Meningkatkan Keamanan Komputer

Banyak hal menjengkelkan yang bisa terjadi pada komputer kita. Misalnya ada orang yang baik sengaja atau pun tidak sengaja menghapus file-file penting kita. Atau merubah berbagai konfigurasi pada Windows. Selain itu bisa saja orang lain melihat file-file Anda yang bersifat rahasia. Kejadian seperti itu sangat mungkin terjadi bila komputer Anda merupakan komputer "umum". Maksudnya banyak orang lain yang turut memakai, misalnya teman, adik atau saudara. Ingat, seorang pemula (dalam hal komputer) biasanya sangat senang mencoba-coba segala sesuatu pada komputer.

Nah, untuk menghindari hal-hal yang tidak kita inginkan yang terjadi pada komputer kita Anda bisa mencoba berbagai langkah berikut ini :

1. Password BIOS
Pertama kali Anda mesti membuat password pada BIOS Anda. Mengapa ? Karena pada BIOS ini terdapat fasilitas untuk meng-enable dan men-disable beberapa sumber daya komputer kita. Walaupun ada cara yang mudah untuk menembus password ini, tapi setidaknya ini akan memperlambat sang penyusup....

2. Pastikan booting hanya dari harddisk.
Pada BIOS Anda, pastikan setting untuk booting hanya dari harddisk. Dengan kata lain disable fasilitas booting dari floopy disk, CD-ROM, atau media lainnya.

3. Men-disable Start-up Menu
Dengan mendisable startup menu ini maka orang lain (termasuk kita) hanya dapat booting melalui Windows (tidak bisa booting pada DOS Prompt). Caranya, pada file config.sys tambahkan : SWITCHES=/F/N to CONFIG.SYS. Pada bagian paling atas dari file autoexec.bat tambahkan :
@CTTY NUL
@BREAK OFF
@ECHO OFF
Sedang pada bagian paling akhir dari file autoexec.bat tambahkan : CTTY CON

4. Men-disable Boot Key
Maksudnya adalah mencegah penekanan tombol F8 dan F5 selama booting. Dengan menekan F8 maka akan muncul start-up menu. Cara mendisablenya : Bukalah file msdos.sys yang terletak pada direktori utama (C:\) dengan Notepad. Lalu gantilah Bootkeys=1 menjadi Bootkeys=0.

5. Menyembunyikan icon pada Control Panel
Pada Control Panel terdapat berbagai fasilitas untuk melakukan setting/konfigurasi pada komputer kita. Misalnya setting tentang password, printer, desktop themes, dll. Nah bila Anda tidak ingin ada orang lain yang ingin mengganti setting komputer Anda, Anda bisa melakukan aksi berikut, yakni menyembunyikan berbagai icon pada Control Panel. Caranya, pertama buka file control.ini yang terdapat pada folder c:\windows\control.ini (bila folder windows Anda bernama lain, silahkan disesuaikan). Lalu di bawah bagian [don't load] silahkan masukkan fasilitas yang tidak ingin Anda tampilkan. Misalnya untuk menyembunyikan icon password silahkan tulis "password.cpl=no". Untuk menyembunyikan icon Desktop Setting, tulis "desk.ini=no", dan seterusnya. Untuk melihat daftar file *.cpl bisa Anda lihat di c:\windows\system.

6. Proteksi dengan Software
Proteksi dengan software bisa bermacam-macam bentuknya. Pertama enkripsi. Dengan melakukan enkripsi (penyandian) orang lain akan kesulitan untuk membuka file yang di-enkripsi. Pada waktu melakukan enkripsi kita diharuskan untuk memasukkan password, yang mana password tersebut juga akan digunakan untuk melakukan dekripsi. Dengan begitu orang yang tidak tahu passwordnya tidak akan bisa membuka file tersebut dan tidak akan tahu isinya. Contoh software yang digunakan untuk melakukan enkripsi adalah Cryptext, PGP, dll. Selain dengan enkripsi ada cara lain untuk mengamankan file-file kita, yaitu dengan menggunakan software Win-Secure It dan Folder Guard. Dengan software tersebut kita bisa menyembunyikan file/folder, mencegah eksekusi program, mencegah penghapusan (delete), dll. File yang sudah disembunyikan (hidden) tidak akan terlihat pada Windows Explorer walaupun option Show All File diaktifkan. Mencegah orang lain mengeksekusi/menjalankan program menjadi sangat penting jika Anda mempunyai software untuk melakukan konfigurasi pada Windows, seperti WinBoost, Tweak UI, Start Menu Changer, dan sebagainya.

