It has been reported that U.S. consumers lost almost $8.5 billion dollars over the past two years to e-threats. In response to this, BitDefender has released its top ten tips to secure computers against spam, viruses, phishing and spyware.
1. Don’t assume anything. Take some time to learn about securing your system.
2. Acquire and use a reliable antivirus (AV) program. Select one with a consistent track record. Checkmark, AV-Test.org and TuV are among the most respected independent testers of AV software.
3. Acquire and use a reliable firewall solution. Again, independent reviewers are the best sources of information. Some operating systems come with a firewall which only filters incoming traffic. Use a firewall that can control both incoming and outgoing Internet traffic.
4. Do not open emails from unknown or distrusted sources. Many viruses spread via email messages so ask for a confirmation from the sender if you are in doubt.
5. Do not open attachments of messages with suspicious or unexpected subject lines. If you want to open them, first save them to your hard disk and scan them with an up-to-date antivirus program.
6. Delete any chain emails or unwanted messages. Do no forward them or reply to their senders. These kinds of messages are considered spam because they are undesired and unsolicited and they can overload the Internet traffic.
7. Avoid installing services and applications which are not needed in day-to-day operations in a desktop role — such as file transfer and file sharing servers. Such programs are potential hazards and should not be installed unless absolutely necessary.
8. Update your system and applications as often as possible. Some operating systems and applications can be set to update automatically. Make full use of this facility. Failure to patch your system often enough may leave it vulnerable to threats for which fixes already exist.
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