Posts Tagged virus protection

Tips For Computer Security While on Vacation

Finally, a break! Make sure your vacation is memorable because of the great time you had, not because something happened to your computer. Read on for a complete checklist of things to do to make sure your computer and the data on it is ready to jet with you.

Back-up your data and clean-up your computer.
Copy important or valuable items – documents, photos, presentations, email records – on to an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or an online service and store it in a lockable location at your office or at home. This will ensure you have a back-up of everything vital should your computer become lost or damaged while traveling.

If using an email program like Outlook, export your data (like contacts) into a file that will be saved onto a flash drive or external hard drive as well.

Encrypt your data for another layer of protection.
Many computer system security features now easily let users encrypt their data so that others cannot see their personal information. Run this before packing up your laptop.

Never leave passwords or other confidential information in your computer’s carrying case.
Would you ever leave your keys in the door of your car? Leaving passwords in the same case as your computer is like doing just this.

Keeping your passwords in a separate location will make it harder for a thief to access your personal and/or corporate files. Even better: memorize your passwords to avoid carrying them around in the first place.

For the purposes of information security, it is recommended that one change all of their passwords upon returning from their vacation. That way thieves cannot have access to any of your online accounts if they did get a hold of your passwords.

Use something less obvious than a laptop bag to tote your computer.
Special padded backpacks, padded briefcases, or padded messenger bags are a better option. People that will want to take your computer are looking for an easy way to grab and go, so they will look for the most obvious thing that tells them one has a computer.

Use a laptop security device.
Laptop security cables work like a bike lock; simply lock them into your computer and loop the cable around a heavy item when you are using your laptop on vacation. This will make it harder for a thief to walk away with your computer. If possible, avoid leaving your laptop in a hotel room if you will be stepping out as things sometimes get ‘lost’ in hotels. However, if taking your laptop with you is not an option, lock the laptop into the hotel safe and place the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on your door.

There are also tracking services one can purchase for their laptop. If your computer is stolen, the service will be able to tell one the exact physical location of their computer once the perpetrator connects to the internet. For your safety, have law enforcement assist you with retrieving your stolen goods.

Configure your computer’s security when using public Wi-Fi.
Make sure your firewalls and virus protection services are up-to-date and working properly before going on vacation. Password-protect your computer before connecting to any wireless networking device. Download current spyware protection and OS security patches.

Do not use the “Remember Me” feature on websites or the feature that remembers your online passwords. Re-type your passwords every time – especially while overseas. Clear your browser after each use and delete your history, caches, cookies, and temporary internet files.

Disable infrared or Bluetooth ports when they are not in use so someone else doesn’t use them. Terminate internet connections when you do not need to go online.

Be prepared for anything.
You never know what you may run into while on vacation. Have the necessary materials with you for any situation. Write the phone number for your technical support or help desk and keep it with you in your suitcase, bag or planner. If you are going overseas, pack the appropriate power adapter for your laptop. Pack an Ethernet cable in case your hotel’s wireless does not work.

When traveling with your laptop, computer security is an important thing to keep in mind. Taking the proper steps before you take-off and being smart about what you do with your laptop will help ensure happy travels.

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Computer Security – Four Rules You Need to Know

Computer security is on a lot of people’s minds. And there are lots of companies out there offering all sorts of ways to stay hack proof. Most high-end products are geared toward large enterprises. This makes sense since they are worth millions or billions of dollars. Security companies go where the money leads. But what about the typical home computer user? How can novice users traverse this brave new world? Let’s take a look at my four rules for home computer security.

Let’s face it, the internet can be like the wild west. You never know what you’re going to find and it’s hard to trust anyone. But a little caution can go a long way. The first rule to keep in mind is the rule of the low hanging fruit. What’s fruit have to do with computer security? Well, actually it has a lot to do with computer security. People tend to go after the path of least resistance. If you were to pick fruit off a tree, which fruit would you go after? Would you go after the fruit at the top of the tree or would you go after the one hanging in your face? Of course, you would go after the low hanging fruit. Hackers are no different. They will tend to exploit the targets that promise the biggest bang for the least effort. If you require more effort to hack, most hackers will pass you by.

