Basic Computer Security Tips

Basic Computer Security Tips

Protect Your Computer with Your Own User Account
Files and content on your PC are your private data and information. If you are the sole user of the PC, you know you are the only person who can view those files. But in case of a single PC and multiple users, like in a household where kids and parents use the same machine, you can protect your data by setting up user accounts. Setting up a separate account for each user shows only that individual's data to them and not what is present on the entire system. Such accounts are also useful for specifying privileges, like what files can be modified or deleted and what software can be installed. Imagine if your child manages to access important files that you have created and deletes them by mistake. By setting up a user account for him/her, he/she can only view files, not modify them and cannot install any programs. By setting yourself as the administrator, all computer settings and user accounts can be modified by you alone. And for guest or non-family member users, like your kids friends, you can keep a guest user account.

Secure Your Wireless Network

With wired Internet access, there' little risk of someone encroaching on your network. But wireless networks do have holes in their security, so as the owner you need to be vigilant. Setting up a password and securing your wireless network is the first step. Use the latest security encryption methods like WPA or WPA2 key. If you have shared the password with a neighbor or someone outside, for one-time use, change the password the next time you log on your machine. Saying that an anti-virus software is necessary seems stupid, as this is one of the most basic computer security guidelines. But you need an anti-virus program and it should be regularly updated. Schedule auto system scans, carry out scanning of downloads and new added devices, periodic quick scans and once in a while, carry out a complete system scan.

Be Careful with Websites and Email

The land of the Internet is vast and filled with numerous and convenient places to hide. No one ever reveals their true identity and details and you should do the same. Social networking sites are fun online places to socialize but they are also preying grounds for the depraved. For parents, installing parental control softwares is useful for monitoring and filtering what their children can get up to online.

You can even change your web browser's security settings to block certain sites and filter out objectionable content. Such settings are not as powerful as parental control softwares but it helps to be extra secure. You can find this feature in the Tools option of most browsers. With search engines like Google, you can fiddle with search preferences settings.

Email is another online threat. Log in data and information should be kept very very secure and should be updated regularly. Change your email password once every 2 weeks. Use a spam blocker or filter. Malicious Internet users can send anything in emails, so do not open unknown sender's emails. Most email clients like Hotmail, will warn you of suspicious content or dangerous mails from an unknown user. Before downloading any email attachments, use the virus scan first. After checking your email, it's best to run a quick virus scan of your system, to ensure nothing has seeped into your computer.

Use Passwords

Since nearly all programs have passwords and are encrypted, it pays to be a bit cautious about those little strings of computer security authentication. Passwords are supposed to keep your individual settings and data safe, so you need to keep their value or the actual password safe. This includes not writing down all your passwords on a piece of paper and keeping it in the car or say a common location. With numerous passwords, it's understandable that remembering them all is difficult. So you can write them down but the place where you store this written down info, should be secure.

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