Internet Security Tools
In order to keep your computer free from viruses and spyware, it is important to have correct security measures in place.
Modern operating systems and network hardware now come with security features, unfortunately, it is left to the user
to ensure that they are turned on.
Internet Security Tools : Firewall
Internet Security Tools : AntiVirus
Internet Security Tools : AntiSpyware
User Security
Many new machines are installed with an Administrator or Super User account for installing software and changing settings. User accounts may
be Normal users or Administrators.
If possible, make the login user that most people use a regular user with no special system privileges.
This will limit the damage they can do to their machine and the network should they stumble over a virus or spyware whilst Browsing the Internet,
reading emails, or loading data from a disk.
Network Security
In a network (2 machines linked via wireless, or a whole office), the Internet is not the only source of problems. If a local machine
becomes infected, it has access to any servers and machine that share hard drive space with the rest of the network.
All machines in the network need protecting. If a machine does not need to share harddrive space (folders) then sharing should be turned off
on that machine.
Updates
Having a hardware/software barrier in the form of a firewall and updated Anti Virus/Adware/Spyware programs does not render your computer(s)
completely safe, hackers, spyware and virus writers are always looking to beat any measures the industry puts in place -
we only get to find out after a flaw in the security is found and exploited.
Because of this, it is also important to update the computer operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux or other) on a regular basis.
Most recent system have an update function built into the system - Windows XP has a 'Check for Updates' on the Start Menu.
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