PC Security Tips for Home Users

2011-10-04T16:03:00.001-07:00

PC Security is something not to be taken lightly particularly when online security threats are abound. Listed below are few pc security tips that I believe might help you protect your computer while being connected online.

Good quality security software is the key. Not just any security tool, it is better to have good quality security programs installed in the machine. Amongst thousands of tools claiming they are the best when it comes to protecting pc, few actually pass industry standard stress tests. Free security tools are abound, still paid tools have their own importance. Paid security software is generally more reliable, rich in features, comes with priority updates and technical support. Choose carefully.
Regular Update of Security Tools protects against threats. Most of the antivirus tools keep a database of virus definitions or virus signatures you can say. The scanning engine when it finds something like a threat, it matches it with the signatures in database to determine how to deal with it. They will not be able to effectively deal with it if they have old database. Many of the security software programs operate like this and are only as good as their latest update. Keep your software programs updated more often.
Patch your operating system and other software often. Operating system have bugs. Software programs are also not fault free. Every once a while a new bug or loophole is discovered in a program for which the manufacturers releases patches. If you use a Windows based computer, you can keep automatic update checks so it regularly checks and downloads security patches and critical updates that Microsoft releases at regular intervals. Windows automatic update will even install updates for you sparing you from all the hassles and manual download and update. Linux users also have the option, most of the Linux distributions popularly called distros have an update manager installed by default which regularly fetches updates of installed programs from repositories. It is a good practice to update your software packages once or twice a month.
Do not install software blindly. Free download of a program does not mean it is free. A large number of programs come bundled with extra software or adware component with them. Keep a watch on what you download and what is installed with the downloaded program. Free stuff and games are one of the main causes of pc viral infections. Children specially fall for such tricks. If you are in to habit of not being watchful while installing software and prefer to just click next step to finish the install, I'd urge you to stop this habit. Like I said some free software programs come bundled with a lot of other tools which might not be good for your computer. Always be careful while installing programs.

I am sure if you pay attention to the tips above, the likelihood of your pc getting infected will be very less in comparison to a vast majority of internet users who fall for tricks and end up getting infected.

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PC Security Tips for Home Users