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Security With Your Home Computer
As a computer user, at home and at work, you have probably come across terms like virus, spam, Trojan horses, worms, etc. Some of you may know what these refer to and others may have heard of them but have no idea what they are. In one word they mean: DANGER! Anytime you go online to shop or to do Internet Banking or to access your email or just to surf the web there is a chance that your computer may get prone to attack by these dangerous elements.
Your home computer is a common target for intruders and other malicious users because they want to access personal data such as bank account information, credit card numbers or any important data they could find.
Intruders not only steal your financial information, they could also use your computer resources . such as hard disk, processor and internet connection to attack other users. This way, law enforcement will find it difficult to solve where the attacks are coming from but may hold you responsible.
To prevent possible identity theft or computer hack, follow these basic steps to protect your home computer
1. Anti-Virus - Install, update and use Anti-Virus. These programs look at the contents of each file, searching for specific patterns that match a profile - called a virus signature - or something known to be harmful. For each file that matches a signature, the anti-virus program typically provides several options on how to respond, such as removing the offending patterns or destroying the infected file to safeguard all other files. Please ensure that your Anti-Virus program is continuously updated with the latest signatures automatically.
2. Enable AutoUpdate to Patch up your System - This process involves fixing the Operating System (Windows XP or Vista). Most computer vendors offer patches that are designed to fix bugs in their products. This process is repeated until the patch fixes the problem completely. With licensed Microsoft Operating System you can receive free updates from Microsoft via Internet. Please ensure that Automatic Updates option is turned on (the color turns to Green) by clicking Start->Control Panel.
3. Enable the Windows Firewall - These programs act as a guard to your computer when looking at network traffic received from or to other computers. These programs keep the unwanted out and permit only "healthy" traffic to enter and leave your computer. Microsoft Provides inbuilt firewall which monitors and restricts information that travels between your home computer and a network or the Internet. To verify firewall is Turn on go to Start menu and then click Control Panel, click Windows Security centre and check the status
4. Data Backups - It is important to back up the data from your home computer.s hard disk to external hard disk drives or any removable media almost on a daily basis or after you have completed any major work. This helps you restore your valuable data in case any data is lost due to a virus attack, etc.
If you are using your home computer for serious work like Internet Banking, online shopping, accessing office network or business applications, etc, please ensure that you have taken care of the above security measures. These steps can be done by any average user.
Your home computer is a common target for intruders and other malicious users because they want to access personal data such as bank account information, credit card numbers or any important data they could find.
Intruders not only steal your financial information, they could also use your computer resources . such as hard disk, processor and internet connection to attack other users. This way, law enforcement will find it difficult to solve where the attacks are coming from but may hold you responsible.
To prevent possible identity theft or computer hack, follow these basic steps to protect your home computer
1. Anti-Virus - Install, update and use Anti-Virus. These programs look at the contents of each file, searching for specific patterns that match a profile - called a virus signature - or something known to be harmful. For each file that matches a signature, the anti-virus program typically provides several options on how to respond, such as removing the offending patterns or destroying the infected file to safeguard all other files. Please ensure that your Anti-Virus program is continuously updated with the latest signatures automatically.
2. Enable AutoUpdate to Patch up your System - This process involves fixing the Operating System (Windows XP or Vista). Most computer vendors offer patches that are designed to fix bugs in their products. This process is repeated until the patch fixes the problem completely. With licensed Microsoft Operating System you can receive free updates from Microsoft via Internet. Please ensure that Automatic Updates option is turned on (the color turns to Green) by clicking Start->Control Panel.
3. Enable the Windows Firewall - These programs act as a guard to your computer when looking at network traffic received from or to other computers. These programs keep the unwanted out and permit only "healthy" traffic to enter and leave your computer. Microsoft Provides inbuilt firewall which monitors and restricts information that travels between your home computer and a network or the Internet. To verify firewall is Turn on go to Start menu and then click Control Panel, click Windows Security centre and check the status
4. Data Backups - It is important to back up the data from your home computer.s hard disk to external hard disk drives or any removable media almost on a daily basis or after you have completed any major work. This helps you restore your valuable data in case any data is lost due to a virus attack, etc.
If you are using your home computer for serious work like Internet Banking, online shopping, accessing office network or business applications, etc, please ensure that you have taken care of the above security measures. These steps can be done by any average user.
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