Windows XP Hacks, 2nd Edition

Chapter 8. Security

Hacks 75-82

From the moment you turn on your PC and connect to the Internet or a network, you’re in danger. Snoopers and intruders might try to get into your system; crackers might try to install Trojans to take control of your computer or turn it into a zombie and use it to launch attacks against other PCs or web sites. Day by day, the Internet and networks become increasingly dangerous places to be.

The hacks in this chapter, though, show you how you can use the Internet and networks and still be safe. You’ll learn how to hide files and folders using encryption, how to test your PC’s vulnerabilities, how to use firewalls to harden your PC against attacks, and more.

Hide Folders and Files with the Encrypting File System

Protect all the information on your PC from prying eyes using XP Professional’s built-in encryption scheme.

If you have Windows XP Pro, you can use the Encrypting File System (EFS) to encrypt your files so that no one else can read them.

Tip

Home Edition users won’t be pleased to know that EFS isn’t available for Windows XP home users.

EFS lets you encrypt only the files and folders of your choice; you can encrypt a single file or folder or all your files and folders. Encrypted files and folders show up in Windows Explorer in green, so you can tell at a glance which have been encrypted. You can work with encrypted files and folders transparently. In other words, after you encrypt them, you open and close them as you normally would any other file. ...