Network Security in Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000

Whether your computer network is a newly installed or pre-existing the security should not be comprised. You should know all the major security threats and troubleshooting tips. Securing a computer network from virus, unauthorized access, destruction and the data protection is the most important job of the network administrators. There are different internal and external security threats to a computer network like virus, hackers, unauthorized users, Trojan horses, spyware, adware and other.

There are different methods that are employed to security purposes such as antivirus solutions, user authentication, encryption, firewall security, group policy management, intrusion detection, network auditing, event log monitoring, web content security and securing the gateway hardware of software.

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A.Rajesh Khanna

Windows Network Security?

Although the Windows XP Professional, Window 2000 and Windows 2003 are the stronger operating systems from security point of view but there are still some vulnerabilities and pitfalls that should be controlled. There are some basic steps that are helpful in protecting the windows based network

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A.Rajesh Khanna

Install Up-to-date Antivirus Program

Installing a good antivirus program should be the first step in securing the network. There are numerous antivirus programs such as Norton Antivirus, Trend Micro Antivirus, McAfee Antivirus, Panda Antivirus and others. Along with the good antivirus program, also install the good anti spyware program. Your gateway computer is the entrance point for the hackers, viruses and unauthorized users, so it should be protected with very strong security measures.

Regular Backup Your Critical Data

Regularly take backup of your server’s critical data. It is a best practice to secure your company’s important data. By this practice your data is being saved from any accidental deletion, hard disk failure and virus attacks. There is a built in backup utility in the Windows 2000, Windows 2003 operating systems and you can set your systems to take scheduled daily, weekly or monthly backups.

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A.Rajesh Khanna

Password Protect Guest Account in Windows XP/2000

There is a built-in guest account in the Windows XP Professional. Guests and temporary users are allowed access to the network through this account. Set a strong password on the users of this account so that no unauthorized users can access the network.

__________________
A.Rajesh Khanna

Monitor Internet Traffic

If your LAN is connected with the internet through gateway or proxy server then there are chances that users of the internet may access the insecure and viruses attacked websites. If your proxy server is not well-guarded with an up-to-dated antivirus program and firewall then viruses may enter your network and can cause major harm. The best solution of this problem is this to block the access of the vulnerable websites, songs, mp3, video sites and monitor the user’s activities on the internet.

__________________
A.Rajesh Khanna

Hi,
There are several basic steps to attain network security in Windows OS.
First is IT managers should divide the computer network into the segments. They should filter the access to the internet with the help of a firewall by blocking TCP port 1433 and TCP port 1434. Internet access from the outside should be allowed to the SQL systems. All the unwanted ports should be blocked and only the required ports should be open for access.

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Sathish Kumar.R
Knowledge is meant to SHARE

Second basic thing is to Moderate the affect of the spoofed ports. The port 80 is the most commonly used port.

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Sathish Kumar.R
Knowledge is meant to SHARE

Third, as network administrator you should install the current patches to you’re your server computer and client’s up to date. Patches can prevent the systems from the known vulnerabilities. Latest patches can be downloaded from the Windows website. You can also configure to automatically update. Also third party patches products are also available that can be tested and installed. Additionally, by strengthening the user authentication process can be very helpful for security purposes.. You can use password security and other technological methods for the authenticate purpose.

__________________
Sathish Kumar.R
Knowledge is meant to SHARE

Fourth, you can limit the number of the network administrators it can also be helpful for security a computer network. Admin rights should not be given to the local PC, until and unless it is the requirements for the applications that are installed on the local PCs.

__________________
Sathish Kumar.R
Knowledge is meant to SHARE

Fifth, protect computers against the known attacks. Don’t disable any Windows known service such as clipbook, Telnet etc. Set the powerful permission the shared network resources.

__________________
Sathish Kumar.R
Knowledge is meant to SHARE

Sixth basic thing is you can configure the security policies. Implement the security policies on your network.
Security measures and methods have expenses with their purchases. Deployment, maintenance and the implementations of these methods can increase the security cost. Some other things which a IT administrator or a IT manager should keep in mind are the education of the employees about the security, use of the encryption and digital right management software, block the unwanted emails and audit security on the regular basis. Network security methods should be used and implemented in order to prevent your computer network from the unauthorized access.

__________________
Sathish Kumar.R
Knowledge is meant to SHARE

Upgrade Windows XP/2000

Update your operating system by following this path Start > Settings > Control Panel > double click the automatic update and turn on the automatic update settings. Your operating system will be automatically updated directly from the Microsoft Windows Website.

__________________
A.Rajesh Khanna

Regularly scan your Computer

Regularly scan your server and all the computers in LAN for the possible virus, spyware and other security threats. Because if one computer is infected with the viruses, it can spread the viruses to all network.

__________________
A.Rajesh Khanna