1. Do not install any
anti-virus programs or completely ignore the daily or weekly updates or “definitions” of your anti-virus software.
Why bother? You’re careful right? Besides, your computer seems to be running fine so why buy and install anti-virus
software? How would you know if your system is infected
without anti-virus software installed? You wouldn’t! Your computer system MAY already have a virus
or hundreds of viruses and you may not even know
it! They can slowly or rapidly infect and damage your system files and your personal data. They rob pc performance, they can steal passwords and personal information, credit card information and they
also may open up back doors in your Windows operating
system allowing hackers right into your computer!
Plain and simple – computer viruses can cause
huge losses of time and money and if you do not
take the necessary precautions to protect your computer system you are just adding to the problem. If you think those anti-virus
programs are expensive and hard to use, compare
the initial cost of the software to a system rebuild or the time and resources it takes to replace months or years of your personal or business data. What would you rather spend - $30 to $50 now
for good quality anti-virus software or $100 to
$500 for a system rebuild with or without data recovery. It’s a good idea to back up your data to a backup hard drive,
CD or DVD disks regularly and to scan your backups
with up to date anti-virus software if you ever need to restore old data back onto your hard drive.
HOW GOOD IS YOUR ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE?
http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/archives/products.xml?table
2. Do
not install any Trojan anti-virus programs or completely ignore the daily or weekly updates or “definitions”
of your Anti-Trojan virus scan software.
Regular anti-virus software alone is not enough anymore, you also should have further protection to guard against Trojan
viruses. Most current anti-virus software will pick
up some Trojans, BUT NOT ALL OF THEM. Companies that write anti-virus software cannot put forth all of their resources in fighting ALL computer viruses, there are just too
many of them and new and more sophisticated viruses appear everyday. Trojan anti-virus software companies research and fight nothing but Trojans, so it's a great idea to have both
types of anti-virus scan programs installed on your
system.
3. Do not use a firewall.
Installing
a hardware or software firewall protects your network or your computer from the evils of the internet. Because Windows operating systems are under constant attack by
Bill Haters, hackers and computer snoops that tweak, crack and hack Windows operating systems and the programs that run on Windows, AND because these new security
loopholes can take time to surface and to fix, a good firewall
can help block those attacks. A firewall can even stealth (hide) your computer from the internet if it is properly configured.
Hardware firewalls or routers with built in firewall
protection provide very good protection. There are varieties of software firewalls which are usually less expensive and also provide good protection. Make sure it is a two-way firewall which
monitors both incoming AND outgoing traffic. There
can be a learning curve with a firewall, but it is a necessary one! Don’t ignore your online security!
4. Use
peer-to-peer file sharing programs. What’s the harm here you say? I can get all of this FREE stuff off
of the internet like music and software –
it’s GREAT! Using P2P programs are not only bad for the software and entertainment industries but hurt the economy as
a whole (in my humble opinion since
I was downsized from the IT industry too) and may be illegal since the copying of copyrighted material over the internet
via P2P programs has been under legal scrutiny.
One thing is for sure, using these P2P programs can be bad for the health of your pc. It’s like
opening a sewer pipe right into your computer. You
have no clue who is on the other end supplying you with music files, picture files and software programs. You have no idea what the character of that person is or if that person sharing
their files has a properly secured pc with a firewall and updated anti-virus software.
Anyone with a little programming experience (and
there are millions of people out there with programming knowledge) can modify an electronic file to install a virus or spyware in order to steal your personal information,
your passwords, your identity or cripple your system.
Right from the “I agree” button click, as you install the peer to peer sharing
program you are setting yourself up for all sorts
of advertising and spyware programs that come bundled with the original P2P program. “I am" you say? Well,
didn’t you read the disclaimer before you
agreed to install the program? When you agree to their terms, all the junk like pop up advertising programs and spyware to monitor your internet browsing
habits comes along with it.
There are/were even plans by some companies to wake up the millions of computers that have installed its software
to use the the owners' computer (with the owners’ permission of course by the “I agree terms”) to host and distribute other companies' content,
such as advertising or music. Alternatively, it might borrow the owners' unused computer processing power to help with other companies' complicated computing tasks over the internet. How’s
that for privacy? These P2P programs can also have security holes inside their program code which can allow hackers, spy’s and viruses
through backdoors right into your pc...the horror!
5. Do not pay any attention
to CRITICAL security fixes for your operating system or other software installed on your system.
Most software
requires periodic updates to seal security holes and bugs in the software program code. Pay attention to any necessary patches
(also known as SR’s - service releases,
SP’s - Service Packs, updates, fixes etc.) for your operating system and software installed on your system. You can monitor your Windows security updates at:
