What You Need to Know
The simple activities you perform on your computer can expose your personal and financial information to attack. Searching the Internet, sharing information on FacebookSee note®, downloading software or even checking your email without appropriate protection can lead to an infected computer.
What You Need to Do
- Install antivirus software which scans your computer for viruses and spyware. Some of them also monitors your computer and incoming email to block malicious files.
- Keep your computer's operating system — the foundation on which all your applications run — up to date. Software manufacturers typically provide free security patches to address any flaws that are discovered.
- Keep your web browser software up to date to help protect yourself from malware and browser security problems.
Additional Protection to Consider
- Back up your data regularly. Just as you would protect important papers in a safe deposit box, you should take care of you important electronic files.
- If you use removable storage to back up your data, make sure you store it in a separate location from your computer.
- If you use online or cloud storage, be sure you understand its privacy and security policy and keep your access codes safe.
- When using Wi-Fi at home, use WPA2 or stronger security to protect your wireless network and avoid the outdated WEP security option.
- Most coffee shops and other locations that provide free Wi-Fi usually don't provide secure wireless networks. Avoid the Wi-Fi at these locations unless it includes WPA2 security.
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