After all of the blogs I have written in regards to current events, I thought it would be a good idea to write one on just the basics of protecting yourself online, which can serve as protection against both digital and identity theft threats. I actually stumbled into this article on accident, and the author broke it down in an easy-to-read and user-friendly manner. If you don’t at least have these fundamental aspects of computer security, you really shouldn’t be connected to the Internet; you will become an extremely attractive target for hackers and fraudsters to attack. The one thing I was surprised to see is that the author speaks nothing about obtaining the latest patches and security fixes for your computer, so make sure to keep that in mind; it’s a pretty darn important thing to do.

The bad guys are out to get you. They want to gain access to your computer and steal your information. Or they want to add your computer to their zombie networks.

But there is software that will help protect your machine. And it won’t cost you a dime.

FIREWALL

One of the best protections is a firewall. It will make your computer invisible on the Internet. The bad guys won’t see it. Good firewalls also block outgoing transmissions so malicious software won’t be able to phone home with your information.

The firewall in Microsoft’s Windows XP is inadequate. It does not block outbound transmissions. But you can use software firewalls ZoneAlarm, Outpost or GhostWall.

Unfortunately, there are few free firewalls for Windows Vista. So you may have to use Vista’s built-in version, or buy one.

Vista’s built-in firewall will hide your computer. And theoretically, it can bar outbound transmissions if something gets on your computer. But it is very difficult to configure, so I don’t recommend it.

ANTI-SPYWARE

For some, spyware has become a bigger nuisance than viruses. It slows your computer down. It can also track browsing habits and show pop-up ads.[more]

Tags: Computer Protection, Defense in Depth