While some might be looking to phish your individual information and identity for resale, others simply just want to use your personal computer as a platform where to attack other unknowing targets. Here are several easy, cost-effective steps you can take to make your computer more secure.
Always make backups of important information and store in a safe place separate from your computer.
Update and patch your os, web browser and software frequently. When you yourself have a Windows operating system, start by going to www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com and running the update wizard. This program can help you find the latest patches for the Windows computer. Also visit www.officeupdate.microsoft.com to discover possible patches for your Office programs.
Install a firewall. Without a good firewall, viruses, worms, Trojans, malware and adware can all easily access your personal computer from the Internet. Consideration should be given to the benefits and differences between hardware and software based firewall programs.
Review your browser and email settings for optimum security. Why should you do this? Active-X and JavaScript tend to be employed by hackers to plant malicious programs into your computers. While cookies are relatively harmless when it comes to security concerns, they do still track your movements on the Internet to create a profile of you. At least set your security setting for the “internet zone†to High, and your “trusted sites zone†to Medium Low.
Install antivirus software and set for automatic updates so you receive probably the most current versions.
Don’t open unknown email attachments. It is not really enough that you might recognize the address that it originates because many viruses can spread from a common address.
Don’t run programs from unknown origins. Also, don’t send these types of programs to friends and coworkers because they contain funny or amusing stories or jokes. They may contain a Trojans horse waiting to infect a computer.
Disable hidden filename extensions. Automagically, the Windows operating-system is defined to “hide file extensions for known file typesâ€. Disable this choice so that file extensions display in Windows. Some file extensions will, automagically, continue to remain hidden, but you’re prone to see any unusual file extensions that do not belong.
Switch off your personal computer and disconnect from the network when not using the computer. A hacker can not attack your computer when you are disconnected from the network or the computer is off.
Consider making a start disk on a floppy disk in case your personal computer is damaged or compromised with a malicious program. Obviously, you will need to take this task before you experience a hostile breach of one’s system.In the event that you genuinely wish to make your personal computer fast, accelerate your registry, clean your junk files fast! You probably need this PC HealthBoost to increase your PC. This article is copyright protected.