7. Bila Anda termasuk paranoid
Dengan enam langkah di atas komputer Anda sudah mempunyai tingkat keamanan yang lumayan (tentunya bukan lumayan bagi seorang hacker). Namun bila Anda termasuk paranoid atau betul-betul takut komputer Anda diisengin orang lain Anda bisa meneruskan langkah berikutnya. Yaitu hapus atau rename-lah file-file yang termasuk kategori "berbahaya" bila dijalankan, seperti fdisk.exe, format.exe, dll.

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Advances in Technology and Computers

Advances in technology have changed how we communicate with others and the ways in which we do it. Computers have played an immense role in making some tasks less tedious and speeding up response times to inquiries, and research methods.

The word computer makes us first visualize that mechanized device that most of us use every single day of our lives for personal and professional reasons. In fact many people suffer computer withdrawal symptoms when they are away from their PC's (or personal computers) for too long.

Whether you choose the convenience of a take-it-everywhere laptop or the desktop computer there is one suitable for every taste and every necessary job.

Computers, albeit very different kinds of computers can be found in so many ordinary things that we use everyday. We often use computers without even knowing it. Think televisions, microwave ovens, and CD and DVD players. The list is endless of where computers, whether they are big or miniscule, can be found. Even cars cannot perform properly without their portable computers in working order.

A computer has many specific parts and they each perform a specific function onto themselves. A central processing unit (or CPU) is integral to the computer's functioning, as is its vast storage of memory. The motherboard (or main circuit board) works in conjugation with the electrical element, which is the power supply, which handles any and all electrical concerns.

The permanent storage unit of the computer is the hard drive (sometimes called the hard disk) and this cannot work without the operating system as the driving force. Other important elements of a computer include the integrated drive electronics controller (IDE), the peripheral component interconnect bus (PCI) and the part used to attach a scanner, which is called the SCSI or small computer system. Music videos, games and movies cannot be played on a computer without the instalment of an accelerated graphics port (AGP) and the combination of a sound card and graphic card. Working together these parts allow a computer to perform its job beautifully.

To explain how a computer processes the information input into it in a way that is easy to understand, as a computer user types information into the computer using the keyboard and computer mouse, they are able to choose how they want their material to be presented on the screen and therefore how the finished product will look.

As the information shows itself on the computer screen (many call it a computer monitor), inside the computer it is doing an information inventory, that is, sifting and sorting every little piece of information and committing it to memory as well as organizing and cataloging it. The person who is busy typing is concentrating on his/her work and not aware of the fact that the computer is hard at work at the very same time.

One of the biggest advantages to using a computer is that what you type can be saved in one of two ways- directly onto the computer's hard drive for easy retrieval or on a floppy disk or CD. If saved on a disk or CD that information can be used not just on the computer it was originally typed on but on practically any PC! It doesn't get any better than that.

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IndosatM2 Pastikan Ikut Tender Wimax

Indosat Mega Media (IndosatM2), anak perusahaan Indosat dibidang penyelenggara jasa internet ini menjanjikan internet murah. Janji ini akan terealisasi jika mereka mendapatkan tender Wymax alias Broadband Wireless Access (BWA).

Rencananya tender BWA ini akan dilaksanakan pada akhir 2008 atau awal 2009. Namun, Direktorat Jenderal Pos dan Telekomunikasi belum mengungkapkan syarat-syarat tender tersebut.

Mohammad Amin, Planning and Development Director, mengungkapkan ingin memperluas jangkauan layanan internetnya lewat BWA IndosatM2 ini. "Di Indonesia ini pelanggan internet masih cukup middle class. Kami bukan hanya untuk mendukung pemerintah menyediakan internet murah, tapi juga ingin masyarakat merasakan internet murah kayak gimana," ujarnya.

Amin juga berharap harga lisensi BWA ini nantinya tidak semahal lisensi frekuensi untuk telekomunikasi selular generasi ketiga (3G). Ia pun menandaskan "Kalau beli lisensinya saja mahal bagaimana mau memberi harga murah ke pelanggan, sedangkan ini kan untuk internet murah".

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Data Theft in Cyber Space – Issues and Laws

The rapid development of Information technology poses new challenges before the law. These challenges are not confined to any single traditional legal category but arise in, for example, Criminal Law, Intellectual Property Law, Contract and Tort. One such challenge is the growing menace of “Data Theft”. It is the term used when any information in the form of data is illegally copied or taken from a business or other individual without his knowledge or consent.

Data as a valuable asset

Data is a valuable asset in this modern era of Information Technology (IT). Data is an important raw-material for Call Centers and I.T. Companies. Data has also become an important tool and weapon for Corporates to capture larger market shares. Due to the importance of Data in this new era, its security has become a major issue with the I.T. industry. The piracy of data is a threat, faced by the I.T. players, who spend millions to compile or buy data from the market. Their profits depend upon the security of their Data.

