Protect your PC Guide
  1. Update & Patch Software
  2. Install Anti-Virus Software
  3. Enable Firewall
  4. Update Definition Files
  5. Install Spyware Software
  6. Backup your Files
  7. Manage your Passwords
  8. Responsible Downloading & File Sharing
  9. Reduce Spam Abuse
  10. Encryption

Update & Patch Software
 
One of the most important steps in protecting your computer is regularly updating your software, in particular your Windows Operating System. Updating your system would include installing patches which are small applications supplied by the software developers that are intended to fix a bug in their products and prohibit hackers from exploiting vulnerabilities unpatched applications pose. Vendors typically provide patches at no cost to their customer on their website or you can be notified of new patches via email if you subscribe to a mailing list.
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Install Anti-Virus Software
 
Anti-virus software is vital in the protection of your computer from harmful viruses that can do real damage not only to your files and software but your hardware as well. There is a variety of anti-virus software on the market today such as McAfee and Symantec/Norton.
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Update Definition Files
 
A definition file is file with a list of virus definitions. All viruses need to be added to this list so your anti-virus software can detect it when it scans your files. It's not enough to just have anti-virus software installed. Without regularly updating definition files, the anti-virus software is ineffective since it's not protecting your computer from new viruses.
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Enable Firewall Protection
 
Firewall can be a piece of software or hardware. Firewall software is used to determine what incoming traffic is allowed or needs to be blocked from your computer. In order for this to occur, your firewall has to look at every piece of information that tries to enter or leave your computer. If a site is trying to contact your computer and is not recognized by your firewall, it will be blocked. You can customize what sites you'd like to have blocked, allowed or filtered. Versions of Windows XP have firewall capability, with the Service Pack 2 update the firewall is automatically enabled for you.
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Install Anti-Spyware Software
 
Spyware is software that uses an internet connection in the background to gather certain information on users without their knowledge. Spyware is typically used for marketing and advertising purposes once users' web surfing habits and activities have been tracked and monitored. Installing anti-spyware software such as Ad-Aware (which is free to individual home users) helps removes spyware.
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Backup your Files
 
As good practice, you should regularly back up important files and documents on your computer in case your hardrive ever crashes. The most common and convenient backup options would be to save a copy of your files to a CD-R, CD-RW or DVD-R, DVD-RW.
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Manage your Passwords
 
It is important for you to choose fool-proof passwords that will help prevent hackers from accessing your accounts. When selecting your password, make sure the password is:
  • hard to guess by somebody else, but easy for you to remember so you don't have to write it down
  • not a word that can be found in a dictionary, it should consists of both letters and numbers and be greater than 4 characters
  • changed regularly
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Responsible Downloading & File Sharing
 
Take caution when you download anything from a site you're not familiar with or when using a file sharing application such as Kazaa. You are at a risk for potentially downloading a virus or spyware. Make sure you are downloading from a trusted source and if not, is the file you're downloading really worth the risk?
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Reduce Spam Abuse
 
Spam abuse is another problem that comes with email but it's more of an annoyance and time waster than anything else. Spam refers to unsolicited junk mail that is sent to a large number of people to promote products or services but can be significantly reduced by using our spam filtering service. In addition, to help combat spam and the spread of viruses we have blocked attachments with certain file extensions.
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Encryption
 
When you submit data through the internet it is viewable to anyone so it's very important to encrypt sensitive data before transmitting it to a remote site; encryption of data consists of converting readable data so it's unreadable.
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