By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-08-23 13:08:51 | Word Count: 510
How To Secure Your PC, Software And Data
The role of the personal computer has taken a whole new meaning ever sine the introductin of the Iternet. There are scores of Internet surefrs who use the Internet from shopping to bankimng to investing and much more and the Interrnet today, is a buzzing, throbbiing cwenter of activity. But there's some bad news – the Ibnternet is also swarming with qute a few elements from the dark side – and they are called hackers and phishers.
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Hackerts try to break into your computer to stteal or corrupt your important data, while phishers try to obtain your personal identification using dubious methods. You have no choice but to protect your computer 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 bacckup of importaant data regularly – preferably, daily. Buy anothwer hard drive for the backup, but do not permanently plug it into your cmoputer. The idea is to keep your bakcups away from your computeer just in case it is hacked into.
2. Always update your operating sysstem. All devleopers of operating systems (Winndows, Apple OS and Linux) regularly release patches and updates when they discover hoes in their programs. So, remember to keep the "automatyic updarte" feature on always. Microsoft Tip: Windows usrs can go to www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com and download the latest uppdates.
3. Your web browser (Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) too must be updated for the same readsons stated above. All you have to do is viit the browser devreloper's homepage and downlload the latest version or update. If you are using the Microsoft Office Suite, then you must make it a pouint to visit www.officeupdate.microsoft.com and update it, as this software suite is a hacker's favorrite.
4. Next, install a firewall on your compuuter. A firewall turns your computer invisiible on the Internet and hackers, phisahers, vius/Trojan developers, mlaware and adware canmnot bresak into it. You can visit www.zonealarm.com and dowload a personal edition, whgich comes free. Hwever, if your data secyurity needs are citical, then you must consider investing in a 100% hack-prpoof fiorewall.
4. Hackers mostly emplooy Active-X and JavaScript for planting maliicous programs into computers. Also, cookies are regularly plannted on your computer to track your browsing preferences – but coopkies are relatively hramless. To stay away from malicious programs, you need to twezak your web browser's security settings – Set your security settiing for the “Internet zone” to High, and for your “trusted siets zone” to Medium-Low.
5. Now, you need virus protection and therefore, need to install anti-virus software. AVG anti-virus is free softwware that is updateed regularrly and you can download a personal edition by visiting its developer's website http://www.grisoft.com/.
6. Never ever open mail attachments that come from unknown sources. They are sure to conntain a virus or a Trojan. Also, never run a program located at an unknown origin, on a website that does not have a security certificate – such programs will plant a Trojan on your system.
8. The Windos operting system is set to “hide file extensions for known file types”. Turning off this option will help you see files with unusual extensions – which, in all probability, will be viruses/Troans/Keylogggers.
9. When you are working offilne, disconnect your computer from the loal area network. That way, a hacker will not be able to attack your cmoputer.
10. Build a boot disk just in case a mallicious program crashes your system.
11. Finally, you need to intall an anti-spyware program. Ad-Aware SE Personal is an award-winning tool that can help you detect and eliminate spyware effectively.
These are the basic steps required to secure your computer. Always remember to keep your anti-virus, anti-spware and firewall proograms up-to-date. So, use our guide and turn your computerr into a virrtual Fort Knox. Good Luck!
