Hacking
of websites is big news nowadays. Companies have their sites shut down
or sensitive customer data stolen at an alarming rate. While companies
with websites can afford online security consultants to help ward off
the latest attacks to their sites, the average computer user can do a
lot on his/her own behalf to help make the home computer secure.
To
begin with, when setting up an account of any sort, be it an email
account, online bank account, or other, be password savvy. Avoid the
obvious. A user with the name "Alfred Crandall" should avoid passwords
with any semblance to that name. Hence, "alcran" or "cranoo1" are bad
ideas. The best passwords use non-words (i.e., made up words not found
in the dictionary) such as "klurpthon" or "fruzzle".
It
is also important to add numbers to a password, preferably within the
word itself instead of at the beginning or end. In the previous example
words, putting in numbers would result in "klu7ptho9n" or "f4ruz2zle".
These bizarre combinations are much more difficult to hack than simple
words or names. However, since they can potentially be difficult to
remember, always write them down somewhere.
Another
way to add to security is to limit online tracking by web programs. The
most common of these trackers are known as "cookies". They pay
attention to the sites that a user visits and then sends that
information to a variety of companies looking to send users everything
from unwanted ads to potentially dangerous malware or viruses.
To
stop all this, use the "tools" button on whatever web browser is being
used and find the option tab. Next find the security tab and click it.
Most browsers give users the option to block cookies. This will
eliminate much of the tracking that can be done when a user is online.
A
good anti-virus program is also essential. While there are plenty of
good pay programs, there are also plenty that are quite robust and free
to boot. ZoneAlarm is a simple and effective anti-virus program that is
free to use, as well as Avast, Avira, and others. Download one and run
scans often to check for problems.
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