Tips for keeping your computer safe:
–Keep virus protection on your computer. Most ant-software automatically updates. However, virus programs can be generated on short notice and can be designed to do something different on each computer. Bottom line: Software may not catch everything.
–Keep a firewall installed. A firewall can block unwanted communications from viruses or malware. A firewall can block unwanted communications. However, it can be somewhat difficult for a novice to configure.
–Don’t click on links in unknown e-mail and don’t send personal information unless you are sure where it is going. Many viruses are spread by opening up e-mail and following links. “Phishing” is where personal information is requested. A recent test showed about 50% of Facebook users will send their personal information to a stranger.
–Protect your mobile devices. In addition to the other methods, “apps” are a common way to spread malicious software.
–Beware wireless connections. Unless your communications are encrypted (such as SSL for web sites, that is web sites that begin with https://) all your communications can be seen by the owner of the wireless network.
–Do your banking on a separate computer. If possible, do banking on a different computer than the one used for e-mail, chat, games, etc.
