10 Steps to a Safer Net

By Tyler Downer
2/9/08


The Need for a Safer Net

Everyone acknowledges that the Internet is a dangerous place for computers. Spyware, viruses, hackers, all of them are problems that can be prevented. However, most people don't do anything about it, not knowing what to do or believing it is someone else's job. Nowadays, many problems are spread because one computer was vulnerable, therefore affecting others. If you read and follow all of the 10 free steps in this article, you will be doing your part to be a good net "citizen".

The Steps

  1. Use secure passwords for internet accounts you have. Use a combination of letters and numbers, mixing the case of letters to make them harder to guess. Don't use anything like your first name or something easy to guess.
  2. Use the most up to date version of your web browser, keeping it updated. While I have no intent to rekindle the browser wars of the past, Mozilla Firefox is the most secure web browser today.
    Firefox 2
  3. Keep your Operating System and other applications like Acrobat Reader and Office up to date. Software manufactures are continually releasing new security updates and bug fixes.
  4. Use spyware removal tools at least once a week. One of the best is AdAware. This program removes most spyware and gives you the option to delete cookies.
  5. Use a firewall, such as ZoneAlarm. This helps prevent hackers from accessing your computer.
  6. Use anti-virus software, AVG Free Edition is a good choice. This will help prevent the spread of viruses, and keeps them from damaging your computer.
  7. If you receive an e-mail from a company that asks for personal information, find out if that company really did send that e-mail. Phishing web sites will send out e-mails pretending to be from, say, your bank, asking for credit card numbers,etc. Never reply to any of these e-mails or click any links. Also, download a program for your web browser, such as Personal Anti-Phishing Sidebar for Firefox, this will alert you if you visit a suspected phishing site.
  8. If you receive an e-mail that sounds like it could be a hoax, check it on Snoops before forwarding it. Hoaxes take up a lot of space on e-mail servers and consume much reading time.
  9. Never give your personal information out to anyone but a trusted organization or business.
  10. Pass this article along to your friends and relatives. Together we can make a difference in the safety of the net.

Happy Surfing

The suggestions in this article are not a guarantee to keep you 100% safe, but will at least keep the occurrence of problems to a minimum. All the software listed here is free, but there are companies such as McAfee and Norton, that provide packages that fulfill several of these steps in one tool.

 

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