Our computers fare OK in safety study
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BY MICHAEL McHALE / Lincoln Journal Star
Don’t get too comfortable, PC users.
But don’t panic, either.
Lincoln is included in a list of 100 U.S. cities with the worst personal-computer security threats. But it’s near the bottom, according to a study released today by the California software protection company PC Tools.
Some advice for protecting your computer from GetNetWise.org, a public service provided by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations.
Use the right tools: Download and activate a firewall for your computer. The software lets you surf the Internet and download content you want while keeping hackers out of your computer. Also download antivirus software to stop viruses from damaging your computer and spreading to others. GetNetWise.org has a database of anti-virus products. Also, make sure your e-mail provider has an e-mail filter to help filter out unwanted e-mails that may contain viruses. Many viruses are sent via e-mail.
Stay updated: Make sure your software is updated; most makers provide free fixes, patches and service packs.
Lincoln came in at No. 96 among the most vulnerable PC communities around the country.
In other words, it’s the fifth-safest city in a not-so-safe group.
New York City is the most dangerous, while Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami round out the top five.
Tallahassee, Fla., is the safest, followed by East Lansing, Mich., and Columbus, Ga.
“The (study) is really designed to raise awareness with just how dangerous the Internet is,” PC Tools Vice President Michael Greene said in a phone interview. “The results of going online unprotected could be disastrous.”
PC Tools ranked the cities using information from 450,000 computers across the country with ThreatFire software, an antivirus protection for PCs. When ThreatFire programs block attacks, the information can be analyzed at ThreatFire’s headquarters in Boulder, Colo.
PC Tools studied those statistics from Jan. 1 to June 30 to compile the list of cities with the worst computer threats, which include viruses, infections and other malicious software.
During that time, Lincoln showed 492 threats. New York City had 7,736. Omaha, which ranked No. 57, had 796 threats.
Greene said programs with technology such as ThreatFire or other software help ward off attacks by searching for suspicious computer behavior before problems strike.
Greene said it’s difficult to pinpoint why some cities are more susceptible than others. That may be sorted out in future studies.
Until then, watch your computer’s back.
“You need to practice common sense online,” Greene said. “Just because it’s a virtual world doesn’t mean it’s safer.”
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