9 Ways to Improve the Security of Your Home Computer

We all want to make our home computers more secure. As many of us are not sure where to start or who’s advice to trust, here are are some tips from a very reliable source: The Department of Homeland Security’s United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

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Connect to a Secure Network
Although cable modems, digital subscriber lines and internet service providers offer some level of security monitoring, it’s crucial to secure your router—the first device that receives information from the Internet.

Enable and Configure a Firewall
A firewall controls the flow of information between your computer and the Internet. Most modern operating systems include a firewall. In addition to the operating system’s firewall, most routers have a built-in firewall.

Install and Use Antivirus and Anti-spyware Software
Many types of antivirus and anti-spyware software can detect the possible presence of malware by looking for patterns in the files or memory of your computer.

Remove Unnecessary Programs
Check the software on your computer. If you don’t know what a program does and don’t use it, research it to determine whether you need it.

Modify Unnecessary Default Features
Modifying unnecessary default features eliminates other opportunities for attack. Review the features that came enabled by default on your computer and disable or customize those you don’t need or plan to use.

Operate Under the Principle of Least Privilege
In most instances of a malware infection, the malware can operate only under the rights of the logged-in user. To minimize the impact of malware, use a standard or restricted user account for day-to-day activities.

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Secure Your Web Browser
Web browsers installed on new computers usually don’t have secure default settings. Securing your browser is a critical step to improving your computer’s security because an increasing number of attacks take advantage of web browsers.

Apply Software Updates and Enable Future Automatic Updates
Most software vendors release updates to patch or fix vulnerabilities, flaws and weaknesses in their software. Because intruders can exploit these bugs, it is important to keep your software updated.

Follow Good Security Practices
You can do some simple things to improve your computer’s security. Some of the most important are:

Be wary of email attachments and untrusted links. Don’t open attachments or click on links unless you’re certain they’re safe, even if they come from a person you know.
Use caution when providing sensitive information. Some email or web pages that appear to come from a legitimate source may actually be the work of an attacker.
Create strong passwords. Only use passwords that contain eight or more characters, a variety of uppercase and lowercase letters, and at least one symbol and number.

How to Block Pop-up Adds on Your Android Devices
A recent article in PC Advisor gives some great advice about how to block those intrusive, annoying and (if you’re using a mobile phone) potentially expensive ads.

Enable the Pop-up Blocker in the Android Browser
Open up the browser. Click the three dots menu icon in the top righthand corner. Choose “Settings” from the list. Then select “Advanced” from the menu that appears. Ensure that “Block pop-ups” is enabled. You should never see a pop-up ad on your Android smartphone when you use the Android browser. You can achieve a similar result with the Chrome browser.

Use Chrome and Enable Data Saver
Using Chrome — with pop-ups blocked — rather than the Android browser will in and of itself help to block some data-hogging advertising nasties.

The PC Advisor article recommends that everyone enable the Data Saver option. “Data Saver compresses aspects of web pages that aren’t required on mobile devices. It offers a smoother web browsing experience and savings on your data bill as your phone no longer struggles to pull down unnecessary ads and animations.”

There’s Also Adblock
You can download the Adblock Browser free from Google Play for extra help