Just as leaving your car keys on the front seat will see you robbed of your valuables, or the car itself, in an eye-blink, leaving your computer open to the world risks theft, damage and expense. Such carelessness can also impact on others just as surely as a stolen joy-ridden car; if a worm can get in, it can harness your computer's internet connection and wreak havoc further afield.

However, the good news is that it's relatively easy to secure a computer and keep it that way. What we need is a central locking policy.

By Kyle MacRae at vnunet.

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