Crucial Steps To Keep Your Pc Protected

The following guide outlines the essential actions you need to take to keep your PC healthy and free from malicious software.

1 - Firewall protection

The first step in securing your computer is activating firewall security. A firewall operates like a protective shell surrounding your system that acts as a filter between you and the Internet. It identifies and blocks suspect software from entering, while allowing above board information to pass through. Some operating systems such as Windows XP have an inbuilt firewall which can be switched on and adjusted in your security settings. If you don't have this protection already installed, make sure to get one.

2 - Antivirus software

Viruses can enter your computer system in sneaky ways that your firewall cannot pick up and block, such as through downloaded files and emails (even those from trusted friends may be infected). They work internally to undermine your PC's operating system through replication, so that even your legitimate files become corrupted. Sound antivirus software will scan for these types of infections and delete them before they can compromise your PC.

3 - Anti spyware software

Current research has shown that 9 out of 10 computers are infected by spyware, it is the most common form of malicious software affecting Internet users. The purpose of spyware is for unsolicited and aggressive marketing activities – it causes annoying advertising popups, can redirect your PC to suspect websites and in its worst form can even monitor your every key stroke so that criminals gain access to sensitive private information. Spyware and adware can sometimes enter your computer system undetected by antivirus software. For this reason the experts in computer security recommend you have both antivirus and antispyware software installed.

4 - Password protection

From Trojans to spyware, there is a frightening amount of malicious software designed by criminals to gain access to your private information. Because of this, it's important to both change your passwords fairly regularly, as well as to make them harder to guess at. Try to keep passwords at least 7 characters long with a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters and numbers.

5 - Email safety

Emails give hackers and spammers direct access to your PC, so it's essential to make sure your emailing software provides secure scanning of all attachments and clear filtering of spam. Always be cautious of email attachments - 90% of viruses enter your PC through this method so make sure you know the sender before opening them. Another thing to be aware of is that under no circumstances should you ever respond to emails asking for your financial and personal information – no legitimate company would approach you with such a compromising security request.

6 - Web browser security

Hackers regularly target weak security cracks in browsers or their plug-ins to enter your computer system and infect it with malicious software without your knowledge. Since the Internet Explorer browser is generally the most susceptible to this, if you're using IE it's a good idea to change your security settings from 'default' to 'high' for extra filtering. You might want to consider a different browser option that has less of a reputation for virus attacks, such as Mozilla Firefox or Opera.

7 - Downloading caution

Free internet downloads are often suspect – you have to ask yourself how the supplier benefits from offering something for nothing. The fact is that spammers disguise malicious software, from viruses to spyware, within the free programs they offer. Once you allow the download, the infection has permission to bypass your firewall and antivirus software. Also bear in mind that if you download peer-to-peer files, they should always be scanned by your PC security software to make sure they're not infected.

8 - Software updates

Software updates include identification of new malware for your PC to guard against. As different malware is constantly being created, it's important to keep current software that recognises fresh variations and prevents them from slipping though your security measures. The majority of viruses are concentrated on the Windows platform, so if this is what you use it's a good idea to run automatic updates for new Windows XP patches when released by Microsoft.