PC Security Tips : Make Computer Secure
Here are some tips which will enable you to make your PC more secure.
Anti-virus
1. Never, ever turn off the resident protection of your antivirus even if it decreases performance. Upgrade if necessary.
2. Keep your virus definitions up-to-date. Use the automatic update feature of your anti-virus and try not to ignore the "Do you want to update now" message however often it might pop up.
3. Even if you update regularly and you have not seen any suspicious activity on your PC, do a deep scan at least once a month.
4. Always create an emergency boot disk and keep it in a safe place.
5. Run a deep scan in safe mode at least once every two months to kill viruses that would otherwise remain hidden.
Firewalls
1. If you are unsure about the alert displayed by your firewall, try searching it on the internet.
2. A firewall is a powerful tool that requires an understanding of how the program works and exactly what it is doing and whether it is secure or not. Reading the help files is extremely important in successful configuration of your firewall.
3. If you are running a third party firewall,be sure to turn off the Windows Firewall.
4. You can temporarily disable a firewall by right clicking the icon in the tray. This is handy when you know a site is one you can trust but your firewall is blocking it. But remember to re-enable it as soon as possible.
5. Read firewall notices carefully when they pop up so that you don't let a bad thing in or prevent good traffic.
Anti-Spyware
1. You should regularly check for updates. Enable the automatic update feature.
2. Remember to do a scan every now and then, or schedule scans if your program allows it. If you don't want to sit that long for scans to complete, use a single folder for all your downloads, then scan only that folder,Windows installation folder and the Registry. Alternately, you can do a quick scan if your program allows it.
Anti-Spam
1. Be patient with anti-spam software, it will get better over time.
2. Even if it looks that your anti-spam software is working great, periodically check the 'Spam' folder for good mail. None of the anti-spam software is perfect right now.
3. Don't give your anti-spam software too much rules, because it will not learn anything then. It is better if it learns on its own.
Here are some tips which will enable you to make your PC more secure.
Anti-virus
1. Never, ever turn off the resident protection of your antivirus even if it decreases performance. Upgrade if necessary.
2. Keep your virus definitions up-to-date. Use the automatic update feature of your anti-virus and try not to ignore the "Do you want to update now" message however often it might pop up.
3. Even if you update regularly and you have not seen any suspicious activity on your PC, do a deep scan at least once a month.
4. Always create an emergency boot disk and keep it in a safe place.
5. Run a deep scan in safe mode at least once every two months to kill viruses that would otherwise remain hidden.
Firewalls
1. If you are unsure about the alert displayed by your firewall, try searching it on the internet.
2. A firewall is a powerful tool that requires an understanding of how the program works and exactly what it is doing and whether it is secure or not. Reading the help files is extremely important in successful configuration of your firewall.
3. If you are running a third party firewall,be sure to turn off the Windows Firewall.
4. You can temporarily disable a firewall by right clicking the icon in the tray. This is handy when you know a site is one you can trust but your firewall is blocking it. But remember to re-enable it as soon as possible.
5. Read firewall notices carefully when they pop up so that you don't let a bad thing in or prevent good traffic.
Anti-Spyware
1. You should regularly check for updates. Enable the automatic update feature.
2. Remember to do a scan every now and then, or schedule scans if your program allows it. If you don't want to sit that long for scans to complete, use a single folder for all your downloads, then scan only that folder,Windows installation folder and the Registry. Alternately, you can do a quick scan if your program allows it.
Anti-Spam
1. Be patient with anti-spam software, it will get better over time.
2. Even if it looks that your anti-spam software is working great, periodically check the 'Spam' folder for good mail. None of the anti-spam software is perfect right now.
3. Don't give your anti-spam software too much rules, because it will not learn anything then. It is better if it learns on its own.
Anti-virus
1. Never, ever turn off the resident protection of your antivirus even if it decreases performance. Upgrade if necessary.
2. Keep your virus definitions up-to-date. Use the automatic update feature of your anti-virus and try not to ignore the "Do you want to update now" message however often it might pop up.
3. Even if you update regularly and you have not seen any suspicious activity on your PC, do a deep scan at least once a month.
4. Always create an emergency boot disk and keep it in a safe place.
5. Run a deep scan in safe mode at least once every two months to kill viruses that would otherwise remain hidden.
Firewalls
1. If you are unsure about the alert displayed by your firewall, try searching it on the internet.
2. A firewall is a powerful tool that requires an understanding of how the program works and exactly what it is doing and whether it is secure or not. Reading the help files is extremely important in successful configuration of your firewall.
3. If you are running a third party firewall,be sure to turn off the Windows Firewall.
4. You can temporarily disable a firewall by right clicking the icon in the tray. This is handy when you know a site is one you can trust but your firewall is blocking it. But remember to re-enable it as soon as possible.
5. Read firewall notices carefully when they pop up so that you don't let a bad thing in or prevent good traffic.
Anti-Spyware
1. You should regularly check for updates. Enable the automatic update feature.
2. Remember to do a scan every now and then, or schedule scans if your program allows it. If you don't want to sit that long for scans to complete, use a single folder for all your downloads, then scan only that folder,Windows installation folder and the Registry. Alternately, you can do a quick scan if your program allows it.
