PC-ER Safe Computing Guide
Introduction
This guide is intended to give you a general overview of how to keep yourself safe while computing.
It is in no way a comprehensive guide to computer security, but hopefully will be helpful to you and will
make your computer experience a better one. If you have questions or comments about anything in this guide,
please feel free to contact us.
Is the Internet Dangerous?
To the novice computer and internet user, it may seem that the internet is a dangerous and mysterious place.
However, with a common sense approach to protecting yourself and your equipment, the digital world is no more
dangerous than the "real world" and the dangers that are there are somewhat similar.
For example, many people worry about purchasing products online and are afraid
to use their credit cards for purchases. I contend that these worries are no
different from the possibility of being "scammed" or going to an unscrupulous
brick and mortar business.
Other worries include viruses and other malware, "hackers", and identity theft.
Again, using common sense protecting yourself from these and other dangers on
the internet is no different from making sure your doors are locked in your home
when you leave or retire for the night, installing alarm systems in your home or
vehicle, and being aware of your surroundings so that you are not an easy
target. We have no qualms about doing these things to protect ourselves, yet we
wince when we talk about having to secure ourselves while we are online.
Viruses and Malware
For a more in-depth discussion about what viruses and malware are, please see our
guide "What is Malware?"
Malware is a very frustrating issue. The easiest way to combat it is to make sure
you don't get it in the first place. Here are some tips on how to keep it off of
your system:
Antivirus Software
Good antivirus software is a must. Unfortunately, this is a step that many people
skip. Either they neglect to install AV software, or they choose a poor solution
that isn't up to the task. Be wary of free antivirus programs (although we
are going to tell you the exception to this in a minute), but at the same time
more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better. Here's our top 3 favorite
antivirus/security programs:
- Trend Micro Internet Security - This is our favorite security suite.
Trend Micro does a good job of protecting you from the evils of the internet.
It's easy to install and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. $49.95 gets you
protection for up to 3 computers for a year. In our opinion, the "Pro" version
isn't worth the extra $20 they want for it, but if there is a feature you need
in that version it may be worth it to you. You can get it at PC-ER, although
sometimes we have trouble getting it from our suppliers. You can also get it at
http://www.trendmicro.com.
- Bitdefender Internet Security - We like this one almost as much as TM
above. If you order from their website, it's the same price as Trend Micro
and I'd get TM instead. However, if you want to save some money, we have a
two-year package at PC-ER that is $59.95 so you'll get another year of
protection for $10! In our opinion, that makes it a bit better than TM because
you are still getting good protection but for a much less expensive price. They
also have a "Total Security" version that, again, we don't think it worth the
money.
- Microsoft Security Essentials - This is the exception to the rule we
mentioned above about free antivirus software. When we heard about Security
Essentials, our first thought was "Oh, no. Another free antivirus program." Then
we read a few positive reviews from people we trust and we decided to test it
out for ourselves. We were pleasantly surprised at the results. If you have
Windows Firewall turned on and use some common sense when on the internet,
Security Essentials should work great for you. You can get it at
http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials.
A couple notes about security software. No matter which package you
choose, one of the three listed above or your own favorite, you MUST keep it
updated. Outdated software is almost as bad as not having any at all.
Set them to update themselves automatically and leave your computer on so it can
update when necessary. Also, do not install more than one of these programs at
once. They will take up too many resources and can actually cause them to not
work well.
- Continued -
