The Internet can be a dangerous place, considering all the viruses, worms, trojans, dialers and so on. The best protection for your PC (and for yourself) while you are connected to the Internet, is a good firewall (and the best firewall around is probably ZoneAlarm). It's also a good idea to use a proxy while you surf and to avoid visiting suspicious web sites. Some general security rules :
1.Don't open an email-attachment if you don't expect it or don't know who sends it. Make first a virus-scan. Delete it, if you don't know what's inside the file.
2.Install a good firewall on your computer.
3.Install an Anti-Virus Program on your PC.
4.Regularly scan your system .
5.Update your AV software regularly.
File extensions: Check the extension of the downloaded file. You should go to "Tools" > "Folder Options" (or "View" > "Folder Options"), select the "View" tab and uncheck the field "Hide file extensions for known file types". Some attackers send attachments with a file name like "filename.jpg.vbs". The file can seem harmless if the ".vbs" extension is hidden. In general, don't open downloaded files with the extensions .exe, .com, .bat,.xls, .doc and .vbs (but be careful also with .js, .pif, .pdf, .swf). Before you open downloaded files with one of these extensions, use your AVP and scan them.
Password: It is a good idea to change your password(s) every few weeks. The password-format "hFi41D9g" is better than a password with only letters or only numbers. Use letters, both lowercase and uppercase, and numbers. The password should have at least 8 characters. |