through the site to find the manual for your computer. Once you have found your computer manual, save it on the desktop under the folder Secure. Do the same search and save procedure for your router manual. In the computer manual, find the pages with the instructions on how to reset your computer to factory settings and print those pages now. Don t worry about printing the instructions for the router manual, you can read those on the computer once your computer is back up. Download Printer Software and Manual If you do not have the original copy of your printer software and manual, you should be able to easily find them on the Internet. Using your favorite browser, enter the name and model number of your printer in the search box and after that, type Software and then press Enter. Again, it is best to download the software from the manufacturer s website. Make sure you select the correct Windows 7 software for your printer, that being either 32-bit or 64-bit. Once you have found your printer software and manual, save them on the desktop under the folder Secure. Page 5 of 10

7 Write down Outlook configuration settings You will need to write down your Outlook configuration settings before you reset your computer. If you have Microsoft Office 2007: 1. Open Outlook. 2. Click on Tools. 3. Click on Account Settings. 4. On the tab, click once on the name of your mailbox. 5. Click the Change button next to the Repair button. 6. Print this page and write down all the information shown on this screen: Your Name: Address: Incoming mail server: Outgoing mail server (SMTP): User Name: Password: Whether or not the box is checked next to Require logon using Secure Password Authentication You will not be able to see your password. If you do not remember the password, you can contact your service provider and ask them to reset the password after you reset the computer. 7. Click on More Settings. 8. Under the General tab, write down all this information. Usually, only your address is listed here. If that is the case, you do not need to write this down again. 9. Click on the Outgoing Server tab. 10. Write down this information as it appears. Often, the only information of use here will be whether or not the box is checked next to My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication, and then, the circle may be selected next to Use same settings as my incoming mail server. Again, it is important to write down this information as it appears. 11. Click on the Connection tab. Usually, the circle is selected next to Connect using my local area network (LAN) and you should not have to write anything down from this screen. 12. Click on the Advanced tab and write down all the information on this screen. Under Server Port Numbers, it is important to write down the number in the box after Incoming server (POP3) and whether or not the box is checked next to This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL). Also important is the number in the box after Outgoing server (SMTP) and what is listed in the drop-down box next to Use the following type of encrypted connection. 13. Once you have all this information, you can close all screens as well as Outlook. Require logon using Secure Password Authentication? Yes No Outgoing server requires authentication? Yes No Use same settings as incoming mail server? Yes No Incoming POP3 server number: Requires SSL? Yes No Outgoing SMTP server number: Requires: None TLS SSL Auto Page 6 of 10

8 If you have Microsoft Office 2010: 1. Open Outlook. 2. Click on File. 3. In the middle panel, click on Account Settings. 4. A new box will pop up. Click on Account Settings again. 5. On the tab, click once on the name of your mailbox. 6. Click the Change button next to the Repair button. 7. Print this page and write down all the information shown on this screen: Your Name: Address: Incoming mail server: Outgoing mail server (SMTP): User Name: Password: Whether or not the box is checked next to Require logon using Secure Password Authentication You will not be able to see your password. If you do not remember the password, you can contact your service provider and ask them to reset the password after you reset the computer. 8. Click on More Settings. 9. Under the General tab, write down all this information. Usually, only your address is listed here. 10. Click on the Outgoing Server tab. 11. Write down this information as it appears. Often, the only information of use here will be whether or not the box is checked next to My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication, and then, the circle may be selected next to Use same settings as my incoming mail server. Again, it is important to write down this information as it appears. 12. Click on the Connection tab. Usually, the circle is selected next to Connect using my local area network (LAN) and you should not have to write anything down from this screen. 13. Click on the Advanced tab and write down all the information on this screen. Under Server Port Numbers, it is important to write down the number in the box after Incoming server (POP3) and whether or not the box is checked next to This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL). Also important is the number in the box after Outgoing server (SMTP) and what is listed in the drop-down box next to Use the following type of encrypted connection. 14. Once you have all this information, you can close all screens as well as Outlook. Require logon using Secure Password Authentication? Yes No Outgoing server requires authentication? Yes No Use same settings as incoming mail server? Yes No Incoming POP3 server number: Requires SSL? Yes No Outgoing SMTP server number: Requires: None TLS SSL Auto Page 7 of 10

