On Sat, 08 May 2004 19:53:27 +0000, Matto Fransen wrote:

> Hello,
>
> My wife has a friend who experienced one worm too much and is now
> willing to make the switch to Linux :-)
>
> Next week I'll get her PC here to install Linux on it, as well
> as some usefull applications.

(snip)

I really suggest you stick with Windows for this woman. Here's what I
suggest you do:

Get her machine and re-install Windows (clean machine to start).

Next you buy a Linksys befsr41 router and get it set up. You can buy one
at best buy or similar for $40 bucks or so. It produces a pretty reliable
firewall. (Nat and stateful packet inspection).

Set up her desktop so that Internet Explorer is used only for downloading
the patches etc from windowsupdate.com. You first set security to maximum
for every internet site. Then you set up windowsupdate as a trusted zone
site with *minimum* security and make that site her "home page" in
internet explorer (internet explorer to load the home page on start up).
Educate her to go there about once a week to get all the updates. The
windows update site will not work without ActiveX.

Download and install an alternate browser that doesn't recognize ActiveX
controls. I suggest mozilla firebird - as an added bonus, it is faster
and allows a configuration option to automatically block popup windows.

Configure Outlook Express to automatically block html message components.
See the menu selections for "security". You have to get across to her the
dangers of opening html messages. Likely though if you set up the mail
properly she won't know how to turn html back on.

Consider using another mail program. I recommend Pegasus Mail - really
good default security against html messages and executable attachments.
Free too, go to www.pmail.com to download it.

Next, go to the following site for directions to shore up the basic
security of Windows:

www.uksecurityonline.com

Lotsa work, but you will end up with a reasonably secure and
maintainable system.

Good luck.

John