With the increasing importance of computers and the rise of broadband access, computer users are putting more sensitive financial and personal information on their computers and online than ever before. With this increased online presence, user information is more susceptible to attack or theft than ever before.
Two vital parts to ensuring your computer and personal information is safe and secure are antivirus software and a firewall. An active antivirus helps to keep your computer free of viruses, trojans, keyloggers and other malware by scanning any files that accessed or created and blocking any suspicious files from running. At this point, the software gives you a choice to delete, quarantine, or ignore the files in question.
Antivirus software can keep malicious files off your system, but will not keep malicious people out. With the always-on convenience of today's broadband options comes always-on access to your computer for hackers and identity thieves. A firewall acts as a security gate between your computer and the Internet, monitoring any information that is travelling in and out of the computer. The firewall will alert you to any suspect traffic, explain why it thinks the traffic represents a threat and allow to choose to if you wish to allow or deny it.
Bundled security software suites allow you to install and access all of your security features in one interface, streamlining the update process and ensuring compatibility between the various functions provided. Some suites, such as Norton's 360 All-in-One Security Suite or Kaspersky Internet Security, also include registry repair, registry cleaning, and PC tune up capabilities.
A computer's security is only as strong as the weakest part of the system, making it is vital to use strong passwords for computer access and online accounts. To create a strong password, you should use at least 8 characters, though 14 or more is recommended, and include both upper and lower-case letters and numbers. Special characters such as @, $,!, and # can add further strength to your passwords. Try to re-use passwords as little as possible. If a hacker obtains one of your passwords and you use the same password or everything, the hacker has access to all your accounts. Multiple, unique passwords help to reduce potential damage if an account is compromised.
These easy steps will drastically decrease your chances of losing data or personal information to viruses, malware, or hackers and avoid costly bills to fix your PC.
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