Internet Security - How To Protect Your Pc And Data?

Online privacy and computer security has always been a common issue among all Internet

users who have their own personal computers, be it a desktop or a laptop. The popularity of always connected high speed Internet has made online security even more important. There are a lot of things to be done in order to ensure that you have total protection. To avoid confusion here is a checklist that can serve as your guide:

* Block Viruses and Hackers

Without a firewall and antivirus software, your computer will become vulnerable to threats such as viruses and hackers. Most broadband Internet connections are always active and without a good Internet firewall, it would be like leaving your house with the door unlocked.

* Every Computer Needs a Firewall

Having a software firewall installed will regularly ask you to confirm if a computer program's communication on a given port should be allowed or not. A hardware firewall may be able to block or allow all packets that pass in and out the port but it has no way of knowing which application started the communication on your computer system.

* Use a Two-Way Firewall

The built-in Windows firewall is good but it would be better to use a firewall that has the ability to monitor and manage both incoming and outgoing network traffic. Any real-life backdoor program initiated on your computer will be blocked by a bidirectional firewall.

* Update Your Internet Protection Regularly

Downloading and installing regular updates provided by vendors can help prevent email viruses from taking advantage of the flaws in your hardware and programs.

* Set the Controls for Security

After updating the latest bug fixes and patches in your software, verify the security settings of the applications. Most commonly used programs offer minimal features in blocking viruses, stamping out cookies, and keeping spies off your computer and network.

* Use Browser Privacy Settings to Block Unwanted Sites

You can use the settings on your browser to control the web content that you would allow. By doing so, websites can be prevented from doing nasty things on your computer.

* Your Wireless LAN Should Use MAC Filtering

For maximum Internet protection, you should use multiple Internet security elements. If you have a wireless network, Media Access Control or MAC address filtering is a good security feature that your access point or wireless router can enable as an extra layer of protection to keep network hackers from gaining access to your system.

* Disrupt Email Threats

If your email program is prevented from carrying out attachments and scripts in the received messages and the program is updated to fix security flaws which have been recently discovered, you will have a better chance of keeping Trojan horse programs and viruses from invading your computer. Outlook and Outlook Express' most recent versions have the wonderful ability of blocking dangerous attachments and all scripts through default settings. It will automatically place any incoming mail with HTML in the controlled security zone.

For those recipients who want to take a quick look into emails with attachments, Outlook Express allows them to see the files or scripts contained without even opening the email. By doing a right-click on the message, then Properties, Details Tab and Message Source in order, the exact text of the message can be seen.

by: Dan Karas

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