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by: JasonMann
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Today, many people are using their computers to connect with friends and family, manage their finances online, and to shop. All of these activities make it increasingly important for users to safeguard their computers, since you could inadvertently be welcoming the schemes of hackers, attackers, and crackers.

Phishing for personal information to steal your identity and hijacking your computer to attack others are daily threats on the internet.

Below are 12 easy, cost-effective steps you can take to make your computer more secure.

1. Make a backup copy of information that is important to you, and keep it separate from your computer.

2. Make sure that you frequently update and patch your software, browser, and operating systems.

3. Install a firewall. Without a good firewall, viruses, worms, Trojans, malware and adware can all easily access your computer from the Internet. Consideration should be given to the benefits and differences between hardware and software based firewall programs.

4. Set the browser and email configuration on your computer for optimum security. Hackers frequently use Active-X and JavaScript to insert harmful programs into your computers. Cookies are pretty harmless, but they do keep track of what you do online and build a profile of information about you. It is recommended that you choose your security settings for the internet zone to be at High, and the settings for trusted sites zone to Medium Low. (These are the minimum recommendations, and you can set your security higher, if you wish to do so.)

5. Make sure you have antivirus software installed and that it is set to receive automatic updates. Automatic updates insure you are protected from the latest viruses.

6. Never open unknown email attachments. Several viruses can come from a known email address so recognizing the address is not enough to protect you.

7. Programs should not be run if you do not know the origins. These should not be passed on to friends and coworkers. Along with funny or amusing stories or jokes, they could also contain a Trojan horse waiting to infect your computer.

8. Windows operating systems are set to hide file extensions for known file types by default. You want to disable this feature so that the extensions are displayed. There are some file extensions that will continue to be hidden but you will be better able to see unusual file extensions that should not be there.

9. Turn off your computer and disconnect from the network when not using the computer. A hacker cannot attack your computer when you are disconnected from the network or the computer is off.

10. To protect your computer from a malicious program, you should think about copying a boot disk on a floppy disc, so you will have it saved. Obviously, this is something you need to do this BEFORE your system is compromised.

11. Don't allow unrestricted physical access to your computer. If you have sensitive or proprietary information on your computer, allowing other employees or family members to use your computer can lead to potential breaches in your computer's security.

12. Don't use weak passwords. Use passwords which are difficult for someone to figure out. People frequently use the names of children, pets, anniversary dates, or birthdays. Because there seems to be a password needed for everything, it is not uncommon to see many people using the same password for everything. Big mistake! The use of only one password provides a hacker with easy access to a smorgasbord of personal information. If you have to write your passwords down, it is best not to leave them on a post-it, attached to the screen of your computer. You may chuckle at the absurdity, but it happens more than you think.

About the Author

Jason Mann is editor of the Technology Basics Section at i-KnowHow | Information for Life, where you'll also find ideas and tips for hobbies, home and garden, personal finance, family and much more.

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