Friday, June 13, 2014

Improve Your Computer's Security

By Frankline Bell


For many of us, our computer is one of our most important possessions. We use it for work. We store family photos on the computer. We have important financial information and other crucial facts stored on this piece of equipment. While no system is ever 100% secure (think Target), there are definitely ways to substantially lower your computer security risk.

One essential item is anti-virus software, and sometimes your operating system will have software built in. You also can purchase anti-virus software and update to that instead. You only need one type of anti-virus software running at any one time, though, as more isn't better, it's just more hassles for you. It can be irritating to have the program ask you to make updates or to approve a source, but it's far worse to deal with a virus so those two or three minutes a day you might spend dealing with anti-virus software are definitely worth the time. Be sure to make all the updates, as these do improve security.

You might think that anti-virus software and firewalls are the same, but you need both. A firewall protects your network or your personal computer from being accessed by an outside source. Anti-virus software scans for malware and viruses. Your router and computer both need a firewall, and your operating system probably already has a firewall. Often, the router and modem come equipped with a firewall from your internet service provider, but you can update to a stronger firewall if you like.

Updates are important in general, and while it can be a big pain to shut down everything and complete an update, they need to be done. Updates for your operating system or browsers often are provided to fix bugs in the system, but they also are just as likely to be used to fix security issues. The more up-to-date your computer is, the safer the system is in general.

These are three good strategies for better security, but how you surf the net also affects your level of security. For instance, if an email from a contact comes in with an odd subject line or just says for you to click on a "fun" or "interesting" link, trash the email and don't click on the link. It's probably malware, and when you click on it not only will it end up on your computer, it will send out emails with the same dangerous link to all of your contacts. Don't download software off the internet unless you have done some research and are sure it is from a trustworthy source. Be password savvy, which means you need a different password for any company or financial institution that has your information. Keep your passwords complex with characters, capitals and numbers and don't store them on your computer.

Of course, you might already be suffering from the effects of malware or dealing with other difficult computer problems. If the computer is not running properly or you are sure you have a virus or other malware, contact the team at GeeksAKnockin'. They can handle a myriad of serious computer problems, such as spyware and virus removal, hardware repair and information recovery just to name a few. They also can help you prevent security issues in the future. A technician can come to your office or home to fix the issue or many times you can opt to have the problem handled remotely, via GeeksAKnockin's virtual house call technology.




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