Minimum requirements for safer computing

Upon purchasing your computer, it is likely that you were told to invest in a good solid anti-virus and firewall package. It is even likely that you were told to download some form of spyware or malware removal tool. All these are the standard bits of advice given, and they are good, but undeniably not comprehensive enough.

The first thing you should remember is that any computer is only as safe as the latest updates and upgrades. For starters, keep your operating system fully patched with the latest updates. Do the same for the anti-virus, firewall and anti-spyware. These are usually divided into types of downloads, namely definition updates and engine upgrades. The former contains the actual signatures/definitions the the software uses to scan the computer for malicious software, and the latter includes bits code used to enhance the performance and functionality of the software that will search for malicious code. Thus, only by keeping both completely up to date, do you stand any chance of keeping yourself safe.

However, antivirus, firewall and antispyware alone will not guarantee that you will be safe from malicious code. Furthermore, no single antivirus package will provide you with protection from all the viruses on the internet. Installing a second antivirus onto the computer is always an option, but I would not recommend doing this because you will waste system resources and possibly cause your computer to enter into a nonrecoverable state. The same applies to firewalls and anti-spyware. Some reputable antivirus vendors do online scans of your computer for virus signatures. One such example is Panda Security, but other exist and here you need to exercise caution and only consider reputable vendors.

So what else can you do to secure yourself? Well, ... a great many things, but first and foremost you should remove ALL software that you are no longer using or ever will use. These programs that are no longer being used are also no longer being updated, which make them a serious security risk to you. Any software you use should be the latest version available, or at the very least a version that is still being supported by the manufacturer.

Most computers also run services and servers that are normally unnecessary and may safely be turned off or removed without altering your computing experience. If you are uncertain about which of these are not required then make Google your very best friend. Many of these services and servers are used to compromise your computer.

To complete the minimum requirements for safer computing, do the following:

• ensure that ALL user accounts have a complex alphanumeric password
• disable the guest and all unused accounts
• never use the administrator account unless it is specifically required to make system wide alterations
  
• periodically (usually once a week for daily users) FORCE updates on all software on your computer
• NEVER open emails from origins unknown and especially NEVER open attachments BEFORE scanning them with an antivirus
• Disable all autoruns and scripting (such as javascript)

Obviously there is always more you can do, but for now lets deal with things in bitesize chunks.

Always be cautious and use common sense!