How do I keep my computer secure while surfing the Web?
There are a few precautions you can take to ensure that your computer does not fall victim to viruses, spyware, and other security threats while you surf the Web:
- Use a Firewall - A firewall is a piece of software that monitors
communication between your computer and the internet, and only allows
certain types of things to cross the wall. Windows XP with Service
Pack 2 includes a basic firewall, or you can download a free application
such as Zone Alarm. To turn
on the Windows firewall, look for the Security Center applet in the
Control Panel (Start, Settings, Control Panel).
- Virus Scan - It is possible to download a virus to your computer
just by visiting a website. A virus scanner will locate and remove
infected files from your hard drive so that they cannot do any damage
or spread to other users such as your students and colleagues. Even
if you cannot purchase a commercial virus scanner such as Norton AntiVirus,
you can still protect your computer by installing a free program such
as AntiVir or AVG
Antivirus. Because new viruses are arriving every day, it's important
to keep your virus definitions up-to-date. Be sure to enable the scanning
software's automatic-update feature and have it do so at least every
week, if not every day.
- Stay Up-To-Date - Most viruses exploit an already existing security
vulnerability or exploit in your web browser. Most of the time there
is already a patch to fix this vulnerability, but a virus may continue
to spread by using unpatched systems. To make sure you have the latest
updates installed on your computer, visit the Windows
Update website on a regular basis and download the critical and
security updates.
- Be careful with downloads - If at all possible, you should avoid
downloading files from unknown sources on the internet as a rule,
especially anything that can be executed on your system (files ending
with the .exe extension). However, if you absolutely need to download
a file you should at least take some precautions to make sure it will
not harm your computer. The most basic precaution is to create a folder
where you save downloaded files and scan them with your virus scanner
prior to opening them.
|
Additional Websites
|
