How do I secure my computer?

How do I secure my compute?

How to Protect Your Computer From Viruses and Hackers video is power by ThioJoe.

How do I secure my computer from viruses and hackers?

Whether you use your computer primarily for work task or personal use or both, It’s highly likely you want to keep it and its contents safe and secure. When it comes to computer security,  a board range of threat should be considered, including malicious attacks by hackers and people physically stealing your computer and the information it houses.

Thankfully there are steps you can take to mitigate the risk of having your computer compromised. The measures you go to keep your computer safe will depend on several factors. Similarly, if you think there’s a particularly high risk of someone wanting to hack into your system or steal your computer, you may want to go to extra lengths.

For an average user, taking several basic measure should be sufficient enough to secure your computer and its content.

1. Keep up with system and software security updates

While software and security updates can often seem like an annoyance, it really is important to stay on top of them. Aside from adding extra features, they often cover security holes. This means the provider of the operating system (OS) or software has found vulnerabilities which give hackers the opportunity to compromise the program or even your entire computer.

2. Have your wits about you

It should go without saying, being suspicious is one of the best things you can do to keep your computer secure. Admittedly, with hacker techniques becoming increasingly sophisticated, it can be difficult to tell when you’re under attack. All it takes is one email open or link click and your computer could be compromised.

Make sure you have your wit about you and think twice about opening or clicking on anything that doesn’t look legit. Do not reply on spam filters to always catch sketchy emails because criminals are often constantly trying to outsmart the settings.

3. Enable a firewall

A firewall acts as a barrier between your computer or network and the internet. It effectively closes the computer ports that prevent communication with your device. This protect your computer by stopping threat from entering the system and spreading between devices.

4. Adjust your browser settings

Most browsers have options that enable you to adjust the level of privacy and security while you browse. These can help lower the risk of malware infections reaching your computer and malicious hackers attacking your device. Some browsers even enable you to tell websites not to track your movements by blocking cookies. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all provide detailed instructions to help. While using these browsers you can add an additional layer of protection by installing an anti-tracking browser extension like Disconnect or uBlock Origin.

5. Install antivirus and anti spyware software

Any machine connected to the internet is inherently vulnerable to viruses and other threats, including malware, ransomware, and Trojan attacks. An antivirus software isn’t a complete fool proof option but it can definitely help. There are free options out there, but they are limited, and besides, the paid program won’t set you back a whole lot. Bitdefender, is a popular option that I recommend. For alternatives take a look at this data backed comparison of antivirus.

6. Password protect your software and lock your device

Most web-connected software that you install on your system requires login credentials. The most important thing here is not to use the same password across all applications. This makes it far too easy for someone to hack into all of your accounts and possibly steal your identity.

If you’re having trouble remembering a whole bunch of passwords, then you could try a password manager. This will keep all your password safe and you only have to remember one. A password can be combined with an email or SMS as part of two-step verification.

7. Encrypt your data

Whether your computer houses your life’s work or a load of files with sentimental value like photos and videos, it’s likely worth protecting that information. One way to ensure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands is to encrypt your data. Encrypted data will require resources to decrypt it; this alone might be enough to deter a hacker from pursuing action.

There are plethora of tools out there to help you encrypt things like online traffic and accounts, communication, and files stored on your computer. For full disk encryption, some popular tools like Veracrypt and Bitloader. You can find separate tools to help you encrypt you mobile phones.

8. Use a VPN

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an excellent way to step up your security, especially when browsing online. While using a VPN, all of your internet traffic is encrypted and tunneled through an intermediary server in a separate location. This masks your IP, replacing it with a different one, so that your ISP can no longer monitor your activity.

What’s more, you can typically choose the server location based on your needs, such as getting the fastest speeds or unblocking geo-locked content. Additionally, a VPN can help you browse securely while using open wifi networks and access censored material (e.g. Facebook in China).

No matter what you store on your computer, its simply prudent to protect its content from criminals and snoopers. Although nothing is ever completely secure, but following the a

How do I secure my computer

Reference: Spencer Parnell ( Professional Clothier ). “How do I secure my PC?”  originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

How do I secure my computer

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