Security FAQs

What should I know about security on the Internet?
First of all, security is an issue for all Internet users, whether they use a cable or dial-up access.

What are the key security issues?
Internet users should be aware of security compromises that could result in unauthorized access to personal information (credit card numbers or personal documents), or damage to a computer's resources (altered files or erased hard drives).

How has Cox High Speed Internet addressed these concerns?
In order to access another person's computer on the Internet you must have the IP address of the computer. This address can be up to 12 digits. Cox High Speed Internet assigns dynamic IP addresses rather than a static, known address. This means that as you are connected to the Internet the address of your computer is randomly assigned on an ongoing basis, which makes it extremely difficult to find the address.

Throughout Cox High Speed Internet, customers can connect computers in a local area network (LAN). Properly configured, computer resources can be shared on a LAN without compromising Internet security. To further increase the security of your Internet connection, Cox Cox High Speed Internet recommends that individuals using Windows 98 and Windows 95 computers disable file and print sharing through the Network Control Panel.

Cox High Speed Internet customers have a private, scrambled connection from their cable modem to the cable router that is not shared with the rest of the network. Pursuant to this protocol, all information going into and leaving through the cable modem is scrambled to prevent information from being re-directed inappropriately. Cox continues to explore additional ways to enhance the security of cable modem transmissions and looks forward to implementing additional solutions as they become available.

How does this compare with dial-up Internet access?
Internet access via the telephone is just as susceptible to security breaches if resources such as files, printers, directories, hard drives and CD ROMs are shared.

Voice transmissions via telephone lines have always been susceptible to security breaches (tapping).

Are there other safeguards that I should be aware of?
Cox advises its customers to turn their computers off but leave their cable modem on. This will prevent 24-hour computer connection to the Internet but will still allow Cox to monitor the status of the network in order to maintain a high-level of performance and reliability.

Security risks exist primarily within Windows 95/98 and Windows 3.1 and are not due to any technology specific to cable modems.

Security has always been an issue and traditionally, customers are advised of security concerns at the time of the selection and purchase of an Internet access provider.

Windows 95/98

• Turn off file and printer sharing if you are not using it.
• If you do share files, give read-only access to just the necessary directories, assign a strong password, and turn off sharing when it is no longer necessary.
• Turn your computer off when you are not using it.
• Put a strong password on your screen saver to prevent physical access when you are not at the computer.
• Use a strong BIOS password to prevent unauthorized access system hardware resources.