Saturday, December 8, 2012

Securing Your Privacy in an Online World


For home computer users, privacy is an increasingly important concern. With daily reports of computer hacking and theft, the safety of information stored on personal computers has never been as questionable as it is today. While it's true that the number of threats to home computers is increasing every day, home computer users can protect their information from threats by following a few simple security rules.

The first and most basic thing that any home computer user can do to protect themselves is to make sure that their system includes an active firewall. Firewalls protect computers from unauthorized incoming and outgoing connections. By blocking these connections, firewalls limit the chance of a computer being accessed without authorization. Most modern operating systems include firewall technology. Additionally many software companies offer standalone firewall programs.

In addition to a firewall, it is essential for home computer users to install antivirus software. Antivirus software works to prevent malicious programs from running on the machines which they infect. Virus programs are widespread, often hiding in the files which are most commonly downloaded online, such as movies, MP3 files and games. Having up to date antivirus software is the best way to protect against theses threats

Another layer of privacy which some home computer users rely on is that of establishing a proxy. Rather than accessing the web directly, all web traffic is routed through the proxy beforehand. This added step has the benefit of protecting a users location information. Surfing via proxy adds an additional level of privacy which may help to prevent online attacks.

Regardless of how strong a home users protection is, all computers are vulnerable to one form of attack or another. In order to limit the damage that a potential attack can do, it is wise for home computer users to regularly change their online passwords. Frequently updating online passwords ensures that if a password is ever compromised, hackers wont be able to access personal information indefinitely.

Regular PC maintenance also plays an important role in keeping computer systems secure. A number of excellent programs exist specifically for this purpose. Some of the better programs include Registry Easy and PC Tune. These programs work to fix your PC by, among other things, registry repair and registry cleaning.

Staying on top of the condition of your PC is one of the most important ways to protect online Privacy. By maintaining awareness, and adopting a few simple habits, any home computer user can protect their computer from potential threats. Online privacy is the concern of everyone who is online today.

Internet Cyber Security: How Do Firewalls Work?   Protect Your Website in Minutes With GeoTrust Website Anti-Malware Scan   Email Archiving Protects Your Data From The Wrong Kind Of People   Using Intrusion Detection System to Combat Unauthorized Actions   How to Keep Children Safe While Browsing the Internet   



0 comments:

Post a Comment


Twitter Facebook Flickr RSS



Français Deutsch Italiano Português
Español 日本語 한국의 中国简体。