Internet Safety - Protect Your Computer

BEST PRACTICES For Protecting Your Computer

No viruses! High Tech Center takes protecting your computing environment very seriously. We recognize that a majority of our customers have computers at home, yet may not know how to protect their PCs from the deluge of viruses, worms, spam and SpyWare that permeates the internet. This guide is meant to help you understand how to best thwart these threats before they become a bigger problem by infecting your PC or intruding on your privacy. These guidelines are not all-inclusive but rather touch upon the most common measures to protect your PC.

#1 Rule: Take the time to read this document carefully and take it for its intended purpose – as suggestions for maintaining a secure, virus-free PC.
#2 Rule: Read more authoritative articles on best practices contained within many of the links listed below.
#3 Rule: Be diligent and pro-active. Don't wait until a virus hits your PC before taking action. Think of following these guidelines as getting a flu shot for your PC.

E-Mail

Don't open e-mail or attachments from people you don't know or are not expecting e-mail from – especially if the e-mail contains an attachment. If you are not sure of the sender delete the message.
Enable real-time e-mail scanning by your virus checker (below).
Do NOT unsubscribe to spam e-mail. While this seems like a way to stop a spammer from sending more mail to you, it only serves to validate that the spammer has a legitimate e-mail address for you. This is not to say that ‘unsubscribe’ links on legitimate vendor e-mails (Sears, FTD, various newsletters, etc.) are not valid ways to stop their e-mails, as they do respect your privacy.
If your e-mail system (Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo, etc.) offers anti-spam and anti-virus services, use them.

Anti-Virus

Install antivirus software.
Keep your antivirus software up to date. Daily is best, but at least once a week. Most AV software has the option to update automatically.
Enable real-time scanning of your system files and e-mail (usually a default option on most anti-virus packages).
Scan your system regularly, even if real-time scanning is enabled. Do a deep scan of your PCs hard drive at least once per month.

Internet Security

Add a personal firewall, either software or hardware. Many 'internet security suites' have firewall capability.
Keep Microsoft Windows up-to-date with current patches. In Windows XP if you right-click on the My Computer icon and click on Properties, you'll see a tab for 'Automatic Updates'.
Download an acceptable anti-spyware program like Ad-Aware or purchase a full-fledged application. Many PC problems, particularly relating to internet browsing, can be resolved by cleaning your PC of spyware.