The growth in Internet popularity is followed by a growth in immoral and criminal activities on the web. Hackers, crackers, web bullies, identity thieves, all of them and more are out there in the cyber world. They invent new methods every day for attacking PCs and networks to use in criminal activities. Every person with a computer is exposed to it. This is why Internet security has become such an important topic in the last few years. When you go online you must know how to protect yourself.
Following are ten simple rules that you can follow in order to protect your PC and privacy:
1) Click Wisely.
When you surf the web you probably come across different ads and messages prompting you to click on them and approve downloading. A lot of these are innocent, but some can hide executable files that can infect your PC. Files that end with .exe, .com, .bat, and .scr, as well as, scriptable document files including .doc and .xls may be dangerous and turn out to be malware. You have to think carefully before downloading a file to your PC. Download files only from websites you know and trust.
2) Protect Your Passwords.
Tailor your PC and Internet passwords so they won’t be detected by hackers. Use strong passwords and change them frequently. A strong password is a combination of at least seven characters with a mix of lower and uppercase letters and digits. It is important to use a variety of passwords. If you use the same password for all of your accounts and PCs it may result in total exposure if the password reaches the wrong hands. Make up new words for your passwords; hackers can easily guess passwords that are made up of common words. It is important that all the users that are defined on your PC have unique passwords.
3) Use a Firewall.
You can think of a firewall as a shell around your computer protecting it from incoming attacks. An active firewall is a necessity these days if you spend time on the Internet. If you are using windows XP OS(=Operating System), you already have a firewall installed. You just need to make sure that it is activated.
To enable the firewall, follow these instruction:
* Click Start > Setting > Control Panel , and then click Network Connections.
* Double-click on your active Internet connection, click Properties, and then select the Advanced tab.
* In the Advanced tab, in the Windows Firewall group box click Settings, and then select On.
If your operating system does not include a firewall you should install one.
4) Use Anti-virus Software.
Computer viruses, worms, trojan horses and much more can penetrate your computer (by email attachment, by file sharing) without being detected by the firewall. It is important to have software that can handle such penetration. An anti-virus software works from inside the computer detecting malware and deleting it. A good anti-virus will also scan email attachments and downloads before they can harm your PC. It is very important to update the anti-virus software all the time in order for it to stay relevant and handle new threats.
5) Use Anti-spyware Software.
Anti-spyware software can increase your PC security a great deal. Nowadays many malware attacks originate in spyware. In addition to a firewall and an anti-virus you should install and run anti-spyware software.
6) Secure Your Internet Browser.
The first step in securing your Internet browser is choosing the most secure one. Currently, IE (=Internet Explorer) is the most popular Internet browser. As such, malicious hackers made it their number one target and set out to exploit its flaws. It also has a the disadvantage of relying on ActiveX technology, which allows web sites to run executable programs on your PC via your browser. Although there is an improvement in security in IE 7 compared to older versions, this technology is still vulnerable. Mozilla’s Firefox is the most popular IE alternative. Like IE, it is also a target for hackers. In order to minimize the risk it may be safer to use a less popular browser such as, Opera browser or Google Chrome browser. No matter which browser you choose, remember to keep it updated in order to deal with new Internet threats.
If you are set on using IE it is a good idea to deactivate ActiveX technology.
To disable ActiveX in IE 6 and IE 7:
* Open a browser page, and then click Tools > Internet Options.
* On the Internet Options dialog box click the Security tab, and then click Custom Level.
* On the Security Settings – Internet zone dialog box, scroll down to Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins and select Disable.
* On the Custom Level dialog box click OK, and then on theInternet Options dialog box click OK.
To enable ActiveX on a trusted site in IE 6 and IE 7:
* Open a browser page, and then click Tools > Internet Options.
* On the Internet Options dialog box click the Security tab, select Trusted Sites and then click Sites.
* In the Trusted Sites dialog box, in the Add this website to the zone text box, enter the site address, and then click Add.
* Clear the Require server verification… checkbox for all sites in this zone, and then click Close.
* On the Internet options dialog box, click OK.
