When surfing the Internet, you are bobbing around with roughly a billion other people. Lots of these people want to sell you stuff you don’t want, others want to steal your money, and some just want to cause disruption. By adopting the following practices, you will go a long way towards minimizing the risks posed by the sharks swimming in this virtual ocean.

The security threat currently facing computer users can consist of sophisticated blends of viruses, spyware, fake emails, and spam; therefore, users need to do more than just install antivirus and antispyware software and hope for the best. Also needed is a vigilant approach in incorporating these and other tools into daily surfing habits.

 
The first step is to ensure that you have a good antivirus program, at least two antispyware programs (no single application will detect all spyware), a firewall, and a spam filter. There are several free alternatives available for all these needs, including the following:

Tip: To achieve a higher level of security, and to make the whole process much easier to maintain, you may wish to buy a commercial all-in-one suite such as Norton Internet Security (http://www.symantec.com/) or ZoneAlarm Security Suite (http://www.zonelabs.com/).

Expert Habits

• Make sure that your antivirus and antispyware applications are updated regularly (ideally on a daily basis). Your virus scanner should run continuously in the background, and, if your spyware scanners need to be used manually, do so at least once a week or after any high-risk surfing (such as peer-to-peer file swapping). Follow your application’s guidelines on dealing with any threats that they uncover.
• Switching to a browser such as Firefox or Opera can reduce your risk of attack.
• If you come across a suspicious-looking window when you are browsing (usually offering something for free), close it immediately, but don’t use the Close or Cancel button. This may automatically install something nasty. Instead, close the window by either clicking the “x” in the upper right corner or click the title bar and press Alt-F4. If that fails, use Ctrl-Alt-Del to close the whole application. (Learn how to avoid unwanted popups).
• Keep your browser updated with the latest security patches, and learn how to use its various security settings. Occasionally check that these settings haven’t been altered by spyware.
• Be suspicious of any regularly visited sites (especially financial institutions) that don’t look quite right or that ask for your login details. Phone the institution to check on the situation.
• When using email, never open attachments from unknown sources and be suspicious of unexpected attachments from known sources.
• Don’t reply to, or click links in, emails that are allegedly from financial institutions. Most banks will not contact you in this way.
• Never respond to spam.
• Don’t download software from sites unless you are convinced of their legitimacy and read the software license very carefully before installing the application.
• Peer-to-peer networks are a haven for spyware and viruses — avoid them.
• Use caution when using instant messaging. Your virus scanner will probably not automatically monitor these programs. Check if your IM program(s) has a facility for virus protection. MSN Messenger does, for example, but it needs to be activated.
• Make sure all members of your family are made aware of the risks. Children are especially targeted with spyware-laden free stuff.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 20th, 2007 at 11:27 am and is filed under Tutorials, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows 98, Windows 95, Preventative Measures, Performance & Optimization, Software. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.