6 Aspects of a Secure Computer - Keeping Your Computer Safe

A computer is only as good as it's user, and unfortunately there are many, many, many less savvy computer users out there. For you to keep your computer secure, and therefore fast, there are some basic security practices that you must employ.
Protection from Spyware/Adware
Spyware and Adware are programs that are installed without knowledge on your PC. These programs track your internet activity, for the purpose of targeting you with ads, popups, or obtaining private information from you. They slow down your computer, and can be a security risk. To prevent them, you use a free antispyware program.
Recommended: MalwareBytes AntiMalware or Lavasoft's AdAware
Protection from Viruses
Viruses are more dire than spyware, because they intend direct damage to your system, and may have the intent of stealing identity information. Viruses replicate and spread themselves unlike Spyware. To combat viruses you need a well trusted antivirus.
Recommended: Avira AntiVir and Avast! Home Edition are excellent free solutions
Protection from hackers
Hackers attempt direct access to your computer through security gaps. Antispyware and antivirus programs do not protect from this sort of threat, which is the most dangerous of all. If your internet modem or wireless router does not have a built in firewall, you should get a free firewall of your own.
Recommended: PCTools Firewall Plus or Comodo Internet Security Firewall
Wireless Security
If you use a wireless router in your home, chances are it is very easy for anyone within 200 feet of your home to access your signal. This can be dangerous if someone has bad intentions. Set up a wireless password to access your wireless network. If you don't know how to do this, ask any manual you have for your router, or ask the company.
Good Passwords
Passwords do nothing if they are not chosen well. A secure password should be longer than 7 characters, and contain at least one number/symbol and a mixture of upper and lower case letters. In addition, you should not use the same password everywhere you have an account.
Safe Email
Be weary of what you open. If you do not recognize the sender or subject, do not open it, especially if the email contains an attachment. Common sense is the best medicine here.
If you follow these security practices, you should remain a safe computer user. Rest easy knowing that you won't be one of the many victims of online crime, or have to use your hard-earned money on replacing your computer every few years due to infections.

Nick Dimon writes about computer security and maintenance on his site http://www.crappycomputer.com/ with the purpose of informing and teaching users how to get what they deserve from their machines.

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Strong Password Authentication Essential to Your Computer Security

1. Why Password?
 
Your computer and the websites you frequently visit contain a great deal of personal information about you. It is important, therefore to ensure that you do not allow your personal details to get into the wrong hands.
We do so much online these days: banking, shopping and social networking have become everyday activities. There are nasty people out there who want to steal from you. Not just your money, but your very identity. It is therefore very necessary to protect yourself by restricting access to your personal data. This is where passwords come in. They make sure that your personal details are only available to you.
 
2. Why a Strong Password?
 
We all like to keep things simple. Passwords can be a pain. So let us make it easy to remember and  not complicate matters. Why not use the same password for all our safe sites. It is too much hassle remembering all those different passwords, after all.
 
Passwords can be seen as the weakest link between your data and those who could most benefit from access to your personal details.  Once the password is cracked they are in. If you use the same password for different applications, your system is vulnerable, along with your online banking and credit card accounts.
 
Examples of weak passwords include your name, username, date of birth, names of your children, even your car registration number. Paul123 would not be a safeguard against my online bank account, for example. Hackers can use programs that try to guess your password by browsing through your files to search for personal information.
Criminals use a number of methods to identify passwords. Dictionary search trawls through online dictionaries to come up with a match to your password. Brute force attacks try every possible combination of keystrokes that can be used in connection with a user name. Phishing, official looking emails purportedly from banks, for example, seek to obtain passwords or PIN numbers from unsuspecting victims.  
 
3. What is a Strong Password?
 
Many websites demand passwords that exceed seven or eight digits, including letters and numbers. Security experts advise even longer passwords, 14 characters are considered sensible. Experts also suggest that you mix upper and lower case letters and utilise characters in lieu of some letters. The key is to use a password that is simple enough for you to remember but no one else, even your close family and friends would be able to identify.
 
4. Further assistance
 
Microsoft has a very good application that rates the strength or weakness of your chosen password.

