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There are trained hackers around the world who are expert in cyber attacks and hackings, without the consent of the user they are capable enough of stealing your private information and use them for their personal gains. If you do not take precautions you may be one of the victims. Every year November 30th has been celebrated as the Computer Security Day and October has been recognized as the month of National Cyber Security Awareness. These days and months are celebrated every year to raise awareness among public regarding the security during the usage of the computer.
In this article we will discuss 8 Best Ways to Keep Your Computer Safe. The guidelines used here will be applicable for all the Operating Systems out the there such as Windows 7 / 8 / 10 , Mac OS and Linux.
Let's move to the topic.
1. Scan For Viruses and Malware
Always install a decent Anti Virus program and regularly scan for viruses. It not only helps to protect your computer from viruses it also helps you to protect from other threats such as Trojan and Spyware which ultimately leads to a performance boost.
Many Anti Virus programs scan for threats automatically and alert the user but manually you can scan the entire pc to find the infected files and the email. And also make sure to update your Anti Virus program to the latest update to make them identify new types of threats.
[ FURTHER READING : How to Prevent Malware and Virus Attacks on your Computer | 8 Best Ways ]
2. Enable Firewall Protection
Windows and other Operating Systems comes with a inbuilt feature known as the Firewall which runs on the background. Same like an Anti Virus program this program protects your computer from outside world by acting as a barrier between your computer and the internet, as a result no any unauthorized user from the internet can gain access to your computer. Firewall programs will be turned on default, you can check whether it is on and turn it on manually.
To Manually enable Firewall,
1. Press Windows + X key.2. From the Menu select Control Panel.
3. Select System and Security.
4. Choose Windows Firewall.
5. Make sure Windows Firewall is turned on.
6. Press Ok.
Now you have successfully enabled Firewall Protection.
3. Update the Windows
Updating the Operating System can be very important to the computer as it will make sure that you system has latest security patches to identify new types of threats. If you don't update your OS your computer might be prone to Malwares and Trojans, eventually the risk of being hacked will also be increased. Windows updates are turned on automatically you can manually enable automatic updates.To enable Automatic Windows Updates,
1. Press the Start Button.2. Press Settings.
3. Select Update and Security.
4. Choose Check for Updates.
5. Press Advanced Options.
6. Make sure Automatic (recommended) is enabled.
Now you have enabled Automatic Windows Updates.
4. Avoid Suspicious Emails
Emails are also one of the prone areas for a Malware attack. Avoid opening emails from unknown sources at the very best its better to delete it. The attachments and the links contained in the email can be a threat that once the user clicks on it the private details of the computer can be reached to the attacker.
It is recommended to delete any suspicious email even from a person a person you know as the person might be attacked from the Malware unknowingly. Usually emails contain a span filter which eliminates spam messages but its not upto the level of modern day threats, its better to just use your Anti Virus program to scan for email viruses.
5. Update the Browser
Always use a browser that are commonly trusted such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera Mini, avoid any new suspicious browsers. There are spam browsers on the internet which are solely designed for the purpose of gathering user's private information. And update the browser to the latest update to gain latest extensions to avoid malicious attacks.
Many browsers contains a filter known as a Webfilter which restricts user from gaining access to suspicious websites by blocking them. Its better to avoid providing any confidential informations to the suspicious websites. You can spot any spam website instantly while clicking on the small https:// lock icon in the address bar.
6. Avoid Using Weak Passwords
When creating a Password for an account it is advisable to make it strong enough for the Hackers to guess. Many people do the mistake of using the same passwords on every account, use their name, birthday and phone numbers. These passwords are generally easy for a hacker to guess, in case if one account is hacked and the hacker knows the password he can gain access to all the other accounts.
A Strong password is generally long enough and contains the characters letters, words and symbols. And also change your password regularly to make it secure, if you have problem remembering all the passwords then there are many password management tools out there which can help you.
7. Be Cautious On Free Public Wifi
While there may be genuine free Public Wifi Spots, hackers may have setup fake Public Wifi to steal your personal confidential information. It may seem a nice idea to use to the free data but the users are in a risk to bear large losses connecting to them.
Always be aware on free Wifi areas on who is the provider and use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) services. These VPN services makes it harder for a hacker to watch what you do on the internet.
8. Backup Your Important Files
Many people ignore Backing up their files thinking their hard drive is reliable, the truth is many hard drives fails overtime. So it is always advisable to backup your files not only for hard drive fail but also for a Cyber attacks.
In case if you have been attacked by a hacker you can retrieve your valuable information through backup. You can use online services such as Google drive, Backblaze and Dropbox for this purpose or simply purchase a External Hard drive to transfer these files.
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