ShieldsUp!

Network security is very important these days. There are some simple online based tests that can tell you if you have certain security flaws on your computer. Some very useful ones can be found at GRC.com. One of the most popular is the ShieldsUP! test that tests various ports.

So yesterday I ran the ShieldsUP! tests at grc.com. I tested it on 3 of my computers and they all passed all of the tests with complete stealth. I always make sure that NetBIOS is disabled because of the security risks. Two of the PCs I tested simply had the default Windows firewall (Windows 7 RTM). I have used this test many times before but needed to take a screen shot for my IS 181 class. Grc.com is a very good site to test your PCs security.

I would recommend everyone to run at least the network sharing test at grc.com. The average PC security would greatly increase as more people are aware of how open their computer may actually be.

Without your knowledge or explicit permission, the Windows networking technology which connects your computer to the Internet may be offering some or all of your computer's data to the entire world at this very moment!

http://www.grc.com