Are spreadsheets secure?

Bogof_Babe

I don't know anything much about hacking, so would be grateful if someone could tell me whether it is safe to do a spreadsheet on my laptop (private home use only) which includes bank account numbers etc. I want to be able to update it, so it needs to be on a saved document. I'm not sure whether hackers could get into the applications on my system.

No-one else uses my laptop and at the moment my WiFi is disabled as it never worked anyway. I have Norton AntiVirus installed.

Any guidance greatly appreciated. Sorry if this is a dumb question.

ormus

every time you connect to the internet there is some risk, however small.
also if someone steals you lappy, its a risk.
you can save your docs onto a usb pen drive? gives an extra layer of security.

dont loose the usb pen!!!

isofa

You'll be fine in general, technically everything can be at risk, but as long as you have a good firewall, and hopefully an internet connection via a router rather than a USB "modem", you'll have the basics of good security. Pile on Anti-virus, anti-spyware etc and it'll be safer.

You first defence is to password protect the spreadsheet, it's easy to break if you know how, but will deter a non-technical person, it's found in the Save dialog box under Options with Excel, set a password to open the spreadsheet.

If you are using Win 2000, XP Pro and some versions of Vista you can encrypt your files to your login, right click files/folders, Properties, security - you'll need to google the details if you aren't a power user!

Thirdly you could set-up an encrypted area using TrueCrypt, which has very strong security and save important files to and from this area - which can also be on a USB pen drive.

There are many other ways to encrypt files, google will be your friend here too!

robt_2

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

I don't know anything much about hacking, so would be grateful if someone could tell me whether it is safe to do a spreadsheet on my laptop (private home use only) which includes bank account numbers etc. I want to be able to update it, so it needs to be on a saved document. I'm not sure whether hackers could get into the applications on my system.

No-one else uses my laptop and at the moment my WiFi is disabled as it never worked anyway. I have Norton AntiVirus installed.

Any guidance greatly appreciated. Sorry if this is a dumb question.

Yes it will be fine. Remember that generally speaking, anything you hear in the media about hackers is partial truth, partial scaremongering and partial exaggeration

Bogof_Babe

Wow, thanks for all that useful info. I forgot I meant to ask about password protecting spreadsheets, so thanks for including that advice - will check it out.

I'm on Windows XP, and my internet access is from Orange (Wanadoo/Freeserve) and is via a modem I think. I'm not sure now what a router is - I thought that was the thing I got for Wifi that did not work (couldn't get on internet unless modem was connected as well). The modem is a silver thing that says CopperJet and has USB ADSL under the two green lights. (Told you I was a novice ). I thought wireless routers were more risky than fixed modems, so if you've got another minute I'd love to know what the facts are.
Off to investigate the password thing. Thanks again. :T

Edit: I don't have Excel, and Microsoft Works spreadsheet programme doesn't seem to have any way of password protecting it. Oh well .

isofa

ADSL USB "Modems" connect your PC directly with the internet via your ISP, some have more advanced technology to add a layer of separation, others don't.

Wired routers (not wireless), sometimes called gateways, separate your PC from the connection using something called NAT (network address translation) instead of connecting your PC to the internet directly, which is more secure. In effect your PC connects to the gateway, and then the gateway provides the internet connection.
Wired routers connect to your PC using an Ethernet network cable, not USB.

Wireless routers also use the same technology to connect to the internet as wired routers, but also have a wireless feature to share your connection to wireless enabled computers, this adds insecurity if all the security isn't set-up, and because it is broadcasting the network through the air, it has the potential to be more attractive to a hacker.

robt_2

If you just have Microsoft Works, you might want to consider OpenOffice instead - http://www.openoffice.org/

It is office software like Microsoft Office that is far more powerful than MS Works.

LuciferTDark

No anti-hacker system is 100% safe but if you worry too much about being hacked you'd never go online again.

Most hackers don't bother targeting normal users like us as there's really not that much to gain in it, they much prefer to go after people like Microsoft or the big corporations who actually provide a challenge to their "skills". You're more likely to pick up a virus than anything else from a spreadsheet you download from the internet.

Bogof_Babe

Thanks everyone. I've got another obscure question now, so I hope your patience isn't exhausted. I'll start a new thread as it is a different topic.