Security

Anyone using the Internet should be concerned about the security of the computer installation that they are working from, for several reasons.

The machine that you are working on (or one connected to it) could be compromised by what you do.
You may (knowingly or unknowingly) compromise another machine
You (nomrlally) have a resonsibility (e.g. to your employer) to behave in a secure manner.
If your resources (e.g. password) are used by someone else you may be responsible for what is done under that resource.

We can only give you very brief ideas here about what you should look out for. We take no responsibility for the advice offered below although we hope it is helpful

We do NOT give any assertion that any software, any data, any pratice or any advice offered in this course is secure. If you are in any doubt, don't use it and consult a local expert.
if your employer has a policy on the use of the Internet or computers then you should follow that rather than the advice here.
many sites (especially commercial) have firewalls to prevent certain types of security problem. Any software that you run 'inside' the firewall will have to be agreed with your system administrators.
many sites do not allow downloading of data from the Internet and this could (unfortunately) make it very difficult to pursue the course. Others will allow a restricted set of sites (or types of data).
the use of MIME types that cause scripts to be activated has special dangers and you should check with your sysadmin again.
Do not trust the identity of any file (especially binary). Thus downloading a 'gif' and then executing it could run a rogue program.
don't be afraid to talk about security and read about it.
if necessary, use a machine which is not connected to your normal system, and where security may be less of a problem.

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pmr for pps
Sept 18 1994