# Off Line NT/OT



## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

When I am done surfing the net, finished reading MLS Answered all my E mail I clink on the rex X in upper right conrer and shut down I/E I use to get on the net.

Does that isolate me from the Internet, Hackers and Viruses.

I Have to open I/E9 back up again ato surf the net.

I have turned off all automatic update services. I selelct what and when to down load up grades.

Is this wise.

JJ


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

John

No not really. If you connect to the phone or cable ISP provider via a hard-wire connection, then physically disconnect the cable from your computer, or if you are using a wireless connection then disable the wireless card. To do this, depending on the type of wireless card (i.e. integrated or expansion card) you may have to access the ROM BIOS configuration firmware that is only available when you first boot your computer (i.e. prior to whatever operating system software you are using e.g. MS/Windows etc.).


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## sandbarn (Feb 13, 2010)

John, 
If I wanted to totally isolate my couputer I would pull the power plug on my Belkin wireless router. I don't think you can be totally safe without phisically disconnecting from the net.


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

Jojhn didn't specifically mention turning OFF his computer. I wouldn't think that disconnecting cables is necessary if one simply turns off the power. No?

JackM


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

If you power off the computer proper, you are offline. Your router may still be connected, but the computer isn't. 

You should power down periodically anyway to avoid performance degradation due to misbehaving software, memory leaks, etc. I turn off my machine when I go to bed.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

You asked: Is this wise? 

A good reason for shutting down your computer is so you will reboot, for exactly what Dwight said. 

But this can be accomplished with periodic reboots. 

My computers "do things" in the "off hours", specifically do disk defragmentation, and several different scanners, anti-virus, spam filters, registry integrity checkers, backup. 

My antivirus system is set to scan EVERY night, and so are several other programs. 

If you turn your computer off when you are not using it, my question would be: when do you do your virus and spam scanning, and when do you do your other maintenance items? 

It's virtually impossible for your computer to pick up a virus if you are using it. 

Regards, Greg


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

opoops edited out a stoopid remark... first time for everything....


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

It's virtually impossible for your computer to pick up a virus if you are using it. 

Please explain this statement, please.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I run my scan every day at 8:00 PM. The computer is almost always on around that time but usually sitting idle. 

I assume you mean it's virtually impossible for the scan to detect a virus if you are using the computer. I've never heard that before. Would that be due to sharing/file in use violations? If that were true, how is it that running a full scan manually can detect and quarantine viruses?


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

If your computer is powered up, the operating system is loaded and running, the TCP/IP stack is loaded, and you have a functioning physical connection to the Internet, you are not isolated from the Internet.

If you wish to have your computer remain powered up for whatever reason, with the operating system running, the only certain way to isolate your computer from the Internet is to remove the physical connection capability.

Does truly temporarily isolating your computer from the Internet, isolate you from "hackers" and "viruses." No, except in the sense of a real-time threat (e.g. what is sometimes refereed to as a "drive-by attack"). However, you may have already downloaded some type of computer code while you were connected to the Internet. So there remains a latent potential that may cause harm to your computer, therefore you are still at risk.

Configuring any software loaded on your computer, so that it will only attempt to locate and download updates and/or upgrades to itself, only if you manually initiate the action (and remember here that not all software provides this option to the user). Whether this is a "wise" decision is really a matter of personal opinion that each individual needs to make for themselves. There are pros and cons to any path chosen.

Additionally, even non-covert (i.e. as opposed to viruses, mal-ware, spy-ware etc. etc.) additions and/or changes to any software on your computer, yes, those changes that are considered to be part of normal software maintenance procedures can disrupt the proper functioning of your system, even though it wasn't intended to.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Mine is left on all the time and have it set to do its virus scans and other maintenance items for late at night when I'm asleep. As mentioned occasionally reboot to reset. Later RJD


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

It's virtually impossible for your computer to pick up a virus if you are using it. 
Yep, that was a good one Greg! When DO you catch a virus then? 

My antivirus system is set to scan EVERY night, and so are several other programs 
I found McAfee and Norton both start an "idle time" scan when my computer is not actively being used. McAfee is horrible - it runs at quite a high priority; you can't stop it; and there are no settings! [What idiot thought that one up?] I now get Norton free from Comcast, and while it does idle scans, it doesn't interfere with my coming back and using the computer. 

Does that isolate me from the Internet, Hackers and Viruses. 
JJ, 
Just to follow up for anyone interested - your o/s (MS Windows) has all kinds of things built in as do your programs. Many of them periodically wake up and call home, to see if there are updates, etc. Closing IE doesn't stop that - but you are unlikely to catch a virus or get hacked from those maintenance procedures. 

You probably haven't noticed exactly how many of them are sitting in your computer all the time, almost dormant, waiting for you to do something so they can spring to life and help. [Check the Process list in Task Manager, or the Startup tab in MSCONFIG if you are curious.] I have backup monitors, adobe reader ctartup assistants, and all kinds of other rubbish slowing my computer down. And you can't get rid of most of them. 

A properly design system would allow you to access settings to decide whether you want them or not. Nanny Microsoft thinks we're too stupid to be able to handle that, or they're too stupid to know how to make a properly behaved operating system.


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## Ralph Berg (Jun 2, 2009)

Running the Anti-Virus at night is better than not running one at all.

