You'll find below global steps to take to secure your computer:Operating system and software patches and updates----------------------------------------------------There is no such thing as perfect software, often a software program may have several issues and could potentially have security vulnerabilities that can leave your computer open to attacks that compromise your computer and your data.Software patches, updates, and drivers are made available, often for free, to consumers to help keep a software program and operating systems running properly and secure. If the program you're using does not have any type of method of checking for updates on its own it is up to you to verify the program is up-to-date. Often this can be done by visiting the web site of the developer who created the program. A listing of third-party companies and links to each of their pages can be found on our third-party support page.Passwords-----------Make sure a password has been set on computer. Default passwords such as password, root, admin or no password will allow easy access to your computer or your Internet account.?Change passwords often. It is recommended at least once every few months.Create a BIOS password.When creating a password, add numbers or other characters to the password to make it more difficult to guess; for example: 1mypassword23.Get a hardware or software firewall----------------------------------It's highly recommend all users have some type of firewall solution. There are two types of firewall's your computer and/or network can have.Trojans, viruses, spyware, and other malware--------------------------------------------Software trojans, viruses, spyware, and other malware can not only damage or destroy your computer data but is also capable of monitoring your computer to learn more about your viewing habits on the Internet or even log all your keystrokes to capture sensitive data such as passwords and credit card information.To help protect your computer from these threats we suggest installing a virus protection program as well as a spyware protection program.Know how to handle e-mails---------------------------Today, e-mail is one of the most popular features on the Internet. Being able to identify threats sent through e-mail can help keep your computer and your personal information safe. Below are some of the most common threats you may encounter while using e-mail.Attachments - Never open or run e-mail attachments. Viruses, spyware, and other malware are commonly distributed through e-mails that have attachments. For example, an e-mail may want you to open an attachment of a funny video, when it's actually a virus.Phishing - Phishing or an e-mail phish is an e-mail that appears to be from an official company (such as your bank) indicating you need to log onto the site to check your account settings. However, the e-mails are actually sites setup to steal confidential information such as your passwords, credit card information, social security information, etc. See our phishing dictionary definition for additional information about this term as well as examples of these type of e-mails.Alternative browser-------------------Before the release of Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and Internet Explorer 6.0, Microsoft Internet Explorer was notorious for security and spyware related issues. Although it has improved since then we still highly recommend considering an alternative browser such as Mozilla Firefox.However, these as some of basic steps to take ...You'll find below global steps to take to secure your computer:Operating system and software patches and updates----------------------------------------------------There is no such thing as perfect software, often a software program may have several issues and could potentially have security vulnerabilities that can leave your computer open to attacks that compromise your computer and your data.Software patches, updates, and drivers are made available, often for free, to consumers to help keep a software program and operating systems running properly and secure. If the program you're using does not have any type of method of checking for updates on its own it is up to you to verify the program is up-to-date. Often this can be done by visiting the web site of the developer who created the program. A listing of third-party companies and links to each of their pages can be found on our third-party support page.Passwords-----------Make sure a password has been set on computer. Default passwords such as password, root, admin or no password will allow easy access to your computer or your Internet account.?Change passwords often. It is recommended at least once every few months.Create a BIOS password.When creating a password, add numbers or other characters to the password to make it more difficult to guess; for example: 1mypassword23.Get a hardware or software firewall----------------------------------It's highly recommend all users have some type of firewall solution. There are two types of firewall's your computer and/or network can have.Trojans, viruses, spyware, and other malware--------------------------------------------Software trojans, viruses, spyware, and other malware can not only damage or destroy your computer data but is also capable of monitoring your computer to learn more about your viewing habits on the Internet or even log all your keystrokes to capture sensitive data such as passwords and credit card information.To help protect your computer from these threats we suggest installing a virus protection program as well as a spyware protection program.Know how to handle e-mails---------------------------Today, e-mail is one of the most popular features on the Internet. Being able to identify threats sent through e-mail can help keep your computer and your personal information safe. Below are some of the most common threats you may encounter while using e-mail.Attachments - Never open or run e-mail attachments. Viruses, spyware, and other malware are commonly distributed through e-mails that have attachments. For example, an e-mail may want you to open an attachment of a funny video, when it's actually a virus.Phishing - Phishing or an e-mail phish is an e-mail that appears to be from an official company (such as your bank) indicating you need to log onto the site to check your account settings. However, the e-mails are actually sites setup to steal confidential information such as your passwords, credit card information, social security information, etc. See our phishing dictionary definition for additional information about this term as well as examples of these type of e-mails.Alternative browser-------------------Before the release of Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and Internet Explorer 6.0, Microsoft Internet Explorer was notorious for security and spyware related issues. Although it has improved since then we still highly recommend considering an alternative browser such as Mozilla Firefox.However, these as some of basic steps to take ...
