Ten low-cost and effective ways to secure your Laptop or PC

1.       Change your password frequently and don’t share it.

2.       Turn on WEP encryption if you have wireless access.

3.       Purchase and use a back-up drive regularly.

4.       Check your ISP’s security page for hints, tips and updates.

5.       Check your hardware and software makers for patches and updates.

6.       Use a firewall.

7.       Use virus control.

8.       Run anti-spyware and adware software.

9.       Don’t send personal information through an e-mail or un-secured website.

10.    Type in the URL’s (website address) from e-mail that you receive instead of clicking on them directly.

Thinking Proactively about Security

Security starts with being "proactive" or "reactive".  Proactive security (before an incident occurs), appears to be more time-consuming and costlier than reactive measures (waiting to after an incident occurs).  You never fully recover to your ‘normal’ operation state after an ‘incident’.  You either come close or create a new ‘normal’ operation state.  By following the 10 low-cost and effective ways to secure your Laptop or PC, you can avoid some incidents and help you keep your ‘normal’ operation state intact.

1. Change your password frequently and don’t share it.

Using a password is one of the most effective and low cost security measures that you implement.  Even if you are the only person using your PC or laptop, you should always protect your information with a screensaver and a sign-on password.  However, passwords are only effective, if they are secret.  Don’t post your password in the open.  If you cannot remember your password then put it in a locked drawer, so that you can find it if you need it.  Better yet, use one of my password creation hints.  It is a free download and it gives you suggestion for creating effective passwords that you should be able to remember.

Free password savers

2. Turn on WEP encryption if you have wireless access.

Most people don’t turn on their WEP or WPA encryption for various reasons, such as: they did not know that it existed; my wireless is finally working and I don’t want to mess with it; my data is not very important; I am not located in a very populated area; and I do not know how to activate it.  There was a recent incident of a person stealing the Internet signal while parked in front of a home in suburbia.  He claims to be checking his e-mail, but who knows.  The trial is still pending.  If you need some help with setting up your WEP or WPA encryption, here is a very good article.

 Free instructions for setting your wireless, including the encryption.

3. Purchase and use a back-up drive regularly.

In this age of ‘check points’ creation and ‘restores’, most people forget about backing up your system.  However, simple tasks such as deleting files, removing a program or downing a destructive program can corrupt your system.  Yes, you can reload the operating system, and all of your applications, but then you have find and reload all of the patches and upgrades.  Setup your wireless and the connections.  Then you have to configure the system to the way that you like it.  In addition, what about all of the lost irreplaceable documents and files with your next presentation or customer contact information?  Moreover if you use an expert service to restore or service your system, their #1 question will be ‘Do you have a backup? 

Most of these time-consuming tasks and preventable losses could be avoided if you back-up your system regularly.  Even if you did back-up your files to disks, have you backed it up lately?

Start with a simple plan such as:

·         Purchase a back-up system that will hold all of the files of your system.  They are inexpensive.

·         Purchase or download back-up software.  Your backup device may have software with it or you can use something like ‘Symantec’s Ghost’ or download some free or shareware.

·         Schedule a day of the week that you will back-up your system.  It may take a few hours so plan to do it overnight if it is easier.

·         Start with the ‘Grandfather’ method.

o        Create a full backup of all of the files (disk #1) and store it in a safe location, preferably off-site.

o        Next, back up use a new disk (disk #2) to back-up the new files and store it off-site.

o        Then backup use another new disk (disk #3) to back-up the new files and store it off-site.

o        Bring disk #2 back for the next back-up of new files and store it off-site

o        Bring disk #3 back for the next back-up of new files and store it off-site.

o        Rotation of disk #2 and #3 should occur for 3 months or sooner if the disks are full.  The backups should be perform at least once a week and more often for important files.

o        Perform the full back-up of all the files on a new disk at least once a quarter, followed by a new disk #2 and #3.

Remember the few minutes to few hours that you "waste" backing up your system, saves you days of reconstructing your system from scratch.

4.  Check your ISP’s security page for hints, tips and updates.

Most Internet Service providers (ISP) offer tips and downloads to secure your web browser, e-mails and downloads.  In addition, some offer free tools and downloads that protect against spyware and adware.  In addition, they may offer security tools for businesses such as secure connections (SSL), secure storage that can be assessed from any PC or laptop.

5.  Check your hardware and software makers for patches and updates.

Most people are aware of the Microsoft patches that may be downloaded each month.  However, most of your software applications may have security and other patches or updates that may be needed for added security.  Make a list of all of your programs and visit their websites.  Usually, the websites are located in the ‘about’ the application pull-down, in the opened application or you can use a search engine, such as Dogpile, IWON or Yahoo to find the companies website.  If you store the application name and website link in a table or Excel spreadsheet, then you can re-use the spreadsheet to look for updates.  Schedule a day once every month to check for downloads.  If you have the spreadsheet, you can just go down the list each month.  Update the sheet with new applications, as needed.

6.  Use a firewall.

Most PCs or laptops have at least one firewall on it.  Make sure that it is turned on.  It may be annoying at first, with the warnings and questions for which you have to respond.  However, you will be surprised at how many applications (including spyware and adware), web-pages and e-mails try to access and send messages from your system.  A firewall is usually an application that lets you know that it is working.

Firewalls

7.  Use virus control.

Next to a firewall, virus control is an excellent way to protect your system.  Virus attacks are on the decline.  However, a few are floating around waiting for an unvaccinated (vulnerable) system.  The main reason that systems are compromised is that people have virus control software, but they do not update it.  Either use an automatic download from the virus provider or check at least once a week for downloads.   

Virus Control

8. Run anti-spyware and adware software.

The new attackers of your system are spyware and adware.  However, most people invite it unknowingly.  When you download software or visits some web-sites, you may have added spyware or adware.  The clues for adware are usually the application opens with different advertisements on it or the download states that they will be downloading ads.  Spyware does not usually have many visible clues.  There may be usual activity at certain times on your system or it may run slower.  There are shareware, freeware and low-cost adware and freeware removers.  Some ISPs offer free spyware and/or adware blockers to help stop them from being loaded in the first place.  If possible, view the website from which the adware originated.  You may find that you want to keep in which case some removers will let you exclude it from future scans.  Some firewalls such as Checkpoint will notify you when an application is trying to communicate through the firewall, which is good for finding adware and spyware.

Spyware and Adware scanner and/or removers

9.  Don’t send personal information through an e-mail or un-secured website.

This tip should not have to be stated.  However, there are still people that send social security numbers, names, addresses, and banking and credit card information in an e-mail or un-secured website.  Number 1, if an e-mail or a person asks you to send personal information through an e-mail and you are certain of the source of the email (not Spam or fraudulent), ask if it can be faxed instead or sent encrypted or send it in pieces.  If an website is requesting personal information and you are certain of the source of the email (not Spam or fraudulent), then check to see if the address of the website starts with ‘https’ and there is a ‘lock’ symbol at the bottom of the web-browser.  In addition, always make a copy of the homepage and the page on which you entered the information.  It will help to trace the website in the future, if needed.

10. Type in the URL’s (website address) from e-mail that you receive instead of clicking on them directly. 

If you want to view a website that is in an email message, it is best to go to Goggle or Yahoo to find the link to the website, than to click on the website link in the email.  The e-mail’s link may redirect you to a fraudulent website in order to steal your money and / or your identity.  Either one is hard to regain when lost.  However, checking with a search engine, it will sometimes show information on some of the scam website.  In addition, the website may have information on how to spot fraudulent emails.