Securing your computer from invaders

How do I secure my Microsoft Windows home computer? By implementing the following guideline you will be increasing your computers security integrity making it harder for intruders to break in:

1. Anti-Virus. After installing your operating system or purchasing a new computer the first priority is to immediately install an anti-virus package to protect you when you first connect to the internet. You should choose a package that will automatically update itself on a daily basis or make sure you configure your chosen package to update its virus definitions at a specific time when it is connected to the internet.

2. Patch The Operating System. Once you have your anti-virus installed you can connect to the internet and click on your Update Windows icon which will take you through the process of downloading and installing the latest system patches. Also, make sure that the downloading and installing of important updates is set to automatic.

3. Firewall Defence. Microsoft Windows has a built in basic Firewall but it is always advisable to install a third party Firewall as this will prevent any unrecognised outbound connections or buy a router which has a built in Firewall for the ultimate first line of defence protection.

4. Spyware Protection. Make sure that you have a memory resident Spyware application which monitors any changes that are being made to the registry or Internet Explorer. These tend not to be included in the free Spyware programs available and some of the freeware programs actually contain Spyware. By purchasing a brand named Spyware package you will get a more advanced software package which include the memory resident program and does not contain any Spyware. Configure the Spyware program to automatically download any new updates and allow it to scan your hard drive at least once a week to pick up any malicious code for you to remove.

5. Email Spam. Be sure to set up an email spam filter on your email account. This is a fairly simple process and there will usually be a help icon which will guide you through the process. Basically you will be blocking all email coming into your inbox until you apply a rule that allows only emails that you define as being safe of from know contacts, anything else is sent to the junkbox. You will have to be careful as if you are awaiting an email from a new contact, the email will be sent to your junkbox. You will have to find that email and add it to your safe contacts list and in the future it will arrive in your inbox. DO NOT OPEN ANY SPAMMED EMAILS OR ATTACHMENTS AS THIS WILL INDICATE THAT YOUR EMAIL ADDRES IS VALID AND / OR IT CAN CONTAIN A VIRUS.

6. Wireless Security. If you have a wireless home network then make sure you have wireless encryption enabled preventing any unauthorised connections to your network or internet.

7. Downloading Software or Music. If you download software applications using a Peer to Peer networking program like Limewire or Kazaa then be careful as some of the files can contain viruses or spyware.

8. Backup, Backup, Backup! Purchase an external hard drive as this can be used to backup all your music, video and picture files, just in case your PC becomes infected with a virus and crashes the operating system and you need to re-install Windows. You can the view all of you files without loosing them.

9. Encryption. If you keep sensitive data on your PC then applying encryption to these files makes it hard for someone to view the contents.

10. Passwords. Try to use a password which is not a commonly used name but one that is unique, either by adding uppercase characters and numbers to the word, which strengthens the passwords encryption.

Maxx is a an IT Technician for a modern state of the art Secondary School supporting many users in various areas of IT and specialising in Video Conferencing home and abroad. For more information about anti virus, spyware, computer security, PC hardware and internet security programs then visit www.PC-Dome.co.uk