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Your PC: Have your computer checked by an expert
If you are not confident about using and configuring a computer, the best thing to do is to get an expert to check the security configuration of your computer for you.
If you have a friend/colleague/family member who is an IT enthusiast, you could ask them to do this for you; there are details in Level 2 help them. If you don't know someone who can help you, it's best to pay a professional computer engineer to do the job.
Whoever looks at your computer, they should check that you have the main security features enabled, and correct any problems with them. These include the following:
- You must have a good antivirus program with real-time protection installed, that's up to date and working properly
- You need a firewall, configured so that no incoming ports are open
- Automatic updates of Windows and other Microsoft software must be enabled
- If you use a wireless network to connect to the Internet, this must be secured with an encryption key
- You should avoid file-sharing software such as LimeWire
- Any other software such as Real Player, Quick Time, Flash, Adobe Reader etc must be up to date
- You should have a web filter installed, to warn you of potentially dangerous websites
- You should have some way to make a backup of any important data such as your photos
You should ask your expert adviser to show you the antivirus program that's installed on your computer, how to check that it's working properly, how to scan your computer, and what the program will do if it finds a virus or other malicious program. They should also show you Windows Security Center, and what its security warnings look like. It's important to know what genuine security warnings look like, so that you won't be deceived by fake warnings from malicious programs (click on "Rogue programs" on the left for more details). If you have Windows Vista on your computer, your computer expert should demonstrate User Account Control prompts and explain how they can help you to protect your computer.
Finally, when you buy a new computer, ask an expert to to wipe or smash the hard disk of your old PC before you dispose of it. This means nobody can recover any personal information such as cached credit card details from it.
