Step 1 - Protect Yourself With Anti-Virus Programs

On this site we have selected and tested FREE antivirus software for you. Antivirus (or anti-virus) software is used to prevent, detect, and remove malware, including computer viruses, worms, and trojan horses. Such programs may also prevent and remove adware, spyware, and other forms of malware.

Even with this protection your should... NEVER OPEN UNSOLICITED ATTACHMENTS, not even when it appears to befrom those you know and trust. Not even if it appears to be from yourself!

A variety of ways are typically used to guard against viruses. Signature-based detection involves searching for known malicious patterns in executable code. However, it is possible for a user to be infected with new malware in which no signature exists yet. To counter such so called zero-day threats, heuristics can be used. One type of heuristic approach, generic signatures, can identify new viruses or variants of existing viruses for looking for known malicious code (or slight variations of such code) in files. Some antivirus software can also predict what a file will do if opened/run by emulating it in a sandbox and analyzing what it does to see if it performs any malicious actions. If it does, this could mean the file is malicious.

The currently recommended Anti-Virus software is AVG. You will find it easy to install and use and at the moment it has the least annoyances (too frequent, pitches to buy the advanced version).

An Updated Operating System Keeps The Bad Guys Out

There are many security tools to help protect your computer, but one rule keeps coming. "Keep Your Computer Patched and Up To Date". Sounds simple enough. Home computer users can do it without being computer experts.

Vulnerabilities to your operating system are constantly being discovered. Don't listen to the hype, Apple and Linux have them too. There are a few different things that you can, or should, do to make sure your computer is kept up to date and has the necessary patches to keep it safe from known vulnerabilities. You should configure Automatic Updates to make sure you are getting the Critical updates as soon as possible. You should also check the update site. With Windows you can use Microsoft Update periodically to make sure you get other, non-critical updates. Lastly, you can use the FREE Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool to scan your computer and identify any missing patches or other security issues.

Use Automatic Updates, they provide a method to ensure that your computer gets at least the Critical updates. Things like feature changes and device driver updates won't come automatically with Automatic Updates, but at least your computer will be protected against the vulnerabilities most likely to compromise its security.

Use Safe Practices When Reading Any Email with Attachments

When recieving email consider these things:

1. Is the email from someone that you know?
2. Have you received email from them before?
3. Were you expecting email with an attachment from them?
4. Is it reasonable? Would that person send you something and does what they sent make sense?
5. Install and use an anti-virus program.

and, as stated above, NEVER OPEN UNSOLICITED ATTACHMENTS, not even when it appears to befrom those you know and trust. Not even if it appears to be from yourself!

Your Firewall Program Locks The Door Behind You

Hackers routinely use "robots" and other software programs to scan cyberspace looking for vulnerable computers and networks. A decent firewall automatically blocks or stops a robot from seeking entry to your computer. Like a castle wall prevents an attacking army from entering the courtyard.

If you have more than one computer in a home or small-office network, you should protect every computer in the network. Running multiple software firewalls is unnecessary for typical home computers, home networking, and small-business networking scenarios. Firewalls cannot protect against viruses that spread through e-mail, such as Trojan horses, which masquerade as helpful or benign software and trick you into opening or downloading them. To help protect against viruses, use antivirus software. The firewall cannot prevent spam or pop-up ads.

Protect Important Documents By Making Backups

I believe the most frequent catastrophe for a computer is a hardware or software failure. Frequently I can save you but you should be prepared. I lost five years worth of research when a nine year old computer failed and the back-up was on a nine year old computer which also failed. Don't be too confident, I had enough warning to back it up to a new computer which also failed on the second boot.

I currently save all my original files to an external hard drive and then back that up to a different drive. It's simple, right click on My Documents, My Downloads, My Videos, etc., (your names may be different but you get the point) select Properties, select Location, select Move, and browse to your external hard drive. All your files will be saved there unless you choose otherwise (don't).

You should still back up your files to a different drive (that's two external drives). The only back up program I trust is PC Backup by Migo. I have tried others that failed when I needed them. That's a bad time to find out they don't work. Even good programs can be too picky about where you back up from or to. If they don't like the way you've changed your computer they don't know what to do. PC backup will ask what to do.

Passwords Protect Your Identity And Your Valuables

Passwords are like underwear, change yours often! Test the stregth of your password. If you need help follow these six steps. The strongest passwords look like a random string of characters to attackers. But random strings of characters are hard to remember. Make a random string of characters based on a sentence that is memorable to you but is difficult for others to guess.

1. Think of a sentence that you will remember like your favorite book or movie title.
   Example: "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams."
2. Turn your sentence into a password. Eight Characters is strong but 16 or more is most challeging for hackers.
   Use the first letter of each word of your memorable sentence to create a string, in this case: "teuehsgetotegybydsas".
3. Add complexity to your password or pass phrase
   Mix uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers. Introduce intentional misspellings.
   For example, in the sentence above, you might substitute the word 'to' for the number "2", so a password might be "tEuehsg32Tegc6ydSas".
4. Substitute some special characters
   Use symbols that look like letters, combine words, or replace letters with numbers to make the password complex.
   Using these strategies, you might end up with the password "+Eue#sg32Teg(6ydSa$".
5. Test your new password with Password Checker
   Password Checker evaluates your password's strength as you type.
   Keep your password a secret
6. Treat your passwords with as much care as the information that they protect.

Downloading and Installing Programs Can Be An Invitation To Intruders

Your computer software is written by strangers. When strangers com into your house they are intruders. When considering software you should treat it like an intruder. So then, how do you decide if a program is worth it?

1. What does it do? What does the program do? You should be able to read a clear description of what the program does. This description could be on the web site where you can download it or on the CD-ROM package you use to install it. Consider whether you can trust that information.
   
   
2. What will it change? What files are installed and what other changes are made on your system when you install and run the program? Consider the source.
   
   
3. Who is the author? (Can you use email, telephone, letter, or some other means to contact them?) Once you get this information, unless they have a known reputation, use it to try to contact them to verify that the contact information works. Your interactions with them may give you more clues about the program and its potential effects on your computer and you.
   
4. Who has used the program? What can you learn from him or her? Friends still may not know or may refuse to tell if they have been infected. Try some Internet searches using your web browser. Somebody has probably used this program before you, so learn what you can before you install it.

Use a Free File Encryption and Access Control Program For The Best Protection

FREE open-source disk encryption software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X, and Linux. The ultimate freeware encryption program, TrueCrypt is loaded with powerful features that those concerned with protecting their data from thievery should want--and have.

It offers 11 algorithms for encrypting your private files in a password-protected volume. You can store your encrypted data in files (containers) or partitions (devices). TrueCrypt works hard to offer powerful data protection, recommending complex passwords, explaining the benefits of hidden volumes, and erasing telltale signs of the encryption process, including mouse movements and keystrokes. Though the interface may not be immediately intuitive, its powerful, on-the-fly encryption for no cost still earns the freeware security tool a top rating.

This is not a paid advertisement. It is FREE Open-Source software. TOP

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