Almost everyone wants to be safe when using or surfing the Internet. At one time or another in our world, we were ignorant of the computer technology. I was a little slow in embracing what the Internet was all about. I figured I've lived most of my life without a computer, why would I need one now. Since then, I couldn't believe how anyone could live without the Internet. I was married and my other half wanted to become involved with this new technology, so I was put in a position of I had better learn what this was all about. Am I glad I made that effort! It seems now, that the new wave of crime involves the Internet and anything using it, and that includes you and me. Normally you access the Internet with a computer, although there are other ways that can get you on. With computers there are several choices that are offered to you. The most common is the Windows operating system (OS.) It is estimated that about 95% of the computers on the Internet are this OS. Because of this high number, it is a prime object for anyone to use to gain any advantage for their benefit. We are left with only a few options to counter this threat. One is to use the vast array of software available to Windows OS to combat the problem. Or, the most obvious is to use another OS, which would be Linux, Apple, or UNIX. Linux is a magnet for the geeks. There are many versions of Linux to keep those masses content; it is mostly free, and the only downfall is learning a new language as well as a new style of computing. Gaining fairly fast in the world is the Apple OS. A bit pricier and not as easy to find dealers, it is a definite step up in graphic quality, as well as very stable. What keeps Windows so popular is the amount of software written for it, and not all was written for our benefit. That brings us to the subject of safety with Windows.
When we get that brand spanking new computer hooked up and running on the Internet; the first thing we should do is get an update on our Windows OS. For those not aware of how to get that, it is click on Start > All Programs > find Windows Update and click it. When that window opens, we have to wait for it to check for an active x program that the site uses. Click yes to install it, and while there, on the right side of the window that's open, is the ability to enable automatic updates. I recommend enabling that, as it will keep you up-to-date with updates. I recommend that all important software be automatically updated. The only downfall is that if you have a lot of software that has this; it will eventually slow your computer speed down significantly. So you have to find a happy medium, if you will. On my system, the Windows OS and my anti-virus are in automatic update, all others I update manually (weekly). A word about automatic update, quite often, the update will check for updates every few minutes, so keep that in mind when considering automatic up dates. I repair infected computers, and the most common fault is that the software was not up-to-date. A good rule of thumb is that when you open a program, you search for updates before executing it to run.
Now that we are up-to-date on the OS, we need to have a good anti-virus. Most computers come with a trial version of some sort or another. Trial versions seem like a good deal, but you have to be aware that it will expire in some short period of time (usually 30 days). When that expires, you in essence are surfing with no protection. On any Windows OS, that is the kiss of death. I deal a lot with Windows XP and when I re-install it, I run a nice little free program called PC decrapifier. Despite its bad sounding name, it is a real gem. It gets rid of all the trial version of programs on the hard drive. Then I get a good version of anti-virus on the computer. If you're not going to get a name brand anti-virus, there are a couple free ones, the freebies I use most often are Avira, or AVG. Norton, in the past, had a bad habit of being a resource hog, and that slowed the computer noticeably. Rumor control has it that it is no longer true, so it's up to you. By all means I highly recommend having it automatically update, and run it at least weekly. That brings us to:
The world of adware and spyware, they are programs that can and will attack the computer without any assistance from you. With all these little programs that are getting on our computer by just visiting a website, it's getting to be like a drive by shooting. There are four programs to install and run on your computer. The first one is Ad aware, a program that has been around for awhile. The current version is the anniversary version. The second is Spybot S&D, another that has been around awhile. It used to be that these two were all you needed combat spyware issues. That is no longer true, so the next one in line that I think should be downloaded is SuperAntispyware free edition. The last one I would use is Malewarebytes program. There are a lot of other anti spyware/adware programs out there, but these four can hold their own on most all of the issues. The key to these programs is to keep them updated and run them often. I run mine at least three times a week if not more often. I have deleted everything that they find and I have had no issues. I also delete any log or quarantine of any issue; get it off my computer totally. Next up are:
Browsers, the programs that let you surf the Internet. Internet Explorer (IE) is the default program and one that is the target of security issues. If I could have my druthers, I would not use this to casually browse the Internet. I would use it only where it is needed (such as a bank or financial site). Even there one of the alternates can usually suffice for IE. The alternates that I would use, and in no particular order are: Firefox, Opera, Chrome, and Safari. I have used all of them and don't really have a definite preference for any one in particular, but use one over the IE for casual surfing. I would recommend that you get into the settings of whichever one you use, and get away from the default settings. Quite often they like to download any program to the desktop or some other place I don't want. So I normally tick the check box to ask me where to download to. Cookies are another issue. Set them to medium high (in IE) or to get rid of them when I close the browser. History is another sore spot for me, I set them to 0 days. These programs and methods will help keep you secure and clean. Remember that Google is your friend, when any issue comes up, type the keywords in the search box to get more info to help you make informed decisions. Usually someone before you had the same issue and you may find a new tool or method of getting rid of issues.