Six Steps to Better Windows Security

In the same way that a briefcase filled with money in the middle of your living room would be a very attractive target for a burglar, your computer is also packed with desirable information that can be stolen. Think about the personal data that is probably stored on your computer’s hard drive right now; things like credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, financial account information, and more.

Your computer is also a tempting raw resource for people who hijack other people’s machines. If you don’t block their access, criminals can use your computer and Internet connection to send spam, propagate viruses, and attack other computers’ vulnerabilities — all the while masking the real source of the activity and keeping themselves from being detected and prosecuted. Computers with broadband Internet connections are especially attractive to hijackers, but even computers with dial-up connections can be compromised.

Fortunately, there are ways to protect your computer and keep it secure from the many viruses, worms, and other attacks that are a daily occurrence on the Internet. Computer security is as important to everyday life as locking the door when you leave the house, and the process of protecting your computer is just as easy.

1. Turn On a Firewall
   A firewall is like a sentry who guards the connection between your computer and the Internet, making sure that all the good things get through and all the bad things stay out. Firewalls are vitally important for any computer connected to the Internet or a network, especially if the connection is “always on” (such as broadband). If you are not already using one, download and install one of the free comprehensive firewall packages. I use and recommend the Comodo Personal Firewall, but Sunbelt also has a good firewall that is free for personal use. After you have installed a new firewall, you will be prompted to create a rule every time a program on your computer tries to access the Internet. This can seem like a nuisance at first, but after a short time the firewall will adapt to your habits and the prompts will stop.

2. Protect Against Viruses
   Antivirus protection is another must for any Internet-connected computer. I use Avast!, but another good alternative is AVG Antivirus from Avira. Both of these systems are free, provide continuous protection, and will update themselves regularly as new viruses are discovered.

3. Update Your System

   To make sure that your operating system doesn’t have any security holes, you should update it regularly. Windows computers generally have a “Windows Update” option on their Start menus; if it isn’t there, you can always go to Microsoft’s Windows Update web site. Updating Windows can take quite a while, especially if you access the Internet through a dial-up connection, so don’t do it at the beginning of the business day, but having an updated copy of Windows offers a lot of protection.

   Many experts recommend updating all your computers to the most recent version of Windows XP or Windows Vista because those versions are the most secure. I disagree with that advice because Windows XP and Windows Vista require more powerful hardware than the previous versions of Windows did, and installing new versions on old machines would slow them down to a crawl. You will still have adequate protection on older machines if you install firewall, antivirus, and antispyware software.

4. Update Your Programs
   Windows isn’t the only program that can have security holes; sometimes web browsers, e-mail clients, word processors, and other application software can have them too. If the manufacturers allow it, update the software you use regularly to include all recent security fixes. Some programs have a menu option to update themselves automatically over the Internet; others require you to visit the manufacturers’ web sites, download “patches”, and then execute the patches to modify the programs on your own computer. Some programs, like the Mozilla Firefox web browser, will update themselves as necessary without any intervention from you (unless you choose to turn that feature off).

5. Protect Against Spyware
   Spyware is software that gets installed on your computer (sometimes surreptitiously as part of some other package you have downloaded) that periodically “reports home” to its manufacturer with information about your computer or your browsing habits. Not only does spyware violate the privacy and security of your computer, it can slow down your system as it collects data and transmits it over the Internet. Fortunately there are many tools to detect and disable spyware, including Microsoft’s Windows Defender, AdAware from Lavasoft, and Spybot Search & Destroy. The Yahoo! Toolbar also includes a feature called AntiSpy that will search for and remove spyware, and the Mozilla Firefox web browser includes spyware protection features.

6. Make Regular Backups
   It doesn’t matter how expensive or well-equipped your computer is, it is only as important as the data it contains. One of the main reasons to keep your computer secure is to preserve the privacy and safety of that data, so it makes sense that one step to better Windows security is to make regular backups of all your important data and store those backups in a safe place.

   As long as you make backups, it really doesn’t matter how you make them. If your computer has a CD burner, then burning back-up CD’s is an excellent choice. CD’s hold 600 to 700 megabytes of data at a time and are very easy to store. If your computer has a DVD burner, then burning DVD’s is even better; DVD’s look almost identical to CD’s but can hold about seven times as much information. Use whatever CD or DVD-burning software you normally use, burn any data from your hard drive that you would absolutely hate to lose in a catastrophe, and place the backup CD’s and DVD’s in a safe place.

Filed Under Windows How-To's