When writing about IT security there can be a thousand things to note and report. I would therefore like to avoid coming up with a long list of tips that are difficult to apply in practice and give a basic guide to computer security, to prevent viruses and cyber attacks of any kind.
For complete safety then you can add many other additional protections made of more advanced tools which are however superfluous for most people.
Thinking only about the security of a computer, especially if it is Windows, but I would say also for Mac, you have to follow these general rules: Updates, Antivirus and Common sense .
1) Updates and Updates
Most of the time, when Windows is updated or when other programs such as Flash, Adobe Reader, Office, iTunes, Firefox or others receive the update request, one must make sure that it goes through without waiting or postponing the operation.
This is because the most of the time these updates are security patches that cover those bugs that can be exploited by viruses or hackers to steal information from your computer.
The Windows update must therefore be automatic and must not be deactivated.
Microsoft releases security patches once a month and calls those covering known security issues " critical updates ".
In other articles I had written about:
Resolve Windows Update errors
How to download patches and update Windows manually.
For programs, on the other hand, those tools for automatic updating of installed software can become useful, which become useful for all those programs that do not do the auto update.
Software like Secunia Personal Software Inspector instead allow to keep only the updated versions of the programs to increase the pc security.
In general it is important that at least only the programs that connect to the internet and exchange data with the outside are updated.
2) Antivirus and security programs
That antivirus is indispensable for the security of a Windows computer is beyond doubt.
It must be updated regularly and automatically and be provided with real-time protection so that it can be ready to catch the latest viruses before they can act.
In a recent post we saw a comparison of the best free antivirus of 2012 .
Besides the antivirus, optionally, another type of software could be kept: the antimalware and antispyware scanners, to be used every now and then to check that no malicious files have been downloaded from the internet, even involuntarily.
Always optionally you could then equip yourself with a firewall that allows you to shield the internet connection from external intrusions.
The firewall is superfluous if you connect through a router and it is not too necessary if you are using Windows 7 which has its firewall ready.
In another post, the best free Firewalls .
Finally, it is important to protect internet browsing by securing your web browser against malicious sites.
With Chrome and Firefox there are add-ons to increase security (see post: 10 extensions to protect Chrome and 20 extensions for Firefox security) while Spyware Blaster is used to block spyware and dangerous sites on Internet Explorer.
You don't need to install anything; everyone knows where they feel vulnerable and will find the right support tool to prevent security problems.
At this point, I could recommend using the malware prevention tool to check if the PC is safe and check the Windows protection status on updates, antivirus, firewall and spyware protection.
Even better, but more complex and difficult to read is the free Belarc Advisor tool that provides a detailed report of all the computer's security settings and updates installed on Windows, reporting any deficiencies and vulnerabilities.
It identifies all the licenses and shows how long ago the various installed programs were used.
On another page of this blog, all the best laptop and lightweight computer security programs to keep at hand are listed.
3) Common sense, attention and prudence are important to be safe while using a computer.
To be aware of the computer and common sense rules, I recommend reading the guide to understand how Windows defends your computer and how to protect yourself without antivirus .
For example, if an .exe file arrives from a stranger, you don't have to open it; if an email arrives asking to enter the bank details online, it is clearly a phishing attempt, if you win money and you don't know why, maybe there is some deception behind it ... and so on.
As I see it, these three principles may be enough for basic computer security.
The discussion also widens a lot and becomes complex instead if we talk about a computer connected to the internet.
I therefore refer to another post with the guide to online safety .
