Internet security is a serious issue in todays world, in an effort to make sure that you are able to stay safe on the internet, the following tips may be useful.
1. Use a firewall: A firewall is a piece of software or hardware that sits between your computer and the network and only allows certain types of data to cross. For example, a firewall may allow checking email and browsing the web, but disallow things like Windows file sharing. If you’re connected to the internet through a router, then you already have a type of hardware firewall that prevents random networking-based external threats from reaching your computers. If you’re using a dial-up internet connection, a firewall may not be as important, although it doesn’t hurt to have one. A software firewall may be your only option.
2. Scan for virus: Sometimes, typically via email or other means, viruses are able to cross the firewall and end up on your computer anyway. A virus scanner will locate and remove them from your hard disk. A real-time virus scanner will notice them as they arrive, even before they hit the disk, but at the cost of slowing down your machine a little, and occasionally even interfering with other operations.
3. Scan for spyware: Spyware is similar to viruses in that they arrive unexpected and unannounced and proceed to do something undesired. Spyware can be relatively benign from a pure safety perspective, as it might “only” spy on you. But that’s enough. It can violate your privacy by tracking the websites that you visit, add “features” to your system that you didn’t ask for, or record your keystrokes and steal your account login information for any online services that you might use. Some of the worst offenders are spyware that hijack normal functions for themselves. For example, some like to redirect your web searches to other sites to try and sell you something. Of course, some spyware is so poorly written that it might as well be a virus, given how unstable it can make your system. The good news is that, like virus scanners, there are spyware scanners that will locate and remove the offending software.
4. Stay up to date: I’d wager that over 90% of virus infections don’t have to happen. Software vulnerabilities that malware exploits usually already have fixes available by the time the virus reaches a computer. The problem? The user simply failed to install the latest updates that would have prevented the infection in the first place.
5. Secure your home network and your mobile connection: If you’re traveling and using internet hot spots, free WiFi, hotel-provided internet, or internet cafes, you must take extra precautions.
Make sure that your web email access – or for that matter any sensitive website access – is only via secure (https) connections or that your regular mail program is configured to use encrypted connections as well. Don’t let people “shoulder surf” and steal your password by watching you type it in a public place. Make sure that your home WiFi has WPA-security enabled if anyone can walk within range and that you’ve changed your router’s administrative password.
6. Don’t forget the physical: All of the precautions that I’ve listed above are pointless if other people can get at your computer. A thief can easily get at all of the unencrypted data on your computer if they can physically get to it. Even login passwords can be trivially bypassed if someone has access to your computer.
