Stay Safe, Practice Safe Computing

By slpowers on October 10, 2013 • ( 0 )

The Internet is a dangerous place these days. Malware, Viruses, Ransomware, and other threats are lurking within many common websites and emails. There are several steps you can take to prevent these threats, such as keeping your software up to date, patch security flaws, running an anti-virus system, and scanning email before it comes into your network. If you subscribe to SLPowers Guaranteed Networks services, you can rest assured that we are handling all these items for you.

However, nowadays the nefarious authors of these threats are churning out work products that avoid detection at alarming rates. So, simply deploying technology to stop these threats is not enough. Below are recommendations every computer user should heed to decrease their chances of being affected by these threats.

Surf and download more securely.

The best defense against spyware and other unwanted software is not to download it in the first place. Here are a few tips that can help you avoid downloading software that you don’t want:

Download programs only from websites you trust. If you’re not sure whether to trust a program you are considering downloading, enter the name of the program into your favorite search engine to see if anyone else has reported it for containing spyware. Files that end in the extensions .exe or .scr commonly hide malware. However, even files with familiar extensions such as .docx, .xlsx, and .pdf can be dangerous.

Read all security warnings, license agreements, and privacy statements associated with any software you download. Before you install something, consider the risks and benefits of installing it, and be aware of the fine print. For example, make sure that the license agreement does not conceal a warning that you are about to install software with unwanted behavior.

Never click “Agree” or “OK” to close a window. Instead, click the red “x” in the corner of the window or press Alt + F4 on your keyboard to close a window.

Be wary of popular “free” music and movie file-sharing programs, and be sure you understand all of the software that is packaged with those programs.

Use a standard user account instead of an administrator account. For more information, see Why use a standard account instead of an administrator account?

Don’t click links on suspicious websites or in email messages. Instead, type the website address directly into your browser, or use bookmarks.

Don’t automatically trust that instant messages, email messages, or messages on social networking websites are from the person they appear to be from. Even if they are from someone you know, contact the person before you click the link to ensure that they intended to send it.

The above tips come from Microsoft Safety & Security Center. The full article can be viewed here.