Security and safe computing

Are you allowing other people to use your computer or share files with others while you are browsing Internet. So, be careful there are computer criminals (called as hackers) who attack other people's computers with intension to steal personal information. These people can attack directly or by breaking into your computer through the Internet and steal your personal information this could lead to attack on your computer by sending malicious software to harm your computer. To avoid such attacks you can protect yourself by taking a few simple precautions.

Protect your computerThese are ways to help protect your computer against potential security threats:

1. Update Windows regularly 
2. Install Firewall software in your Computer 
3. Install latest Anti-Virus 
4. Install Spyware and other malware protection 

Update Windows automatically
Microsoft regularly offers important updates to Windows that can help protect your computer against new viruses and other security threats. To ensure that you receive these updates as quickly as possible, turn on automatic updating. That way, you don't have to worry that critical fixes for Windows might be missing from your computer.

• To turn on automatic updating
• Click to open Windows Update.
• Click Change settings.

Make sure Install updates automatically (recommended) is selected. Windows will install important updates for your computer as they become available. Important updates provide significant benefits, such as improved security and reliability.

Under Recommended updates, make sure the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates check box is selected, and then click OK. Recommended updates can address non-critical problems and help enhance your computing experience. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Use a firewall SoftwareA firewall is software or hardware that checks information coming from the Internet or a network and then either turns it away or allows it to pass through to your computer, depending on your firewall settings. In this way, a firewall helps prevent hackers and malicious software from gaining access to your computer. Windows Firewall is built into Windows and is turned on automatically.

If you run a program such as an instant messaging program or a multiplayer network game that needs to receive information from the Internet or a network, the firewall asks if you want to block or unblock (allow) the connection. If you choose to unblock the connection, Windows Firewall creates an exception so that the firewall won't bother you when that program needs to receive information in the future.

Use virus protection
Viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are programs created by hackers that use the Internet to infect vulnerable computers. Viruses and worms can replicate themselves from computer to computer, while Trojan horses enter a computer by hiding inside an apparently legitimate program, such as a screen saver. Destructive viruses, worms, and Trojan horses can erase information from your hard disk or completely disable your computer. Others don't cause direct damage, but worsen your computer's performance and stability.

Antivirus programs scan e‑mail and other files on your computer for viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. If any malicious code is found, the antivirus program either quarantines (isolates) it or deletes it entirely before it damages your computer and files.

Windows does not have a built-in antivirus program, so install a latest ant-virus software program and update the anti-virus regularly.

Use spyware protection
Spyware is software that can display advertisements, collect information about you or change settings on your computer, generally without appropriately obtaining your consent. For example, spyware can install unwanted toolbars, links, or favorites in your web browser, change your default home page, or display pop-up ads frequently. Some spyware displays no symptoms that you can detect, but it secretly collects sensitive information, such as the websites you visit or the text you type. Most spyware is installed through free software that you download, but in some cases simply visiting a website results in a spyware infection.

To help protect your computer from spyware, use an antispyware program. Windows 7 has a built-in antispyware program called Windows Defender, which is turned ON by default. Windows Defender alerts you when spyware tries to install itself on your computer. It also can scan your computer for existing spyware and then remove it.

Security Protection of anti-virus softwares

In order to protect your computers and servers from viruses, it is essential that you have virus-protection software installed. Virus-protection software, is software that knows about the different viruses that exist and can either remove the virus or remove files from your system that contain viruses.

There are different types of anti-virus softwares are available in the market. Each antivirus software product has its own benefits and features. Each of the products is very competitive and should have similar features available. The more important features of antivirus softwares are following.

Scheduled virus scans: Virus scans can be scheduled to perform automatically on the system. This is a great feature because you can have the virus-scanning software scan the system in the middle of the night, when the system is not being used. You may also choose what happens when a virus is found attempt to remove the virus from the file, place the file in a quarantine area, or delete the file. The benefit of a scheduled scan is that you do not have to physically perform the scan yourself.

Real-time protection: Real-time protection is the idea that the virus protection software runs in memory all the time and scans any file that you open. The benefit of real-time protection is that you are protected from viruses between the scan times.

Scheduled definition updates: Virus definitions are what the virus protection software uses to maintain its knowledge of what viruses are out there. The virus-protection software should have a feature that allows the definitions to be downloaded from the antivirus vendor’s site.

Scanning e-mail: Many versions of virus-protection software today support scanning e-mail messages as they arrive in your inbox. This is typical of virus-protection software that runs on an e-mail server.

Malicious Software

There are many types of malicious software, outside of your typical viruses, attack systems every day. The following sections outline other types of malicious software but understand that they are all considered types of viruses.

Trojan horses
Trojan horses virus are special designed and bundled in an exe file, when some one click on this exe file then it executes the virus program and takes control of the system. For example, NetBus is a very popular Trojan virus that ships as a file called patch.exe. A hacker e-mails the file called patch.exe and explains in the e-mail that this is a security patch you need to apply to make sure your system is secure. Unfortunately, patch.exe is the security hole! When you run patch.exe, it opens your system up to the hacker by opening a port so that the hacker can connect to the port at any time and control your system. Trojan viruses are normally loaded on your system by the hacker tricking you into running the program on the system. You can remove the Trojan with virus-protection software.

Worms
A worm is a self-replicating virus. By self-replicating, I mean that the worm doesn't need to be activated by the user opening the file. A worm is a virus that runs on a system and also tries to infect other systems on the network. The Nimda virus is an example of a worm virus. Worms are loaded on your system by connecting to your system from across the Internet. The worm is usually designed to infect the system by connecting through a specific piece of software.

Spyware and adware
Spyware is software that loads on your system and then monitors your Internet activity, while adware is software that creates pop-ups from time to time advertising a particular product or service. Both of these types of viruses infect your system when you surf the wrong Internet site. Spyware and adware have become a huge negative result of the Internet, so a number of products are available to eliminate spyware and adware. The most popular products used to eliminate spyware and adware are

• Spybot Search & Destroy
• Ad-Aware
• Microsoft’s Windows Defender