Internet security seems like an oxymoron these days with all the threats targeting our computers. Staying safe online doesn’t have to be difficult, and this article covers the basic steps every computer user should follow.
The phrase “Internet safety” often seems like an oxymoron. Every day we hear about new threats targeting our Internet-connected personal computers, which seems to make it much more difficult to stay safe while connected online.
Knowing how to stay safe online has become a practical requirement these days for anyone using a computer connected to the network. Fortunately, a few relatively simple steps and a little education can go a long way in ensuring that your Internet experience is safe and secure.
1. Use a firewall – If you do nothing else, you must use a firewall. Firewalls act as a type of barrier between your computer and the Internet, preventing remote computers from connecting to yours unless you explicitly allow it. A firewall can be a simple device, like a broadband router, it can be a feature of your operating system, like Windows’ built-in firewall, or it can be a full-featured software package that you purchase and install on each computer. Which one you choose is less important than making sure you have one and it’s enabled and deflecting threats.
2. Backup – Not backing up your computer, or at least your critical data, is perhaps the most common mistake I see being made today. And sadly, it can also be the most expensive regret you’ll ever have when, not if, disaster strikes. If malware hits or fails hardware often, your best, if not your only recourse will be to recover your system from your most recent backup. Don’t have one? Then you may not be very lucky. I regularly hear from people who have lost everybody of your data due to a malware infestation or hardware failure. At the very least, invest in a large external USB drive and a good backup utility and start backing up regularly right away.
3. Keep critical software up-to-date – Every day, people experience problems that could have been completely avoided if they had simply kept their operating system and other PC software up to date. Both Windows XP and Vista make staying up to date a breeze with “Automatic Updates” and I definitely recommend that it be turned on. Similarly, most other programs and apps will now also check for updates and notify you when new ones are available. Make sure your system and applications regularly check for updates and install them as automatically as possible.
4. Educate yourself – No matter what else you do, no matter what other protections you put in place, malware authors can avoid it all if they can trick you into doing something you shouldn’t. The problem, of course, is that the “don’ts” is not always immediately obvious. That is why it is so important to learn how to detect and avoid their attempts. In shorts: be skeptical. Do not open email attachments or IM downloads unless you are sure they are safe. Do not click on the links in the email unless you are sure they will take you where you expect them to. Don’t download and install software without first checking it for malware. Don’t ignore the security warnings unless you’re sure it’s okay. Use strong passwords and never share them with anyone.
5. Scan for viruses – Even with the best intentions, viruses happen. Even with the firewall in place, the up-to-date operating system, and a solid understanding of what is and is not secure, sometimes something leaks. That is where you will need a good antivirus tool. There are many to choose from, but the key factors boil down to this: select a reliable tool, enable your “real-time” monitoring if you are unsure of yourself or others using the computer, set it to scan your hard drive completely once. once a day and make sure you are downloading the latest antivirus information daily.
6. Protect yourself from spyware – Like viruses, spyware can occasionally break through your defenses. Spyware is usually relatively benign from a pure security perspective; for example, spyware does not usually erase the hard drive or send spam. However, spyware does represent an intrusion, often presenting advertisements or modifying other programs in unexpected or unexpected ways. And at worst, spyware lives up to its name, spying on you and capturing potentially sensitive information. Anti-spyware utilities work a bit differently than antivirus, so you’ll want to make sure you have a good spyware scanner in addition to your antivirus tools. Like those tools, you’ll want to make sure you’re also downloading the latest spyware information on a daily basis.
7. Secure your WiFi – The default configuration of most WiFi equipment, and certainly the easiest configuration to configure, is completely insecure. That means anyone within range of your WiFi equipment can monitor what you are sending to and from the Internet, including your account IDs and passwords. The same is true in most internet cafes and free WiFi hotspots. There are two steps you need to take. First, at home, make sure to enable WPA security. This will require a password to connect to your wireless network and will encrypt all data so that it cannot be monitored. (The old WEP security is no longer sufficient as it is easily cracked.) Second, when you are using an open, unsecured WiFi access point, be careful to only access sensitive resources over encrypted connections. That means making sure that any web page you are visiting that requires personal information is connected via an https Connection. It also means that you shouldn’t download or send email through your POP3 or SMTP-based email program unless you know that those connections are also configured to use encryption, as by default they don’t.
Pass voucher: Understand physical security – An old saying that I have found myself repeating to people more and more in recent years is this: “If it’s not physically safe, it’s not safe.” All of the tips above are for naught if someone else who doesn’t understand these steps can use your computer and accidentally download malware. It’s no use if someone with malicious intent can walk up to your computer, restart it, install software or hardware, and walk away without you knowing it. It is all in vain if your computer can be stolen. Take care to understand the physical risk you may have and take appropriate action. Do not allow others to use your computer until you are comfortable with their understanding of the risks. Don’t leave your computer unattended if you can’t trust people who might touch it. Consider encrypting the data on your laptop or other computer in case it is lost or stolen.
Everything I have described may seem overwhelming at first. The good news is that most of these steps are things you’ll only need to do once, and rarely consider them thereafter. And to put it in a little broader perspective, they are not as overwhelming as the impact of a real security problem if it happens to you. The practical reality of the situation is simply this: we, as individual computer users, must take responsibility for the steps necessary to stay safe online.
You can find more information about staying safe online, including specific recommendations for each of the aspects discussed above, on the author’s website Ask Leo! There you will also find hundreds of answers to everyday computer and technical problems.