Password checker can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx
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Remove Viruses From Your Computer - Tips and Tricks

Removing a computer virus in your computer can be a scary task.
Even the most experience computer tech might have a difficult challenges without the right software.
Technology has revolutionized the way we see the world. We are now able to have a conversation virtually face-to-face with someone in the other side of the world via messenger absolutely free.
Personal computers (PCs) since its introduction to the public in the mid 80s have changed our lives. Allowing the public to automate daily task, personal computers (PCs) have become critical tools to our everyday life.
However, since the birth of the internet for public usage back in the mid-late 90s, hackers have found a breeding ground.
Hackers are software developers that create programs to attack computer systems. One the most sophisticated software ever developed focuses on disabling antivirus programs by attacking PC's registry (PC database). Once antivirus software is disabled in a persona computer, it becomes an easy target for any attack. Hijack programs are responsible for scanning your computer for any credit card information stored in your computer or internet browser (including credit card transactions, online banking password and ID, etc).  But, what is spyware and how dangerous is it?  Spyware (hijack programs) are automatically installed in your computer without the users' consent and many times users are deceived to allow the programs to automatically install while surfing the internet.
The source of spyware can be an email, an infected internet page, or even an infected CD that installs information into your computer.
Spyware attacks in your computer can ruin your computer, your financial status, steal your identity, and use your computer as a hijack system to attack other computers.  It's recommended to keep your antivirus up date and never open emails that you might not recognize, since emails with attachments are the easier way for spyware to access your computer.   What are the symptoms?
While accessing the internet do you experience?
- Slow page download - Pop-ups
- Sudden freeze (Computer won't respond)
- Blue Screen with white letters (known as the blue screen of death)
- Computer won't respond after you turn it on.
Any of these symptoms might indicate that your system might be hijacked and it's recommend that you take to any computer repair place (which can be very pricey). Also, not following the correct steps can endanger your personal information such as or credit cards, or online banking login information.   Also, it's recommended that you find a good program that can cure your registry. THE REGISTRY IS THE MOST HEART AND MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR COMPUTER!! Good software will remove the spyware from the registry and remove any threats.
Hope my article provided you with helpful information
Good luck and stay safe.

For free antivirus help visit Help my computer. I'm a computer system analyst always looking out for new technology to be studied and discovered. Pride on providing the community up to date information on the newest gadgets, or internet driving news... Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raul_Guerridos

Home Computer Security Protection Issues

In a perfect world no one would be able to infiltrate our home computers and mess with our lives, but this isn't a perfect world. Every home computer needs to have home computer security measures installed to protect it. So don't put it off any longer. Start doing some research so that you can choose the right home computer security for you.
What you need to Know about Home Computer Security
Statistics would surely prove that with the millions of people online every day, at least a handful of them are going to be hackers. Hackers are fiendish individuals who have computer abilities to access the computers of others and spread viruses which are a menace to the computer world. Viruses have done their job in eliminating crucial data and damaging computer hard drives all over the world. People can now fight back, however, by purchasing security systems for the computers they have in their homes.
There are two good ways to get home computer security. One is to buy it on CD-ROM which can be installed on your computer. The other way is to purchase it online and then download it into your PC.
Don't be fooled by websites which offer you "free" security software. There's bound to be an ulterior motive behind that offer. Besides, if you download their software you'll also get a "free" load of spyware which will track your use of the internet without your knowledge.
When you install your computer security software, be sure to carefully set your preferences. Otherwise you may be installing firewalls which will block you from internet content you want to see.
For people who are still using dial-up internet connections, it will take a substantial amount of time to download home computer security software off of the internet. An option you have is to buy the CD-ROM, because it will download much faster. If you do decide to go with the internet download, you may want to wait and run it while you're at work or sleeping so that it won't interfere with your use of your computer.
Do some research into the features and prices of various home computer security packages which are available. You can also ask family and friends what they recommend. It won't do to be too chap when buying software, because you need to have software you trust to protect your important computer files. No matter what you choose, you'll always be glad you took steps to protect your home computer.

Home security is something we all want. Visit SaferHomeSecurity.com for more tips on home security tips and home security DIY tips and make your home safer.

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