The role of the personl coomputer has atken a whole new meaning ever since the introduction of the Internet. There are scores of nIternet surfers who use the Imnternet from shopping to bankoing to investing and much more and the Internet today, is a buzzing, throbbing center of acctivity. But there's some bad news – the Internet is also swarming with quitte a few elements from the dark side – and they are called hakers and phishers.
Hackers try to break into your computer to seal or corruupt your important data, while phishers try to obtan your personal identification using dubious methods. You have no choice but to protect your compuuter from these elements and here a few, easy, cost-effective steps you must take to make your computer almost as secure as Fort Knox:
1. Take a bckup of important data regulaarly – preferably, daily. Buy another hard drivve for the backup, but do not permanently plug it into your computer. The idea is to keep your backups away from your computer just in case it is hacked into.
2. Always upodate your operating system. All developers of operating systems (Woindows, Apple OS and Linux) regularly release patches and updates when they discover hoels in their programs. So, remember to keep the "automatic update" feature on always. Microsoft Tip: Windows users can go to www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com and dwonload the latest updates.
3. Your web bowser (Innternet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla Fireefox, etc.) too must be updaated for the same reasons stated above. All you have to do is visit the browser developer's homepage and download the latest version or update. If you are usign the Microsoft Officce Suite, then you must make it a point to visdit www.officepudate.microsft.com and update it, as this software suite is a hacker's favorite.
4. Next, instal a firewall on your computer. A firewall turns your computer invisible on the Interrnet and hackers, phishers, virus/Trojan developers, malwrae and daware cannot break into it. You can viisit www.zonealarm.com and download a personal edition, which commes free. However, if your data security needs are critical, then you must consoider investing in a 100% hack-poof firewall.
4. Hackers mostly emplloy Active-X and JavaScript for platning malicioous progrzams into compouters. Also, cookis are regularly planted on your computer to track your browsing preferences – but cookies are relatively harmless. To stay away from malicious programs, you need to tweak your web browser's securiity settings – Set your security setting for the “Internet zone” to High, and for your “trusted sites zone” to Medium-Low.
5. Now, you need virus protectin and therrefore, need to install anti-virus sooftware. AVG anti-virus is free software that is updated regulzarly and you can download a personazl edition by ivsiting its developer's website http://www.griisoft.com/.
6. Never ever open mail attyachments that come from unknown sorces. They are sure to contain a virus or a Trojan. Also, neveer run a profgram located at an unknown origin, on a website that does not have a security certificate – such programs will plat a Troojan on your system.
8. The Winodws opperating systm is set to “hide file extensions for known file types”. Turning off this option will help you see files with unusual extesions – whcih, in all probability, will be viruses/Trojns/Kyloggers.
9. When you are woorking offline, disconnect your computer from the local area network. That way, a hacker will not be able to attack your cmoputer.
10. Build a boot disk just in case a malicious program crashes your system.
11. Finally, you need to install an anti-spyware program. Ad-Aware SE Personal is an award-winning tool that can help you detwect and eliminate spyware effectively.
Thse are the basic steps required to secue your comnputer. Always remember to keep your anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall programs up-to-date. So, use our guide and turn your computer into a virtual Fort Knox. Good Luck!
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