Today, more and more people
are using their computers for everything from communication to online banking
and investing to shopping. As we do
these things on a more regular basis, we open ourselves up to potential hackers,
attackers and crackers. While some may
be looking to phish your personal information and identity for resale, others
simply just want to use your computer as a platform from which to attack other
unknowing targets. Below are a few easy,
cost-effective steps you can take to make your computer more secure.
1.
Always make
backups of important information and store in a safe place separate from your
computer.
2.
Update and patch
your operating system, web browser and software frequently. If you have a Windows operating system, start
by going to www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
and running the update wizard. This
program will help you find the latest patches for your Windows computer. Also go to www.officeupdate.microsoft.com
to locate possible patches for your Office programs.
3.
Install a
firewall. Without a good firewall,
viruses, worms, Trojans, malware and adware can all easily access your computer
from the Internet. Consideration should
be given to the benefits and differences between hardware and software based
firewall programs.
4.
Review your
browser and email settings for optimum security. Why should you do this? Active-X and JavaScript are often used by
hackers to plant malicious programs into your computers. While cookies are relatively harmless in
terms of security concerns, they do still track your movements on the Internet
to build a profile of you. At a minimum
set your security setting for the “internet zone” to High, and your “trusted
sites zone” to Medium Low.
5.
Install antivirus
software and set for automatic updates so that you receive the most current
versions.
6.
Do not open
unknown email attachments. It is simply
not enough that you may recognize the address from which it originates because
many viruses can spread from a familiar address.
7.
Do not run
programs from unknown origins. Also, do
not 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.
8.
Disable hidden
filename extensions. By default, the
Windows operating system is set to “hide file extensions for known file
types”. Disable this option so that file
extensions display in Windows. Some file
extensions will, by default, continue to remain hidden, but you are more likely
to see any unusual file extensions that do not belong.
9.
Turn off your
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.
10.
Consider making a
boot disk on a floppy disk in case your computer is damaged or compromised by a
malicious program. Obviously, you need
to take this step before you experience a hostile breach of your system.
More... Offline & Online Data Entry
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