File sharing

File sharing

When you have file sharing enabled on your computer, you are letting other people have access to your system.

When it comes to file sharing you open a huge security door and many questions should come about. Some basic questions you should ask yourself are;

Do I really need to share my files?

Who will be accessing my files?

How can I protect my files from unauthorized access?

With the first question you should ask , why am I sharing my files?

Do you have sharing enabled and not know it?

Many programs will setup file sharing and you don’t know it, you could be sharing your system with the world and not know it. If you have programs that allows you to trade files or chat, for example Kaaza, you are sharing your files. By default Windows XP comes with file sharing enabled along with remote assistance. If you have no reason to have these enabled, shut them off.

In most cases file sharing is necessary for multi user office environments, so it becomes difficult to work without file sharing. In this case it is critical that some form of security be in place. Without any security on your system, you become vulnerable to many different types of attacks including virus, hacker and malicious code and run the chance of losing everything. This is where a good backup will come in handy.

File security can be a massive undertaking beginning with the basic logon in Windows to individual file or database usage. When applying securities to your system, you should always first plan out exactly who should have access to what. Then begin to develop a map or tree style layout of the securities and put it on paper. Once you have the complete layout, you should deploy it on a non production test system first. You can literally lock yourself out of your own system if not careful. If you don’t have a non production system to test on, then make sure you have a total backup of the system before starting.

Once you apply securities to your system, it should be quite secure, however don’t forget your passwords. Many folks take passwords too lightly and when they forget them, they seem to think that a computer repairperson can recover them. This is not true in all cases. Most passwords are very secure and can not be recovered.

Your system is only secure as you make it. Ask your self what is at stake and what would it take to recover from catastrophe. If you are a business, ask yourself how much could I lose if my company data got out or worst yet got to my competitors?

For more information about securities, contact your computer service provider