Is My PC Safe On The Internet?

In a word – NO!!

To a lot of folks who don’t understand what it means to be online, it can feel like jumping off a cliff with this question. Some folks are given a hand-me-down PC and some rush out and buy a new PC, bring it home, plug it in and hope for the best.

The bad part about buying a new PC with security software already installed on it could mean that there is a 30, 60 or 90-day trial and when the trial runs out the new owner forgets or thinks that the protection lasts forever.

With some common sense and practical tips you can be on your way to keeping your PC as safe as possible on the Internet. Think of keeping your PC safe on the Internet in layers. You can’t do just one thing to keep it safe. There are many different things you can do, when combined, will keep your computing environment safe.

For some folks, connected to the Internet means directly attached with a cable modem or some device that connects your PC to the Internet. With a cable modem for example, you typically have a cable running from your PC to the cable modem that is connected to the Internet. This is considered a direct connection to the Internet and can be a setup that makes your PC vulnerable.

So what can we do to feel better about our PC being connected to the Internet? Here are 10 ways for you to help keep your PC safe.

1. A Safe PC Is Turned Off

Make sure you shut your PC off when you’re not using it for an extended length of time. If you’re running Windows XP, click the Start button, select Shut Down then Turn Off.

Once you’ve shut down your PC, shut your power strip (surge protector) off. If you have your computer equipment plugged directly into the wall, consider purchasing a surge protector to help keep the power surges from your wall outlets from damaging your PC. When you have all your computer equipment (PC, speakers, printer, etc.) plugged in to a surge protector, you can shut everything down with the power button on the surge protector. You do not need to shut every device off first before you turn your surge protector off. But, I would turn your PC off first before you turn your surge protector off.

If you don’t want to shut your surge protector off, consider implementing automatically shutting off your PC.

2. Put A Router Between Your PC And Your Internet Connection

What is a router? A router is a device that sits between your PC and the device that connects you to the Internet, for example, a cable modem. The cable modem is plugged into your Internet connection that sees all your Internet traffic. The router plugs into the cable modem, that can filter out a lot of the unwanted Internet traffic. Your PC plugs into the router. Think of traffic as cars that are running around an interstate system. Traffic is the stuff that runs around the Internet – good and bad.

Whether you have a cable connected to everything or you have wireless capabilities, buy a wireless router. I’ve had great success with LinkSys as well as NetGear wireless routers. However, there are some LinkSys routers out there that do have problems, so do some homework or ask some geeks you know or are at your local computer store. It will allow you room to grow from a wired connection to a wireless connection.

There are a lot of features in a router that allow you to configure it to safeguard your PC from the bad traffic that comes off the Internet. I recommend hiring someone who is a PC technician and knows how to configure the router for your environment if you’re a new PC owner/user.

3. Install Firewall Software

Firewall software installed on your PC will help you make sure you know what traffic is coming in to your PC and going out of your PC. Windows XP for example has firewall software that comes as a part of XP. However, it is not a full-fledged firewall product. A good alternative is the free version of Zone Alarm. With Zone Alarm you’ll be inundated with pop-ups when you first start using it. These pop-up message tell you what is coming in and going out of your PC.

Zone Alarm also want you to respond to pop-ups that ask you to grant permission to traffic that is coming into your PC and going out. This can be annoying, so find someone or pay someone for help in determining what the pop-ups mean.

4. Install Anti-Virus Software

I’ve written about anti-virus protection here. Anti-virus software has become a staple for helping eradicate and keep bad things happening to good PCs. Viruses come in many forms and there are plenty of websites that keeps track of past viruses as well as new viruses and their severity levels. These websites also walk you through how to eradicate a virus from your PC. Check this site out for more information on known viruses.

5. Install Anti-Spyware Software

I’ve written about anti-spyware software here. Spyware is the stuff that gets installed with a lot of toolbars or by browsing to websites and accepting offers from pop-up windows. The next thing you know your browsing habits are being sent to a third-party somewhere over the Internet and you won’t even know it and it could possibly slow your browsing experience.

6. Browse The Internet With Firefox

A lot has been said and written about the Firefox browser. There are many benefits to running Firefox and they include:

• A safer browsing experience – “Firefox continues to lead the way in online security, and now includes active protection from online scams to keep you safer.”
• A bunch of plugins that enhance Firefox and your browsing experience.
• Better rendering of web pages which include blogs. Firefox interprets the code that generates a web page of any kind in a more consistent manner that adheres to web standards.

7. Download And Install The Google Toolbar

The Google Toolbar includes a pop-up blocker so you won’t be so susceptible to pop-up ads. This helps keep your screen free and clear. It will also help you from clicking on any pop-ups that you might think are legitimate and end up not being legitimate.

8. Stop Unecessary Services

Your PC has components that run as services. Services run in the background and you don’t even realize they’re running. There is a whole list of them to review. It’s worth having a PC technician go through the services that are running on your PC if you don’t know how to go about that. By disabling certain services, your PC will be safer and possibly run a bit faster.

9. Don’t Respond to Pop-Up Windows

Pop-ups are the bane of existence for some PC owners. This alone will cause some owners to replace their PC with a new one or something different that they think will be better. By implementing anti-virus, anti-spyware and a pop-up blocker like the one that comes with the Google toolbar you’ll be able to keep pop-up windows under control, if not completely eliminate them.

10. Learn and Understand What Phishing Is

Phishing has to do with an action by someone to get you to give your personal information over the Internet. An email that prompts you to change your password at your bank account or credit card website if you follow the link in the email. Phishing is social engineering to fool or trick people.

Now that’s a lot to do to keep your PC safe on the Internet. You can accomplish a lot of these if you purchase a suite of security software products. However, I’ve pointed out free ways to secure and keep your PC safe on the Internet.

Again, if you keep in mind that it’s a multi-level approach to keeping your PC secure as you browse around the Internet, the more secure you’ll be. I know it sounds like a lot to learn and do, but the more time you spend in the prevention of keeping your PC safe online, the less time and money you’ll spend down the road on trying to eliminate all the junk that tries to break down the safety of your PC online.

Let me know what you think or need assistance with any of this information in the comments.

photo credit: Anonymous Account