What you really want your Anti-Virus to do is run a weekly "boot scan".
The AV runs the scan before Windows starts up. If you ever check your AV log, you will see numerous files the AV can not check if Windows is running.
If your Anti Virus doesn't have a boot scan option, I suggest you get one that does.

I use Avast.
Ralph


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Not using it.... sorry, tried editing it before I left this morning... I went to edit the thing, and I guess I thought I hit the submit and must have missed it.. 

Should have said: "It's virtually impossible for your computer to pick up a virus if you are not using it. " 

There's very few things that can go on by themselves, some programs will update themselves, but most ask for permission. Your email system might download emails, but won't open them. 

Yes Pete, MANY AV programs slow the computer way down, that's why I have all 500 computers at our work set to run at 2am... McAfee is terrible lately, and so is Norton, and others... hmm... it is CPU and disk intensive if it is a good program. 

Ralph, your "boot scan" I assume is an anti-rootkit? All boot files should be scanned every time anyway, but rootkits are special viruses. 

Regards, Greg


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## Ralph Berg (Jun 2, 2009)

Right, Greg.
An AV is unable to scan any file in use. If you check your AV logs after a scan, you'll see several files that were not scanned.
It is my understanding that most root-kits are designed to hide behind these files. 
A "boot scan" runs before Windows or any other software is running, and therefore can scan 100% of the files.
Ralph


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Got it Ralph, had not heard that term very often.. but I'm also a fan of defragmentation, and I like the very few softwares that can defrag the boot files, page file, hibernation, mft, etc. 

Greg


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I do not turn my computer off I have it go to sleep.

Maybe I should turn it off more often

JJ


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

really only makes difference in power saving and the time to boot up vs. coming out of sleep. 

I thought the original question was about protecting your computer from viruses. 

When does your AV program run? Do you run anything else on a regular basis? 

Turning off automatic updates on Windows is a very bad idea, Microsoft puts out a virus scan program update every month, and you should install it via updates. It will run automatically after the update. 

The microsoft updates are mostly to protect you from hackers. 

Greg


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## Joe Bartolini (Jan 2, 2008)

My stance on Internet privacy is simple, I have no online privacy (period). The best that I can do is to insure that all updates to the OS are current, the antivirus program is running and updated to protect the security of my computer.I really dislike having to clean up a computer after it has been attacked. In reality everything about myself is online as I bank and pay bills online, complete my taxes online, applied for the kid'd student loan online. I am a member of numerous forums, addicted to FB, eBay, Amazon Overstock.com, Lands End and the list goes on. My life is out there and it was my choice to put it all there. Every comment I have made on an online forum can be found online. Google yourself to see just a little bit of your online life. So disconnecting from the Internet does no good if you are concern about privacy or having your computer hacked. Ever walked into your computer room at night. At my place there are small points of red and amber lights everywhere including the network card in my powered down computer. The home router is lite up like a Christmas tree. All my choice since I decided many years ago to connect to the WWW. Use protection and try to stay under the radar.


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## sschaer (Jan 2, 2008)

turning off a computer makes it safe. for some time. just assume you don't power on your computer for 2 weeks. then you power it on. it will take a while before your antivirus software is up-to-date again. in the mean time you might be attackable by virus. but :
- most virus come by email (attachements) that require clicking a link or executing software
- most virus do not attack your computer by themselves
- drive-by infections are probably the most common way to infect a computer


let's put some other facts straight. if you're connected to the web by using a router then your computer is not visible to the outside world. your routers ip-address is the last thing anyone else can trace down. it is not easy to find out what ip address your router currently has. and i need an ip-address to be able to attack you directly.
most routers feature a firewall. this keeps quite many attackers outside. then your computer most likely has an active firewall as well. keep everything locked.

an operating system uses ports for different purposes. you can see a port similar to a door. depending which one you open there is a different 'service' behind. similar to a hotel. the kitchen is behind a different door than the bathroom (at least thats what one would expect). your computer does not have to have any open ports at all ! so block just everything.
(different situation if you run a webserver, then you have to open port 80. )

shutdown any service you don't really need. this again reduces the chance to find an open port.



as a private person you are not interesting for hackers. you don't have any interesting data on your computer. not even credit-card informations are of interest. there are easier ways to intercept that kind of informations. an ordinary hacker doesn't even care if your computer is running or not. so what is of interest then ? connection to your network ! getting connection thru wires is rather impossible as someone has to have physical access to your router. 
access thru wireless is easy. even if you use encryption (wpa2 and such). once connected an attacker would use YOUR ip-address for whatever action he wants. if i am able to connect to your wireless network and then run some attacks agains someone else it will be your ip-address beeing recorded. you'd have to prove it was not you. not an easy task.


to become hacker-proof doesn't mean to simply shut down your computer. disabling wireless is far more effectiv.




to be honest, during holidays i usually do 'war-driving' . running a laptop on the dashboard scanning for unsecured wireless networks (this is 100 % legal !). if an open network is close i stop , connect to the network and read my emails or visit forums. not really hacking but i am using someone elses network. illegal ? yes and no. i use someones network without approval which could be seen as illegal. but i did not use any illegal techniques to gain access.



as you see the whole topic is a lot more than just shutting down a computer.


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