Protect files and folders from snoops

What you will learn from this tip: Four specific steps you can take to secure your desktop files and folders.

Security is often a game of perception. A mysterious combination of smoke and mirrors creates the illusion of security while reality remains unprotected. With information security, the majority of security tools and utilities are designed to keep outsiders from gaining access to internal resources. The "us vs. them" mentality fits well with most perceptions, but it does not mesh with the reality that most attacks and security breaches occur from the inside.

In this tip, I cover specific steps you can take to secure your Windows desktop files and folders and prevent even internal prying eyes from viewing them.

1. Use third-party tools to secure Windows 9x files and folders
Older versions of Windows such as Windows 95, 98 or Me are inherently insecure when it comes to files and folders. To protect individual files and folders, you must install a third-party utility, such as Everstrike Software's Protect Folder 98 or WinAbility Software Corp.'s Folder Guard Classic Edition. Keep in mind that these operating systems are based on a DOS foundation, and even these third-party tools are not impenetrable.

2. Share only what is necessary
When creating shares on your computer, restrict the share to only information that is necessary. Sharing out an entire drive or partition is probably too broad. Even sharing out the My Documents folder may allow access to too much data, depending on how you use it. You may consider creat

To continue reading for free, register below or login

Requires Membership to View

To gain access to this and all member only content, please provide the following information (all fields required):

First Name:
Last Name:
Country: Select... Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, Democratic Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia, The Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Man, Isle of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Panama Canal Zone Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
Email Address:

Do you manage, evaluate, recommend, implement, support or purchase security products, software or services?
YesNo

Please estimate the yearly security budget for your entire organization including all security products and services.
Please select... Over $10 Million $5 Million-$10 Million $1 Million-$4.9 Million $500,000-$999,999 $100,000-$499,999 $50,000-$99,999 $25,000-$49,999 $10,000-$24,999 Less than $10,000 None

What is your role in purchasing IT related products and services? (Check all that apply)
Technical decision maker
Financial decision maker
Recommend/Specify
Evaluate products
Implement Products/Services
Determine Needs
Create Security Strategy
None

By joining SearchSecurity.com you agree to receive email updates from the TechTarget network of sites, including updates on new content, magazine or event notifications, new site launches and market research surveys. Please verify all information and selections above. You may unsubscribe at any time from one or more of the services you have selected by editing your profile or unsubscribing via email.

TechTarget cares about your privacy. Read our Privacy Policy

3. Use discretion setting permissions
Just as you need to use discretion in choosing which files and folders should be accessible, you should also limit who has access or what level of access they have. If you just grant Full Control to the Everyone group for your shared resources, it will be hard to manage or control access. Even for resources that you want to share, you should give some thought to who should have access and whether they should be able to delete or edit the files or simply be able to view them.

4. Encrypt confidential or sensitive information
Once you limit what information is shared out and further restrict access and file permissions, then your desktop data should be fairly well-protected. However, if you have confidential or particularly sensitive information, you may want to go one step further and encrypt it. In Windows 2000 or XP you can use the built-in Encrypted File System (EFS). You can also turn to third-party encryption tools such as PGP Corp.'s PGP Desktop Home 9.0.

This tip orginally appeared on sister site SearchWindowsSecurity.com.

Rate this Tip To rate tips, you must be a member of SearchSecurity.com. Register now to start rating these tips. Log in if you are already a member. BROWSE BY TAG Threat Monitor,   Enterprise Data Protection,   Disk Encryption and File Encryption,   Enterprise Data Governance,   Identity Management Technology and Strategy,   Enterprise User Provisioning Tools,   Enterprise Identity and Access Management,   VIEW ALL TAGS Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us    RELATED CONTENT Threat Monitor How to defend against rogue DHCP server malware When BIOS updates become malware attacks Mac OS memory flaws pose challenges for enterprise endpoint protection Cybercrime and threat management How to find and stop automated SQL injection attacks Short-lived Web malware: Fading fad or future trend? Security book chapter: The Truth About Identity Theft How to use (almost) free tools to find sensitive data How to block adult websites from enterprise users by logging content Are Windows Vista security features up to par? Disk Encryption and File Encryption Database monitoring, encryption vital in tight economy, Forrester says Sophos integrates encryption into endpoint security Cryptography for the rest of us Encryption in data management should never be ignored, expert says The difference between AES encryption and DES encryption Security budget issues to resonate at RSA Conference Portable security storage device could replace OTP devices Mass. officials explain new data protection regulations A simple substitution cipher vs. one-time pad software Are encrypted, self-deleting USB storage drives worth the investment? Enterprise Data Governance Compliance in the cloud Risk management must include physical-logical security convergence Simple information security mistakes can cause data loss, says expert Organizations struggle with data leakage prevention, rights management Encryption in data management should never be ignored, expert says Attackers cash in on fundamental data handling mistakes, Verizon finds Data loss prevention benefits in the real world Mass., Nev. data protection laws wrong, ineffective Cybersecurity hearing highlights inadequacy of PCI DSS Enforcing a vendor risk assessment to avoid outsourcing security risks RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary Advanced Encryption Standard  (SearchSecurity.com) data key  (SearchSecurity.com) Encrypting File System  (SearchSecurity.com) Escrowed Encryption Standard  (SearchSecurity.com) International Data Encryption Algorithm  (SearchSecurity.com) network encryption  (SearchSecurity.com) output feedback  (SearchSecurity.com) quantum cryptography  (SearchSecurity.com) Quiz: Cryptography  (SearchSecurity.com) Rijndael  (SearchSecurity.com) RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary DISCLAIMER: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.