Six Things You Can Do
To Safeguard Your Computer

Protect Your Valuable Personal Information

To an identity thief, your personal information can provide instant access to your financial accounts, your credit report and other assets.  According to the Federal Trade Commission, 10 million people are the victim of identity theft per year.  If a company asks for your personal information, you have the right to ask how it's going to be used and how it's going to be protected. 

Never respond to an e-mail asking for personal information.  No legitimate company should ever make that request via e-mail.  Call the company before responding to an such e-mail to find out if it's legitimate.

Teach your children never to give out personal information online.  Check with your Internet Service Provider to see what Parental Control Options they offer.  This can help keep your children AND your personal information safe.

When shopping online, keep a credit card specifically for online purchases.  It'll be much easier to catch any fraudulent purchases that way.  Only put in credit card information if there are indications the site is secure.  The "http" part of the web address will change to a "https" on secure sites and a picture of a lock will appear in the lower right corner of the page.

Do Your Best to Know Who You're Dealing With

Remember, you can never be sure who're you're dealing with online. Check out the person or company you're doing business with.  A company should have a physical address and phone number. 

There are a number of ways you can be tricked into giving out your information, including phishing and file sharing websites. "Phishers" send SPAM or e-mails that appear to be from companies you might normally do business with, like credit cards companies, banks and EBay.  They'll say there's a problem with your account and you must click on the link to update your information.  These e-mails can look very realistic and can trick you into giving personal account information.  No legitimate companies ever send out these requests via e-mail!  Delete the mail without clicking on the links.  When in doubt, contact the company before responding to any e-mail that appears to request information.

Millions of people use file sharing website every day.  These sites allow people to share games, music and software. However, unless properly set up, they can also allow hackers access to everything on your computer, including personal information.  You could also download copyrighted material, which is against the law.  It's also very easy to get computer viruses this way.

Spyware can be accidentally loaded onto your computer when you take advantage of "free" software online.  Spyware can allow your computer to be remotely accessed and controlled.  Install anti-virus software and spyware removal software on your computer to control this problem.

Use Anti-Virus Software and a Firewall

Anti-virus software protects  your computer by scanning for viruses and deleting them.  To work properly, anti-virus software must be updated regularly.  Be sure your e-mail is checked by anti-virus software before opening it.  Never open an attachment on an e-mail unless you're expecting that attachment.  When in doubt, write the person the e-mail and attachment came from to be sure they sent it to you.  Most viruses that come via e-mail are sent as attachments.

Install a firewall, especially if you have a high-speed (DSL or cable) connection instead of dial-up for your internet service.  When you use a high-speed (DSL or cable), your computer is "on" the Internet whether you're using it or not. Firewalls prevents hackers from accessing your personal information.  A firewall is like a guard.

Set Up Your Operating System and Web Brower Correctly and do Regular Updates.

Hackers will take advantage of improperly set up computers.  Take advantage of the security built into your Operating System (Windows 2000, XP, etc) and your web browser (Internet Explorer, etc..).  Check Tools, Options, Security for built in security features on your web browser.  Be sure to get all Security Patches for your Operating System.  For example, you can get updates from the Microsoft website to keep Windows XP secure.  These updates are referred to as Windows Updates and you can also set your XP computer to update automatically.

Protect Your Passwords

Passwords should be at least 8 characters long, with a combination of letters, numbers and symbols.  Avoid common words.  There are computer programs that allow hackers to use every word in the dictionary when they're trying to figure out passwords.  Don't use the same password for different accounts. 

Keep your passwords private.  Don't write them down.  Don't share them with anyone!  If you believe a passwords has been tampered with, change it immediately.

Back Up Your Important Files

Back up all important data on your computer to a removable disk (a jump drive, a burned CD) and store it in a very safe place.

( some tips taken from http://onguardonline.gov/index.html)

Please refer to the Resources Page for links to free Utility downloads.