Snoop Proof Your PC

After reading the case below -  summarize the major snoop risks and what actions can be taken to avoid these risks. Use any additional resources you personally find. Remember to document your references.

Summary must be three paragraphs long.

Case:

Protecting the security of data files and computer activities is high priority for individuals and businesses alike. However, your PC is ready and able to reveal not only your data but what you've been doing with your computer. Within a few hours, a snoop can determine and find the incoming and outgoing mail you deleted, websites you visited, data you've entered on web forms, and even phrases you deleted from documents. Fortunately, you can take steps to protect yourself.

Using effective password protection is a simple first step. Lock important files by using carefully chosen passwords. The best passwords aren't real words or dates; they use a combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Knowing how to truly rid your computer of deleted and trashed files is another important security step. Regularly clearing temporary menus and files, as well as history listings, will assure that your recent file activities are not recorded for the would-be snoop to peruse.

An obvious way to protect your information is to encrypt sensitive information. Good encryption and locking solutions are increasingly user friendly and inexpensive. Numerous products are available, with the most effective tools encrypting both file contents and passwords used to access them. Encryption usually defeats casual efforts at intrusion and complicates even advanced snooping attempts.

Cookies can also provide information from your computer to remote third parties. Cookies are short pieces of data used by web servers to help identify the user and possibly to track a user's browsing habits. Cookies can tell a web server that you have been there before and can pass short bits of information from your computer to the server. If you are concerned about being identified or about having your activities traced, set your browser to not accept cookies or use one of the new cookie blocking packages. Remember, though, that blocking all cookies prevents some online services from working.

Another potential PC leak that is often overlooked is the discarded hard drive. About 150,000 hard drives are retired each year, but many find their way back onto the market. Stories occasionally surface about personal and corporate information turning up on used hard drives, raising concerns about privacy and danger of identity theft. A Nevada woman bought a used computer and discovered it contained prescription records on 2,000 customers of an Arizona pharmacy. On most operating systems, simply deleting a file and even emptying it from the trash folder does not necessarily make the information irretrievable. The information can live on until it is overwritten by new files. Even reformatting a drive may not eradicate all data.

The most common breaches of computer privacy are committed by those who have the most opportunity: coworkers, friends, and family members. But nameless, faceless hackers can also invade your computer via your Internet connection. Installing a firewall can help protect you from unauthorized access, possible file damage, and even identity theft.