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Oct 06, 2009 -- Use a dedicated computer to reduce risk of a security breach
Cyber-criminals love to target small businesses because they usually have strong cash flow but no IT departments. That makes their financial accounts vulnerable to hacking. Today Clark wants to share an easy and cost-effective way to safeguard your online transactions.
USA TODAY suggests simply buying a dedicated computer that's only used for financial transactions. No surfing the web on your dedicated computer. No e-mailing. No visiting Facebook, MySpace or Twitter.
This will reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of a security breach. High net worth individuals may also want to consider using a dedicated computer for all financial transactions.
Computers have become so affordable that it's very possible to get a fully functional one for under $300. Owning more than one computer is no longer cost-prohibitive. Think of it like an ultra inexpensive insurance policy for small business owners and wealthy individuals.
Unfortunately, Clark won't be able to answer any questions submitted via commenting. If you have a question, please try posting it to our message boards.
Vmware is the leader and you can now download some of their software for free.
http://www.vmware.com/products/player/
How to install the and setup vmwware. http://www.petri.co.il/virtual_install_vmware_server.htm
As an alternative you can use Microsoft's Virtual PC but you have to pay for it. The installation is very easy.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/
virtual machine
Ben, can you recommend some free software which would enable us to run a VM on our existing PCs?
Puppy Linux
FREE and an interesting option for those wanting the security of another computer but without the cost. DO GET COMPETENT help with this one. Also, The Yubikey can be very helpful with 1 time passwords.
On line banking
So is there a way to do online banking and investment transactions securely also since you have to connect with the internet to do these?
VM is a great option
I would second the VM instead of a wasteful complete second machine. It is a little over the top for most consumers to understand but basically a VM or Virtual Machine is a computer built from software instead of hardware. It allows you to virtualize one or more computers and each virtual computer runs on your existing computer in a window. You treat the VM just like any other computer but it runs in isolation from the "true" computer or other "virtual computers." This is a very common configuration within IT organizations and we use it to save money and costs. It is also behind the concept of "cloud computing."
The other option which is a bit more straight forward is to do a dual boot. Basically install the operating system a second time on a second drive or partition. When you want to get to this other operating system you just reboot the computer and select the operating system with your financial information on it. It is not as convenient as the VM since you don't simply open a window to your other operating system. You have to reboot the computer instead. Since the operating system is still installed on the same computer, you don't need a second license of windows to do a dual boot or a VM.
virtual machines
Another option instead of buying a new PC that I use is to use a virtual machine. The company "vmware" has a client to run them in and alot of Operating Systems are available via bit torrent downloads. It's all FREE. You can run the different flavors of windows, linux, and mac.
The vmware client basically spawns another instance of an operating system in a window that you can then browse and check emails with. The great thing about virtual machines is that they are essentially files. Once you get the OS setup just the way you like it, backup a copy of it to a safe location. If the vm that I am using gets infected. delete it, make a copy of your backup and you are back in action.
There are some minimum hardware requirements and it might be a bit techy to setup at first but it's really very simple to use. I prefer this to a new PC, not only because its free but a PC has a footprint and I just don't want the clutter, heat, and noise of another PC.