If you choose to keep ActiveX enabled you will surely encounter websites in which you will be asked to install their ActiveX control on your PC. Make sure this control is safe and legitimate before doing so.
You can also raise the security level of IE browser. To do so:
* Open a browser page, and then click Tools > Internet Options.
* On the Internet Options dialog box click the Security tab, and then click Custom Level.
* On the Security Settings – Internet zone dialog box, in the Reset custom settings group box, select High and then click OK.
* On the Internet Options dialog box, click OK.
7) Always Upgrade to The Latest OS(=Operating System) Service Pack.
There are types of malware that exploit weaknesses in operating systems. Due to its popularity the most attacked OS is Microsoft Windows operating system (in all versions). The best way to protect your computer is to install a different operating system such as Ubuntu Linux. Linux operating system is usually less attacked by malware.
Secure Your Wireless Network.
If you are using a wireless network it is important that you protect yourself from people who are trying to use it without your knowledge.
First change the default name of your Wi-Fi network in order to prevent “drive around” hackers from thinking you are an easy target. Make sure to encrypt your network; use a strong WPA2 protection standard.
You can also hide your Wi-Fi network by hiding your SSID broadcast and implementing MAC address filtering. Most Wi-Fi access points and routers have this feature set to ‘disabled’ as a default setting. It is recommended to enable this feature in order to improve the security of your Wi-Fi network. Without MAC address filtering any wireless client can join the Wi-Fi network if they know the network name (also called the SSID) and a few other security parameters like encryption keys. When you set MAC address filtering feature you should create a white list of clients that will be allowed to join the network and enter those MAC addresses into a configuration screen of the wireless access point or router, then switch on the filtering option. Once enabled, whenever the wireless access point or router receives a request to join with the Wi-Fi network, it compares the MAC address of that client against the white list you have entered. Clients on the list authenticated; clients not on the list are denied any access to the Wi-Fi network.
Be careful when using unsecured connections of neighbors or free publicconnections. Sometimes there are just Wi-Fi networks of people who didn’t bother to take protection measures, but they may also be trapsset up by hackers in order to get your personal information. If you must use a public connection make sure you encrypt your outgoing data and don’t sign on to financial accounts.
9) Secure Your Email.
The majority of malware is being spread by emails. It is important to take measures in order to make your email more secure. As a first step always use a trusted email client. Many email clients can deliver your emails but it doesn’t mean that they protect your PC and personal information in the process. It is important that the email client you are using has basic features, which protect your PC, such as, filtering unwanted messages from your inbox and scanning email attachments for computer viruses. Use a first-rate email client, such as, Google Mail.
It is also recommended to carefully monitor emails with attachments. When you download an email attachment to your PC it is not checked by your firewall. Many hackers use spam emails in order to spread malware. Don’t open or download attachments from an unknown sender. Opening attachments that were send from friends may also be a risk if their PC was infected by malware. Make sure that the email makes sense to you before you open its attachments.
Be careful with emails that have links. Hackers and spammers sometimes use links in order to seduce you to enter malicious websites and get your personal information. These emails can seem like authentic emails from your bank or from some service provider. If you get such an email it is better to open a new browser page and enter the URL of the legitimate business manually to check if the email is legit, or contact the service provider and check it out.
Another protection measure you can take is to set up customized filtering options on your emails. Most ISPs provide spam filtering, but you can make it more effective by customizing it yourself. For example, Google mail allows you to create aliases for your email and you will get all of the emails to the same inbox. When subscribing to a new service or newsletter you can create a new alias and if you find that this alias is being used for spam or malicious intentions you can just delete it. If you are using an email client that does not give the feature of aliases then you can create a few free emails accounts (directing them to your main email account) and use them in the same way as aliases.
10) Disable File Sharing On Your PC.
Sometimes you allow file sharing on your PC so people who have legitimate access to it can easily reach these files. This can be dangerous if you are using Wi-Fi network that is very public like in universities or airports. You are exposing your PC to strangers that are on the same network. If you didn’t disabled file sharing these people can get access to your files. It is important to disable file sharing access from foreign computers.
