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By George Norman

Added on 28 Sep 2009(1390 Views)

Having access to the web is something that no computer user can do without – not if they want to keep in touch with the people they care about, want to check the latest news, download and test the latest software, and so on. The thing is that information rich as the internet is, you may end up downloading something other than useful info from the web. I am of course talking about security threats: viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware and other forms of malware. There are a few basic rules that will keep your system out of harm’s way.

Here are some useful tips about keeping your computer safe and protected:

- Keep your operating system up-to-date

If you have your computer running on Windows, then you should know that Microsoft releases updates and fixes for it every second Tuesday of the month (referred to as Patch Tuesday). Make sure you download and install these updates as soon as they are released.

Please note that Microsoft sometimes released out-of-cycle updates as well. This is when a recently discovered vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild by people with malicious intent.

- Keep your software up-to-date

Most of the software updates I see are meant to address the issues of stability and security. Make sure to keep the software applications you use on a day-to-day basis up-to-date.

- Get security software

Windows comes with a built-in firewall, but it does not come with a built-in antivirus application. Get a security software application and install it on your system. Make sure you get a trustworthy, legitimate application, not a rogue. The keep it up-to-date rule applies to security software as well.

- Beware of unsolicited email messages

If you get an unsolicited email messages that invites you to download an attachment or click link, do not download the attachment and do not click the link. The attachment is most times malware and the link leads to malware spreading sites.

If the email seems to originate from one of your friends and the attachment is a .exe file, it would be better to contact that friend and ask him/her what that file is. You never know if he had his system or email account compromised.

- Be careful online

Modern web browsers like Firefox provide phishing protection and known malicious web sites protection – this means you will be warned that you are navigating to a known malicious webpage. You could still be tricked into downloading malware onto your computer, like a rogue security software application for example. Do not download software unless you do it from a trustworthy location.



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Tags: Software, Security, Malware, Computer



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