Testing and Verifying Your Secure Status

Despite your best efforts, it's often difficult to know for sure whether you've succeeded in securing your computer. How do you know that you've patched all your programs, set up secure passwords for all accounts, and secured your system against intrusion by outsiders? After all, the fact that no one has broken in yet doesn't mean they can't!

Many security consultants provide various testing methods. Some will set their best attackers to work in an attempt to break into your network. Others use time-honored techniques such as creating a "honeypot"—a sacrificial system that attracts attackers. These services are typically beyond the reach of home users and small businesses.

A number of free security scanners ...

Get Microsoft® Windows® XP Networking and Security Inside Out: Also Covers Windows 2000 now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.