On the Internet there are several sites which offer very good security information. Some of those are listed on our Internet security page. 

The different sites are of two kinds: Security sites and Hacker sites. Some of the latter offer much information as they discuss how to exploit vulnerabilities in operating systems and applications, as well as how to prevent such exploits.

However, you should be aware when visiting hacker sites, that you leave information about yourself. Your IP-address, information about your browser and your operating systems and more are all logged. To see the information which you leave when visiting a web site, point your browser to Anonymizer, a web site which enables you to browse anonymously.

In some of the hacker sites you find long listings of known weaknesses in the different operating systems, versions of such, and what to do to prevent such vulnerability. Some also offer free (or shareware) hacker tools which may be used wisely to test the security on your own system. Be aware however that these are hacker tools and may be trojan horses or contain viruses. Never run a program downloaded from the Internet before checking it with an updated version of a good virus control program!

When you visit hacker sites you are further a potential victim of so-called malicious code. This is e.g. Javascripts, Java Applets, VBScripts and most importantly ActiveX controls which execute on your own computer. Some of these utilize security holes in the operating system or the browser, to perform potentially dangerous actions. To tighten your security you might want to disable these options before visiting hacker sites.

Per Olav Førland