How do I keep safe online?

[secure bob]

I've got a Firewall and Norton anti-virus.

What else do I need to make my business computer secure? What am I missing?

[brian]

Also:

• Use Mozilla Firefox instead of Internet Explorer
• Be careful surfing unknown websites, especially in adult, gambling, and pharmaceuticals.

[PhilosophiX]

Hi Secure Bob,

Brian is right, Firefox is a lot safer. Essentially all you need is: Firefox / Firewall / Anti – Virus / Anti – Spyware, and that is you covered.

I see you also have a firewall and anti-virus already, but just in case anyone else reads this thread and wonders what to do about those, here are the free options:

Zone Labs have a firewall called Zone Alarm, a basic version of this is available for free. It is extremely good at its job, I’ve been using it for years on my personal laptop.
http://www.zonelabs.com/

Grisoft have an anti-virus product called ‘AVG anti-virus’. The free edition is available to home users. Again this product is good at what it does and I’ve been using it for years.
http://www.grisoft.com/

For anti-adware/anti-spyware:

Spybot search and destroy, is another essential application. Spyware and adware are a growing problem, closely associated with the world of viruses – the two often overlap – but unfortunately virus checkers don’t yet detect he majority of spyware programs. Hence the reason separate detectors are needed.
http://www.spybot.info/

If your using the above (or similar), then your as covered as can be.

There are other options but since these are the ones I use and I am familiar with, they are the ones I recommend.

[LyricB]

What about home computers that aren't used for business purposes? Do they need all this jazz too?

[corty]

Definately... if you don't take measures to secure your own PC then you are potentially putting the rest of us at risk too. Every PC should have a reputable firewall, antivirus and spyware tool installed as a minimum... I also wouldn't just rely on the Windows Firewall either.

Cheers

Corty

[Belson17]

Also, NEVER give out your social security number or mother's maiden name from responding to an e-mail. There's a ton of scams going around where you get a bogus e-mail message from people with PayPal type addresses that say they need this info for your account. These people are looking to steal your idendity. A good rule of thumb is to always call the company to verify and NEVER send this info in an e-mail.

[brian]

Some really good pointers in this therad - definitely listen to PhilosophiX - even home computers need to be protected, as some trojans are happy enough to collect your email details simply to then use it to send email spam. And also log keystrokes, which you definitely don't want if you do online banking...

Oh, and a tip on the phishing scams that Belson mentioned - if the email is addressed anonymously - ie, To Member, User, or Customer - then treat it as a phish. Bona fide emails will address you by *name*.

[Belson17]

Brian: What does "log keystrokes" mean?

[brian]

It means the trojan sits in your PC, and records which keys you press. That means anyone typing in login details, passwords, and even bank details, will have it recorded - and sent out - by the trojan. Nasty stuff.

[shaneseyt]

All of these tips are very useful and wise to follow. I have a router with a firewall, then a zone alarm firewall, then my windows firewall. I also have Ad-Aware and spybot, then an anti-virus program. I do regular scans and only allow certain sites through the firewall (ones that I frequent or know I can trust).

I also set my email to filter out spam or unwanted email to a junk folder. I never click the 'unsubscribe me' link in a junk mail - that just verifies your email address and opens the door to potnetial malicious emails to come to your inbox. I try to block a lot of unwanted email addresses as well.

I never open attachments from senders I do not know, and in some cases I check with friends about attachments if I am unsure of how safe they are before I open it and infect my computer with malicious code.

Protecting your home compter is just as important as your business computer, and if you ahve kids extra precautions should be taken to keep them safe while online - there are a lot of bad situations they can get into that can come back to haunt you and they would not even know it.