The second rule is the rule of the front door. You never, ever want to hook your computer directly up to the internet. A caveat to this rule is if you know what you’re doing and set up a firewall directly on that computer. There are other considerations, but I’m going after straight-forward solutions for you. What I mean is that you never want to hook a DSL or cable modem directly into your computer. You always want to put some type of router between the modem and your computer. This can be a simple dsl/cable router from someone like Linksys. This helps to segment a private network from the public internet network. Let me use an analogy. If you hook up your computer directly to your modem, it’s like opening your front door and letting anyone into your house. There is no barrier between you and the outside world. However, if you put a router between the modem and your computer, it’s like closing that door on the front of your house. Now, only certain, trusted people are allowed in.

The third rule is the rule of pest control. Please don’t run a computer without virus protection. You can have the best front door in the world, but if you let the back door open it’s useless. Anti virus programs help control loopholes in trusted communication lines. A friend of mine got a floppy from a friend. He then quickly copied a presentation for a corporate client on it. He went to the client, inserted the floppy, and was greeted by an obnoxious virus alert. The client was furious, my friend was highly embarrassed, but the software did its job. Never run a computer without virus protection. And these days, you need spyware protection. There are some great free ones out there like Spybot Search and Destroy. I also like SpywareGuide’s Xscan for interval scanning.

The fourth rule is the rule of sewing. Ok, I’m not talking about sewing in the traditional sense. I’m talking about putting patches on – on your operating system that is. If you are using Windows, you need to make sure windows update is set to automatically download updates. Security patches regularly come out and you would be less than wise to ignore them. And be warned, in this day and age, some security issues involve simply visiting malicious websites to breech your security. Don’t be a victim, be prepared.

While this certainly won’t fend off the most hardened hacker, it will keep most at bay. It’s sort of like home security. Is a thief going to target the home with lax security or the one with great security? I’ll leave that answer to you.

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7 Tips For Computer Security and Virus Protection

Computer security is a vital issue for anyone who surfs the net on his or her PC. Any computer that is connected to the Internet is exposed to thousands of malicious, viruses, spyware, hackers, and other nasty Malware that can ruin a system, cost lots of money for repairs and lose important data, files and folders.

Here are some hands-on steps that you can take to protect your computer, data and private information from the hackers, Malware, viruses, spyware and thieves and ensure the best in computer security.

  1. Good Virus Software – Make sure to always install and run the best virus software on your computer. Always have the best anti virus software installed and running on your system.
  2. Real Time Virus Protection – Make sure that real time protection is part of the virus software you use to avoid being infected by drive-by infections that can happen just by visiting a website.
  3. The Best Security via a Web Browser – Internet Explorer web browser is full of security risks; Firefox is a much better choice.

If you are using Firefox make sure that you properly set up the security options:

  1. Go to Tools and select Options
  2. Select the Security Tab
  3. Select the following options in the Security Window: a). Warn me when sites try to install add ons b). Tell me if the site I am visiting is a suspected attack site. c). Tell me if the site I am visiting is a suspected forgery
  4. Firewall Protection – Firewalls block hackers and unauthorized access from other networks. Windows comes with a default firewall, or you can choose from various free ones for extra protection that can also be customized.
  5. Computer Administrator Protection – Windows operating system allows you to create different users, such as guests versus using the computer in Administrator mode. This helps to avoid being logged in as administrator, which makes vital areas of your computer more protected. You can create a guest user and surf the net with that profile, which will make your system more secure.
  6. Dangers of Unknown Email Attachments – Many get virus infections that are sent as attachments via email. Never open files that come from sources that you don’t know, or don’t trust. While Yahoo and other free email platforms do have virus scan protection it is not always accurate and can miss a virus attached to email disguised as something legitimate.
  7. Be Cautious about Shareware – Shareware is a term that refers to free software or program that can be downloaded from a variety of websites. These can be risky because they can carry viruses and spyware. Be careful with these downloads and be sure the website that offers them is safe.

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