Issues

The major issue regarding Data Theft is its International character, for example Systems may be accessed in USA, the data manipulated in China and the consequences felt in India. The result of this ability is that different sovereignties, jurisdictions, laws and rules will come into play which again is an issue in itself. Further, collection of evidence in such circumstances become another issue as investigation in three different countries, all of whom may not be in talking terms, is almost impossible and poor technical know-how of our cops adds to the woes. Also, the lack of coordination between different investigating agencies and a not-so-sure extradition process is another head ache. However the biggest of all these issues is the lack of specific laws in the country dealing with this crime, so even if the culprit is caught he can easily get away by picking and choosing any of the of various loopholes in our law.

Does India have sufficient Laws?

The problem of data theft which has emerged as one of the major cyber crimes worldwide has attracted little attention of law makers in India. Unlike U.K which has The Data Protection Act, 1984 there is no specific legislation in India to tackle this problem, though India boasts of its Information Technology Act, 2000 to address the ever growing menace of cyber crimes, including data theft. The truth is that our IT Act, 2000 is not well equipped to tackle such crimes. The various provisions of the IT Act, 2000 which deal with the problem to some extent are briefly discussed below.

Section 43:- This section provides protection against destruction and unauthorized access of the computer system by imposing heavy penalty up to one crore. The unauthorized downloading, extraction and copying of data are also covered under this section. Clause ‘C’ of this section imposes penalty for unauthorized introduction of computer viruses of contaminants. Clause ‘G’ provides penalties for assisting the unauthorized access.

Section 65:- This section provides for computer source code. If anyone knowingly or intentionally conceals, destroys, alters or causes another to do as such shall have to suffer imprisonment of up to 3 years or fine up to 2 lakh rupees. Thus protection has been provided against tampering of computer source documents.

Section 66:- Protection against hacking has been provided under this section. As per this section, hacking is defined as any act with an intention to cause wrongful loss or damage to any person or with the knowledge that wrongful loss or damage will be caused to any person and information residing in a computer resource must be either destroyed, deleted, altered or its value and utility get diminished. This section imposes the penalty of imprisonment of up to three years or fine up to two lakh rupees or both on the hacker.

Section 70:- This section provides protection to the data stored in the protected system. Protected systems are those computers, computer system or computer network to which the appropriate government, by issuing gazette information in the official gazette, declared it as a protected system. Any access or attempt to secure access of that system in contravention of the provision of this section will make the person accessed liable for punishment of imprisonment which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine.

Section 72:- This section provides protection against breach of confidentiality and privacy of the data. As per this, any person upon whom powers have been conferred under IT Act and allied rules to secure access to any electronic record, book, register, correspondence, information document of other material discloses it to any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to two years or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or both.

Can Data Theft be covered under IPC?

Section 378 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 defines ‘Theft’ as follows:-


Theft – Whoever, intending to take dishonestly any movable property out of the possession of any person without that person’s consent, moves that property in order to such taking, is said to commit theft.

Section 22 of I.P.C., 1860 defines “movable property” as follows:-

“The words “movable property” are intended to include corporeal property of every description, except land and things attached to the earth or permanently fastened to anything which is attached to the earth.”

Since Section 378 I.P.C., only refers to “Movable Property” i.e. Corporeal Property, and Data by itself is intangible, it is not covered under the definition of "Theft”. However, if Data is stored in a medium (CD, Floppy etc.) and such medium is stolen, it would be covered under the definition of ‘Theft’, since the medium is a movable property. But, if Data is transmitted electronically, i.e., in intangible form, it would not specifically constitute theft under the IPC.

“Data”, in its intangible form, can at best be put at par with electricity. The question whether electricity could be stolen, arose before the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case “Avtar Singh vs. State of Punjab” (AIR 1965 SC 666). Answering the question, the Supreme Court held that electricity is not a movable property, hence, is not covered under the definition of ‘Theft’ under Section 378 IPC. However, since Section 39 of the Electricity Act extended Section 378 IPC to apply to electricity, so it so became specifically covered within the meaning of “Theft”. It is therefore imperative that a provision like in the Electricity Act be inserted in the IT Act, 2000 to extend the application of section 378 IPC to data theft specifically.

What do we need and why do we need?

It is imperative in today’s world that an emerging IT super power like India has a comprehensive legislation to protect its booming IT and BPO Industries (worst affected industries) against such crimes. Though the IT Act may appear sufficient in this regard but it is not comprehensive enough to tackle the minute technological intricacies involved in such a crime which leaves loopholes in the law and the culprits get away easily. Since this problem is not confined to one nation and has international dimensions, India must look forward to be a signatory to any international convention or treaty in this regard. Also it high time that our national police organizations are trained to deal with such crimes.

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