Anti-Spam
1. Be patient with anti-spam software, it will get better over time.
2. Even if it looks that your anti-spam software is working great, periodically check the 'Spam' folder for good mail. None of the anti-spam software is perfect right now.
3. Don't give your anti-spam software too much rules, because it will not learn anything then. It is better if it learns on its own.
Know if your PC is infected with Viruses, Trojans or other Malware
The reason why most computer malware are so deadly is because many users fail to recognize whether they have been infected or not. Had they detected the infection at an earlier stage, the damage caused could have been greatly reduced. As each virus is programmed differently, it becomes difficult to identify a virus outbreak. However, there are some general symptoms that make it easy to detect an infected computer. Here are some of them:-
1) Programs won't start or crash suddenly: If some system programs like the task manager or registry editor have suddenly stopped working or crash randomly without any visible reason, it is more than likely that your computer has got some form of worm that is attaching itself to various programs and thus, corrupting their code. A virus modifying registry entries to prevent these programs from running could also cause this.
2) Unusual Network Traffic: If even after closing your browser and other applications that may use the internet, you see that your computer is still downloading or uploading anything, then your computer is possibly infected with some form of spyware that is either downloading other viruses to your computer or is uploading your private information to a remote computer. In case you use a wifi connection, it is also possible that your neighbors are using your network. If that indeed is the case, you need to make sure that wireless network is properly secured.
3) Internet Connection not available or is slow: If suddenly, your internet connection has stopped working or has become extermely slow, it is possible that a malware is the cause. However, problems with your internet service provider could also be the cause of such issues.
4) Annoying Popups or Redirection to Strange Websites: If there has been an increase in the number of annoying popups while browsing the internet or your web browser redirects you to a different website from the one you wanted to visit, a virus or adware might be the cause.
5) Computer won't boot: If your computer has suddenly stopped booting, it is possible that some malware has modified your computer's system files. In such a situation, re-installing or repairing your operating system might be the only solution.
6) Slow Computer: Some viruses are designed specifically for this purpose. Malware programmers achieve this by designing viruses that increase your CPU's usage level to 100%. If on running the Task Manager, you find that your CPU's usage is constantly at 100% level, a malware might be the cause.
7) Programs start automatically: Some viruses and adware automatically start strange programs on your computer in order to show unwanted advertisements or simply to frustrate users.
8) Unusual File Associations: Some viruses change .exe or other file associations which prevents these files from opening. Some viruses also do this to automatically start themselves when a file of a particular type is started.
9) Security Software Disabled: Most malware disable antiviruses and firewalls to prevent themselves from being detected. If only a single software stops working, it might be a specific software failure issue. If it is a general trend and almost every security software is facing this issue, a virus infection is most likely.
10) Weird Behaviour: If your computer automatically starts sending emails or opens strange applications randomly or does things different from its "normal" behaviour, your computer is most likely compromised by malware.
1) Programs won't start or crash suddenly: If some system programs like the task manager or registry editor have suddenly stopped working or crash randomly without any visible reason, it is more than likely that your computer has got some form of worm that is attaching itself to various programs and thus, corrupting their code. A virus modifying registry entries to prevent these programs from running could also cause this.
2) Unusual Network Traffic: If even after closing your browser and other applications that may use the internet, you see that your computer is still downloading or uploading anything, then your computer is possibly infected with some form of spyware that is either downloading other viruses to your computer or is uploading your private information to a remote computer. In case you use a wifi connection, it is also possible that your neighbors are using your network. If that indeed is the case, you need to make sure that wireless network is properly secured.
3) Internet Connection not available or is slow: If suddenly, your internet connection has stopped working or has become extermely slow, it is possible that a malware is the cause. However, problems with your internet service provider could also be the cause of such issues.
4) Annoying Popups or Redirection to Strange Websites: If there has been an increase in the number of annoying popups while browsing the internet or your web browser redirects you to a different website from the one you wanted to visit, a virus or adware might be the cause.
5) Computer won't boot: If your computer has suddenly stopped booting, it is possible that some malware has modified your computer's system files. In such a situation, re-installing or repairing your operating system might be the only solution.
6) Slow Computer: Some viruses are designed specifically for this purpose. Malware programmers achieve this by designing viruses that increase your CPU's usage level to 100%. If on running the Task Manager, you find that your CPU's usage is constantly at 100% level, a malware might be the cause.
7) Programs start automatically: Some viruses and adware automatically start strange programs on your computer in order to show unwanted advertisements or simply to frustrate users.
8) Unusual File Associations: Some viruses change .exe or other file associations which prevents these files from opening. Some viruses also do this to automatically start themselves when a file of a particular type is started.
9) Security Software Disabled: Most malware disable antiviruses and firewalls to prevent themselves from being detected. If only a single software stops working, it might be a specific software failure issue. If it is a general trend and almost every security software is facing this issue, a virus infection is most likely.
10) Weird Behaviour: If your computer automatically starts sending emails or opens strange applications randomly or does things different from its "normal" behaviour, your computer is most likely compromised by malware.
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