10 Steps To Locking Download Your Windows Computer: Web Tech Support Page.
1. Protect against worms and viruses – This step is one of the most critical. Few things can cause a well-functioning Windows system to become non-functional more quickly than a virus or worm infection. Protect yourself from viruses by installing antivirus software such as Symantec, McAfee, or Trend Micro on all of the Windows systems that you manage. Be sure to develop a plan to keep your antivirus software current by installing updates and renewing your virus definition subscriptions on a regular basis.
2. Stop Spyware/Adware – Spyware may even surpass, viruses as the leading problem plaguing Computer users. Spyware/Adware installed on your system can cause it to slowdown to the point of being just about unusable, and can open up your computer to personal data theft. Most computer users know how important it is to keep the computer protected from viruses, but it's has become just as important to protect your system from this new flood of spyware as well.
Using a one spyware scanner doesn't always do the trick. Installing and using two spyware programs is the best way to protect your system. Ad-Aware from Lavasoft is a great way to start; it's free for personal use and very easy to install. Another free spyware product, Spybot Search and Destroy, is a great complement to Ad Aware as it can sometimes find spyware missed by Ad Aware, and vice versa.
Ad-Aware and Spybot are both passive scanners that only clean a machine after it is already infected. For the best protection, I recommend the use of one active scanner - either Symantec, McAfee – as well as at least one passive scanner – Ad Aware or Spybot.
3. Strong passwords – A strong Passwords is the cornerstone of security in your computer system. As it stands right now, passwords continue to be the primary means by which users authenticate to computer systems. Because of their widespread use, and the ease with which passwords are cracked, make sure all Windows users must choose strong passwords with a mixture of numbers, symbols and letters, also try regularly changing your passwords.
* Use a mix of characters and case Use letters, numbers, and special characters such
as ! and #. Example: MyPW2W0rd!9.
* Don’t use any real words Many brute-force applications rely on the fact that many
people use words they can remember as their passwords. Example: Be845jd#65!
* Use a mnemonic to help you remember the password Remember Every Good
Boy Does Fine for the lines on the treble cleft in music class? Come up with your
own mnemonic and throw in some special characters. Example: bob eats 3 bananas
with 5 grapes, or be3bw5g.
4. Don't allow and or limit unauthorized software installs – In a business environment, most have a specific policy in place, can mandate that users are now allowed to install software without the express approval of IT. For most companies, it's easy to point out an instance in which unauthorized software has created a significant problem.
Example, someone in your family may want to install and use AOL Instant Messenger. However, with AOL Instant Messenger, too many users ignore warnings and click on unsolicited links in messages. These links can lead to less-than-desirable sites that install malicious software on to the computer.
Note: always be aware of what you're installing and what others are installing on your shared computer; make shear to read any agreements for software that you do install and make sure you have both virus and spyware protection in place to help avoid potential problems with unknown installers. Some free programs install spyware as part of the free program.
5. Enable Automatic Windows Updates – Almost every other week, Microsoft releases a series of fixes and updates that fix many vulnerabilities discovered in Windows and other Microsoft applications. For updates that are rated critical —meaning that the vulnerability can seriously expose the system to outside threat—patches should be applied as soon as possible after release. The easiest way to handle this is to use Automatic Updates in Windows. You can check for Windows updated's at Microsoft web site.
6. Turn on and use a software firewall – Use Windows XP free firewall, Unless there's a good reason to turn it off, always leave the XP firewall enabled. Windows XP SP2 includes an improved free "Windows Firewall" that works great. One reason not to use it is if your computer system already use another desktop firewall such as ZoneAlarm, which can watch all of the traffic flowing from your computer to make sure it's valid. The more advanced firewall's can even go so far as to inspect the entire contents of the traffic to make sure that it does not contain something malicious. If, for example, your computer has been compromised by a virus, these more advanced software firewall's can help prevent the virus from spreading by blocking your computer's outgoing communications.
7. Use Internet Explorer Security Features – Some of the major improvements in Windows XP SP2 are the new default security settings in Internet Explorer. The fact is that these improvements were sorely needed and much more needs to be done to make the program more secure for the widespread use it enjoys. If you haven't yet consider upgrading to Internet Explorer 7 with XP SP2, including the new popup blocker, better protection from malicious ActiveX controls and the prevention of unsolicited downloads. Used together, these three features provide a much safer browser experience.
8. Change Your Computer Boot Order – If an unscrupulous person gains physical access to your computer system, he can get to the contents of your hard drives data. So you need to put up enough roadblocks to deter this kind of potential activity. One good quick fix is to change your computers systems device boot order in your computer system's BIOS so that it boots to the hard drive first, not to CD drive or disk drive.
9. Assign a password to the BIOS: You can also assign a password to the BIOS so that further changes cannot be made without entering the password. This will prevent an intruder from being able to sit down at one of your computer and boot from a floppy, CD/DVD, or USB device. So make the first boot device the hard drive, which will eventually boot Windows and ultimately require the personal to enter valid password to gain access to the computer. If you allow boot-up from CD drives or disk drive, people can boot-up with a boot CDs, for example, that provide them with free reign to all of your personal computer data on the system.
9. Lock the console or logout when system is not in use – One good way to make sure that only authorized users have access to your PC is for all users to lock out the console (hit Ctrl-Alt-Del and then click log out) of the system at any point the user needs to step away from the desk. You can easily do this with a locking screen saver or free Windows locking software. Yes, it might be somewhat inconvenient at the beginning, but it's better than stolen data or a compromised system.
10. Use an anti-virus program to regularly scan your hard drive
Even when you exercise reasonable caution, you may still be infected by a virus. An anti-virus program can be set up to regularly check your computer or even your incoming email attachments for viruses. This kind of program may even be able to constantly run in the background as you go about your work. Because viruses are being constantly created or changed, it is important to use a program that provides regular updates.
Update your anti-virus program regularly -
New or improved viruses are being regularly unleashed on the Internet. Updating your anti-virus software so that it contains the latest virus definitions will decrease the likelihood that you are affected by a new type of virus.
Back up your data files on a regular basis -
In a worst case scenario, a virus may corrupt or destroy data on one or more files. Regular backups will allow you to recover more easily in the event that a virus damages your files.
