Safe Computing Best Practices

With over 150,000 known computer viruses and 100,000,000 spam emails sent out each day, the likelihood of your PC coming into contact with malware such as viruses, worms, and spyware is all but GUARANTEED. And once your computer becomes infected with malware, simple tasks such as browsing the web can be very frustrating as your computer's speed is drastically decreased -- that is if you can still connect to the internet at all. Given the prevalence of malware, the only real long-term solution is preventing it from infecting your computer altogether, but how? Implementing simple and straightforward steps you can dramatically decrease the chance you'll have to call up your local PC repair shop for a cleaning ever again. From installing essential safeguards to tailoring your own Internet behavior, you can dramatically reduce the odds of your computer being infected by malware.

Use a firewall
The use of some type of firewall product, such as a network appliance or a personal firewall software package is strongly recommend. Intruders are constantly scanning home user systems for known vulnerabilities. Network firewalls (whether software or hardware-based) can provide some degree of protection against these attacks. However, no firewall can detect or stop all attacks, so it’s not sufficient to install a firewall and then ignore all other security measures.

Install and update anti-virus software
A good firewall will filter out many of the threats facing your computer, however, some malware is always going to find its way onto your PC. For example, viruses, worms, Trojan horses and other forms of malware can find their way onto your computer by various means a firewall cannot detect, including downloading malicious email attachments and files from the internet. So to protect your PC you'll also need strong regularly updated anti-virus software. While a firewall protects your computer from the outside, an anti-virus program will work from the inside of your computer, hunting down hidden viruses and deleting them, while also scanning attachments and downloads before they can infect your computer.

Install and run anti-spyware software
Even though firewalls and anti-virus programs are more well-known when it comes to basic security, it may actually be your anti-spyware program that provides your computer with the most significant increase in security. Today, the most common form of malware that internet users encounter is spyware. In fact, a recent study estimated that 9 out of 10 computers connected to the Internet are currently infected with some form of spyware. Spyware can take a variety of forms, however, some of the most common effects are that it causes unsolicited pop-ups to appear, steals personal information, monitors internet activity for marketing purposes, or routes your website requests to other spam advertising sites.

Additional counter-measures

·         Visitng gaming, gambling, or pornographic sites, make you particularly vulnerable to a special type of malware called Rootkits. If this is the case, it is absolutely essential that you install anti-rootkit software to secure your PC, and even if you don't fall into one of those vulnerable categories it is still a good idea.

·         Consider employing non-traditional software such as WinPatrol which uses a heuristic behavioral approach to detecting attacks and compromising violations of your pc. Traditional security programs scan your hard drive searching for previously identified threats. WinPatrol Plus takes snapshot of your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur without your knowledge.

·         Download and install the latest Operating System and Office Suite updates

Hackers are constantly developing new types of malware, some of which try to exploit weaknesses in an operating system to get into your computer. Therefore, it is important to always install the latest Windows OS Service Pack (SP) updates in order to keep your computer secure. Microsoft releases patches and updates for their Windows operating systems once a month on "Patch Tuesday." If you are running a Windows OS, or another Microsoft application, it is extremely important that you frequently update your application with all the new patches that Microsoft puts out.

·         Download freeware with caution

While not all freeware is bad, spammers often hide dangerous malware in computer programs that they then offer for free on the internet. When you choose to download these free programs, not knowing they are infected, you circumvent your firewall and anti-virus protection, and as a result often open yourself up a serious malware infestation. If you download via torrent or peer-to-peer programs, make sure to scan the files you receive for viruses and other malware, as many file servers do not check the integrity of the documents they host. If possible, find a trusted Web site such as ZDNet download files from.

·         Use strong passwords for all of your computer accounts and keep them safe.

One of the easiest ways for someone to gain access to your account is to determine your password. Strong passwords cannot be guessed easily. Hackers often use automated tools to help them guess or crack passwords, and the easier a password is to guess, the faster a hacker can break into a system. Many people write down their secret password, and tape it to the monitor or tuck it into a desk drawer next to their computer. Don’t write down your password, use the "remember my password" features on the web, and don’t keep the same password for a long time or keep reusing old passwords. Never use common words or names in your password. In fact, making up new words is an effective way to keep hackers from guessing your password.

·         Turn off your computer or disconnect it from the network when not in use

Turn off your computer or disconnect its Ethernet interface when you are not using it. An intruder cannot attack your computer if it is powered off or otherwise completely disconnected from the network. An excellent recommended hardware product to consider is AlphaShield.

·         Make regular backups of critical data

Keep a copy of important files on removable media such as recordable CD-ROM or DVD-ROM disks. Use software backup tools and store the backup media somewhere away from the computer.

·         Make a boot disk in case your computer is damaged or compromised

To aid in recovering from a security breach, create a boot media which will help when recovering a computer after such an event has occurred. Remember, however, you must create this disk before you have a security event.

 

PROMOTIONAL

           
Product Review                     Product Review                        Product Review                         Product Review

Need help making an informed purchase decision?