9 Back up all data It is best to have an external hard drive, especially if you have downloaded a lot of music and movies. You can purchase an external 500GB hard drive for $60 or a 1TB for $80 (As of December 2013). For that small of a price difference, the 1TB drive is the better option. The following pages will show instructions based on the assumption that you are using an external hard drive. If you think all of your data will fit on a thumb drive, then that is your option. The instructions will be similar for both an external hard drive and a thumb drive. In either case, the instructions below will refer to external drive. First, let s prepare your external drive: 1. Plug your external drive into an open USB slot. 2. If this is the first time you have used this external drive, you may have to follow the setup procedures identified by the manufacturer. These are usually very easy to follow. 3. Now open Windows Explorer. It should be the icon on the left side of the taskbar that looks like a yellow file folder. If not, right-click on the Start button and then click on Open Windows Explorer. 4. On the left pane, you should see your hard drive (C-drive) and then your external drive. 5. Click once on your external drive. 6. Right-click on your external drive, move the mouse over the word New, and then click on Folder. 7. A new folder will be created in the left pane with the words New folder highlighted. 8. Type the word Backup, or you can be more specific and call it something like LeRoysComputerBackup or anything else that will help you know what the folder is for. The following instructions will simply refer to the folder as Backup. 9. Once you have named it, press Enter. 10. Close Windows Explorer. Next, let s copy your Outlook mail file. This may result in having two copies of your Outlook mail file, but sometimes the file is in a hard to find location on the hard drive, so it is better to risk having two copies rather than none at all. If you have Microsoft Office 2007: 1. Open Outlook. 2. Click on File then click on Import and Export. 3. Click on Export to a file then click Next. 4. On the next screen, click on Personal Folder File (.pst) then click Next. 5. On the next window, Inbox will be highlighted, but you want more than that. 6. Scroll to the top and click once on Personal Folders or Outlook Data File or it may be your address. Leave the box checked next to Include subfolders then click Next. 7. On the next screen under Save exported file as, click Browse. 8. On the left panel of the next screen, click once on Desktop. 9. The filename is already called backup. If you have multiple files, call them backup1, backup2, etc., or name them something else appropriate. If you have only 1 file, call it backup. 10. Click OK and this will take you to the previous screen. Click Finish. 11. The next screen will allow you to enter an Optional password. Your option. Click OK after you enter and verify a password, or leave the boxes blank and click OK. 12. Depending on the size of your mailbox, this could take a while. 13. Complete this procedure for each mail file you have. This could include Archive files. 14. Also, for multiple users, you will have to log on and perform the same procedures for each user. 15. When the copy process is complete, close Outlook. You will see the backup icon on the desktop. Page 8 of 10

10 If you have Microsoft Office 2010: 1. Open Outlook. 2. Click on File then click on Options. 3. On the left pane of the new window, click on Advanced. 4. On the right pane of the new window, scroll down to Export and click on Export. 5. On the next pop-up, click on Export to a file then click Next. 6. On the next screen, click on Outlook Data File (.pst) then click Next. 7. On the next window, Inbox will be highlighted, but you want more than that. 8. Scroll to the top and click once on Personal Folders or Outlook Data File or it may be your address. Leave the box checked next to Include subfolders then click Next. 9. On the next screen under Save exported file as, click Browse. 10. On the left panel of the next screen, click once on Desktop. 11. The filename is already called backup. If you have multiple files, call them backup1, backup2, etc., or name them something else appropriate. If you have only 1 file, call it backup. 12. Click OK and this will take you to the previous screen. 13. Click Finish. 14. The next screen will allow you to enter an Optional password. Your option. Click OK after you enter and verify a password, or leave the boxes blank and click OK. 15. Depending on the size of your mailbox, this could take a while. 16. On the next screen, click OK. 17. Complete this procedure for each mail file you have. This could include Archive files. 18. Also, for multiple users, you will have to log on and perform the same procedures for each user. 19. When the copy process is complete, close Outlook. You will see the backup icon on the desktop. Most people store their data under a directory called My Documents. If that is your case, then: 1. Your external drive should still be plugged in. If not, please plug it into an open USB slot. 2. Open Windows Explorer. 3. On the left panel, click on the sign next to the C Drive. 4. Click on the sign next to Users. 5. Click once on the name of the User you are logged on as. 6. Right-click on that User name, then click on Copy. 7. Scroll down to your external drive and click on the sign to open the folders. 8. Click once on the Backup folder you created earlier. 9. Right-click on the Backup folder and click on Paste. 10. This will copy all of your data to include your Outlook mail file(s) and the Secure folder you created earlier. It will also copy all files on your Desktop as well as your Internet Explorer Favorites folder. Depending on how much data you have, this could take several hours. 11. You will probably get a pop-up screen that says File In Use. There are some files that cannot be copied because you are currently logged on. They are usually DAT or LOG files that you will not need anymore. 12. At the bottom of the pop-up, click in the box next to Do this for all current items. 13. Now click on Skip. 14. If you get a new pop-up screen that says Property Loss, click on Yes or Skip after reviewing each item. These are usually unimportant. 15. To save the data for every user on your computer, you will have to log on as each user and repeat this process until you have copied all the data. Page 9 of 10

11 At this point, spend a little time searching your hard drive for other files you may have saved to a location other than the My Documents folder. Most Windows programs will have saved your data to the My Documents folder. If you stored your data somewhere else, only you would know about that. Find this data now and copy it to your external drive under the Backup folder. Once you start resetting your computer to factory settings, the hard drive will be formatted and all data will be lost, so, make sure you have found all of your important data. Now remove the external drive from the computer: 1. On the right side of the taskbar, there should be an icon that looks like a USB plug with a green check on it. If you hover the mouse over it, it says Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media. 2. Right-click on that icon and a small window will pop up. 3. Move the mouse over the item that says Eject (name of external drive). 4. Click on Eject and you will get a message that says Safe to Remove Hardware. 5. Now you can unplug the external drive. Close all open windows and you will be back at the desktop. This is the end of the abbreviated version. What is contained in the full version? Configuring the computer. Besides following the manufacturer s instructions on resetting your computer, there is a logical process to follow while you are resetting and configuring. If you don t follow the process, your computer may be vulnerable to attack again. Tips throughout the manual on why you should make a certain configuration change. Tips throughout the manual on how to do something securely. How to secure Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer. How to secure your home router, tips to hide your router from the view of others, and tips on how to tell if someone else is using your router. How to avoid viruses from USB drives. Running a security scan and what to look for to see if hackers have tried to trick your Anti-Virus program from detecting viruses from hackers. How to copy data back to your computer in the same place it was copied from so you don t lose anything. Page 10 of 10