Computer Viruses
SpyWare
Passwords
Encryption
Firewalls
Computer Viruses
To protect yourself from computer viruses, you must use anti-virus software and a dose of common sense. Viruses can come into your computer through e-mail, infected storage media, and downloads from the Internet. Be careful of e-mail attachments. Anti-virus software will scan incoming e-mails to make sure they don’t contain viruses and services like Yahoo! e-mail provide anti-virus checking before you download an attachment. Don’t download programs from untrusted sources. Run a virus scan on disks that have been used at computers other than your own.
For anti-virus software to be really effective, it must be kept up to date by regularly downloading virus definition files. Subscriptions for the definition files come with the purchase of the software and usually have to be renewed, at a cost, each year.
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SpyWare
SpyWare refers to programs that come bundled with other programs, usually without the knowledge of the computer user. SpyWare can be piggybacked with programs downloaded from the Internet and even on programs purchased at a store. Some of the programs are relatively harmless. A good deal are not. Anti-SpyWare software will search out and remove known SpyWare programs from your computer.
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Passwords
Passwords an be a strong security measure for you or they could be an utterly useless security measure - so make them good by creating strong passwords. Longer passwords that are a combination of numbers and letters are best. Never use your username (or login name) as your password. Never store passwords where they are visible or where they can be easily located by others.
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Encryption
A very important security measure for sensitive data, encryption can also be useful with thumb drives. The process of encryption scrambles data. In order to unscramble the data a user needs the correct encryption key. When used with thumb drives, the encrypted data is stored in a folder and access is granted only to the user who can input the correct password.
Encryption is important for wireless networks as well. After all, anyone in range can pick up your signal and read your data in a wireless network.\
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Firewalls
Firewalls are an important defense against unwanted visitors. When you are connected to the Internet, other computers can have access to your computer. Now, some of those computers are computers you want to have access to your computer, but there are those you won’t want to give access. Unfortunately, the ones you don’t want are the ones you won’t know have gained access. Firewalls help prevent these unknown and unwanted visitors.
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