Computer Security - How to Stay Safe in a World of Hackers

Consider the latest - Die Hard. Some teenagers, fewdata that do not meet the security requirement set by
masterminds and trillions of dollars being siphoned offthe program developer will be barred from entering
the federal fund that has been deposited againstyour computer by the firewall. Always keep your
people's social security benefits. Do not think that it is afirewall updated as well.
simple cinematic flick! Today hackers are soAct Smart:o Do not store personal information in your
sophisticated that they can actually bring a law abidingcomputer. Information like your social security number,
citizen down on the streets. With the advent ofcredit card number, pins, bank account numbers,
technology making life easier for most of us, getting totelephone numbers, addresses, etc.o Do not click on
shop from the comfort of our homes or transferlinks that look suspicious. Most spam mails have links
money from the safety of our living rooms, the factthat should be avoided. These can lead to downloading
remains that the nameless faceless cyber world isof applications that may erase your hard drive.o
dotted with criminal minded people whose sole intentionAlways scan all attachments using your antivirus
is to rob you off your identity, get access to all yourbefore opening it or running it or installing it on your
important details and use those for their own benefits.computer.o Do not exchange personal information in
How do you fight that?chat rooms, through mails or instant messages. Divulge
Install an anti-virus. An anti-virus protects youryour credit card details or social security details only to
computer from malicious viruses that tend to lodgesecured sources or through secured websites.o Do
themselves deep into your hard drive and copy allnot buy pirated products, software or programs.
your data and transfer those to servers where youThese may send messages over the internet when
would not want your confidential information to be - ayou are working with the particular software.o Do not
hacker's server. If someone sends you a virusdownload executable files to your PC from unknown
intentionally or unintentionally, the anti-virus detects thesources. Be extremely cautious while exchanging
virus and destroys it. Keep your anti-virus up-to-date.information over the internet.
Set your anti-virus such that there is a weekly scanKeeping the above points in mind will help you in
scheduled for all the hard drives in your computer.keeping your computer secure. Although every day a
Install a firewall: A firewall will always keep a check onnumber of Trojan viruses or worms are coded and let
the information that is exchanged between yourloose over the internet, we must always do the best
computer and other computers every time that youthat we can in order to ensure security. A computer is
are logged on to the internet. That way you will bean expensive device. A simple insecure download can
protected from any unwanted code or applicationrender the whole machine useless.
getting downloaded on to your PC inadvertently. Any