Keeping your computer secure is essential to your online
internet safety. It minimizes the risks of catching viruses
and having spyware installed on your system. Computer security has to
take a variety of paths and you should pay attention to all of them to
maximize your own safety. With that in mind we’ve put together a list of
internet safety tips dedicated to keeping your computer secure. The funny thing is,
Internet safety tips are usually easy to implement but are often ignored.
Protect your Internet & PC privacy for free!
10. Firewall
One of the best internet safety tips is to use your firewall to stop
people entering your computer system from outside your location. It also
stops programs accessing the internet from your computer if they
shouldn’t be. A firewall is active as standard on most computers but you
should regularly check that yours is active to avoid having your system
compromised. Also your router should have its own firewall and you can
enable this by entering the settings by finding the router IP address and logging in.
9. Passwords
Passwords are vital to all computer safety.
You should have your computer access itself protected and you should
have separate passwords for every online account you make. A strong
passwords needs to be a mix of alpha numeric capitals such as 45Te9R7G7
to make it as hard as possible for anyone to break.
8. Encrypted files
Most people do not make use of this internet safety tip and do not
realize that you can encrypt files on your home computer fairly easily.
Simply right click the folder and choose properties. Here you can find a
variety of protection options. This makes files harder to be read by
third parties but for added security store important documents on a USB
or other portable storage device that is not accessible from your home
network.
How to Encryt a file
1. Go to the where the
file is stored.
2.
Right click on the file and choose properties from the menu.
3. On the
General tab click on
Advanced.
4. Tick the box next to “
Encrypt contents to secure data”
5. Press
OK.
7. Update browser for internet safety
Over half of all internet users still use out dated browsers to
access the internet. These browsers will not have been updated to the
latest security threats and are subsequently much easier for hackers to
compromise. It is a good idea to update your browser as soon as an
update is made available to maximise your protection.
6. Update software
Out dated software is one of the most overlooked security threats
to home computers. Much software accesses the internet and if it is
doing so in an out dated way it too is easier to compromise. Hackers
often created “back doors” into people’s systems that use out dated
software so make sure everything you are using is regularly updated.
5. Protecting your internet connection
It is amazing how many people still use no network security
despite the ease with which internet security can be set up and
instantly help with internet safety. If you are using wireless broadband
then you need make sure you have a security key for it. Simply run set
up on your router and choose the security options you want to adjust.
Choosing a strong password will stop people hijacking your internet and
being able to track your internet use.
4. Updating your antivirus software
New viruses are found on an HOURLY basis and virus removal software
is updated on average two or three times a week. If you are using
antivirus software (which you should be) then you need to update it at
least once a week to protect yourself from new threats. I personally use
Avast as I cannot risk a virus infection because my computer is used
for important business.
3. Virus scans
Along with the above it’s amazing how many people don’t actually scan
there computers regularly. If you use the internet regularly then you
need to virus scan regularly. We would recommend you run a full scan at
least once a week if you use the internet for more than 5 hours a week.
2. Safe browsing
Safe browsing is essential to keeping your computer secure. If you
regularly visit dodgy websites, click advertisements and stream content
then you are exposing yourself to high risk. If you think a site doesn’t
seem quite right then leave and browse elsewhere. Always search through
a reputable search engine and be wary of clicking advertisements.
1. Avoiding downloads
The biggest source of viruses and spyware
online comes from downloads both legal and illegal. Whenever you are
presented with the option to download something you should make sure you
scan it for viruses and also check that the website is reputable by
researching it through a search engine. With file transfer and sharing
sites you should be extremely vigilant and generally should avoid
downloading anything that is illegal.
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