Top Tips
Most people neglect the most important area of their computer with either having little knowledge or no time to sit and read the masses of advice spread over the internet about it. Computers that are not kept upto date with the latest patches and software
and that have little in the way of security in as far as a firewall and virus scanner go, are the most vunerable. In a technological age where things move fast firewalls and virus scannners are basic procedure in helping combat unwanted presences inside your pc and it doesn't even cost a lot to protect yourself, in fact, there are many free software suites out there including spywaredoctor (free with googlepack) zone alarm firewall, commodo firewall, (commodo's firewall includes a virus scanner), when it comes to virus scanners your best off investing in a paid up software like Kaspersky Anti Virus or ESET NOD32 Antivirus, both come with 30 day trials and wipe the floor with other free anti virus scanners like AVG for example...
Here are the top tips for keeping you safe on-line:
Watch what you download on file sharing sites. There are a vast amount of viruses which get spread through these sites and a lot of the time you wont know until it has already infected your computer. Not to mention that the content is more than often illegally copied! Download all security patch updates whether for windows or any other program. Never agree to install a program unless you know where it has come from or have purposely downloaded it. Protect your children by blocking web sites with unsavoury subjects. You can buy software to do this or buy a good quality ADSL router as some have these features already built in. Social networking sites! dont post personal information about yourself that people could use to steal your identity such as date of birth, address and even photos. Never disclose your username or password to anyone whoever they claim to be especially the banks as this is how crooks like to trick you into obtaining your personal details. You may have heard it being referred to as Social Engineering . Make sure your anti-virus and anti-malware products are always up to date. Its best to pay for one rather than using the free ones as they have more features to protect you! Also make sure you enable the scheduled scan its amazing how many PCs I see that dont have this enabled because it slows peoples machines down! Always make sure that you have a padlock on display within your browser when buying items on the internet otherwise your card details can be are not secure. Ignore emails that ask you to confirm your bank details as these are generally known as phishing emails which only have one purpose in mind and that is to steal your personal info! No matter how convincing they are always ignore them and don't ever click a link in an email, always copy and paste the link into a new browser window. Computers should be treated like weapons as they can be very effective at what they do but can be very dangerous without the right training. Ask friends and family if you are not sure what you are doing. Or if you have any questions post a comment and I will offer a bit of free advice.