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If you store credit card numbers, electronic bank statements, account numbers, and other personal data on your computer you are at risk. The risk is even greater if you have a broadband or DSL connection that is available 24/7.

Spyware are programs that typically enter your computer through your browser. These programs can compromise your personal data. Additionally there are millions of hackers out there looking for ways to get into your computer. The internet is not the only way your personal data can be compromised. Your computer can be stolen or compromised within your home.

What can you do?

(1) Ensure that you have up to date anti-virus software installed. If you run Windows 2000 or XP both Avast and Antivir are great programs that have freeware versions. Google the names to find their websites. Both programs offer auto updates.

(2) Enable the Windows firewall and ensure that you have the latest Windows service pack and security patches installed.

(3) Use antispyware software. SuperAntiSpyware, AdAware, Spyware Blaster, and Spyware Terminator are all freeware programs that do a good job. Run them regularly and get frequent updates. Spyware is so prevalent it is a good idea to use more than one of these programs. Also, install McAffee SiteAdvisor. It is also free. This program works with Yahoo and Google and lets you know if you are going to a safe or unsafe site. Half the battle is not going to unsafe sites.

(4) Turn off your computer or turn off your cable modem when you are not online. Most cable modems have an on-off button. Log off your computer when it is not being used. This will keep you safe at home, though it will not keep you safe from internet intruders.

Is doing all of this enough?

Doing these four things will be a great start. There is still more that you can do. Obtain a copy of Cryptainer. This program comes in a freeware and shareware version. This programs allows you to turn one or more of your Windows folders into a vault as safe as Fort Knox.

The freeware version is limited to holding 25mb per folder which should be more than sufficient for most folks needs. This is a very secure program so you do not want to lose your password. Forget your password and you will never get to your files again.

You can get the free version of cryptainer from the http://anglesanddangles.com website. It can be found under the software tab.

Paretologic software developers of great Microsoft O.S. based cleaners and security software is offering for a limited time only their award winning RegCure, DriverCure, plus Privacy Control, Data Recovery, and finally XoftSpySE, all for the price of one.

For Windows XP and Vista users who have home or small business computers that are not IT driven you should read and consider this package, and or the information on this page.

RegCure:

Simply put, prior to the millennium PC computers and the software that would drive computers all were downloaded via CD Rom or 3.5 inch floppies for the bulk of program. Then you would register the product online and receive updates to download over the internet to keep the program current and up to date. But when broadband and high speed internet came to life so did the need for the computer registry so software companies can keep taps on valid software on your computer through the registry. Today with all the mp3, video downloads, online shopping, online banking, etc, it is important to keep your registry clean and protected, because all of this information flows through your registry, and into your computer, and when you delete say an mp3 from your computer a portion of that download remains in you registry.  Over a period of one week it is amazing the amount of stuff that can end up in your registry and when this happens your computer starts to run slower, especially on boot up, and if you have kids this can be elevated by three or four times the amount depending on usage. If you are running Vista and you don’t have a registry cleaner, do yourself a favour and GET ONE! When I was running Vista it was like the whole O.S. System base was keyed around the registry and if you didn’t run a registry scan once a week you would really notice leg time on boot up and running programs. With both XP and Windows 7 which I’m running now this is not as big an issue; however you still want a clean and protected registry.  So if you are looking for a registry cleaner for your computer RegCure is my recommendation. RegCure is Microsoft certified, and has won awards as the best in it class from computer magazines, software developers, and internet forums, and has remained in the top five for three years running.

DriverCure:

DriverCure is software that will scan your computer and look for drivers within your computer that need to be updated so your computer will keep running at optimum speed and efficiency during its life cycle in your home or office.  Manufacturing warranties are generally 6 months with computers, and even if you get and extended warranty from were you purchased the computer, doesn’t mandate that the manufacturer will still send you these sometimes critical driver updates after that 6 month cycle. Also if you purchase a computer and you upgrade your O.S. system from let’s say Vista to Windows 7 when its released, or like a lot of people downgraded from Vista to XP you lose that updating from the manufacturer , because it’s part of the manufacturer image built in to the recommended operating system  purchased with the computer.

Privacy Control & Data Recovery Software:

The above two software packages offer greater privacy controls and data recovery feature above and beyond what Microsoft’s offers with XP and Vista. Privacy Control gives you better Privacy features both from a computer stand point by file locking, and an internet stand point in terms of browsing  and site blocking to mention a few. Data Recovery offers features and file functions to better control how, and when, you store and also recover your system.

XoftSpySE:

Finally the last product in this power pack but not the least is the need to secure your computer and Registry against outside threats and spyware such as Trojans, Malware, Worms, Keyloggers, etc.  This software is the Cadillac of all other spyware programs such as SpyBot, AVG, and Avast, to name a few. The complicity of this program also seeks and finds flies and open folders that these viruses can get into without your consent and act on them before problems can occur.

Paretologic and its software in my mind is the best solution anyone can have to maintain and protect your computer from purchase to obsolete status. From the time you run the product for the first time you will find quality, integrity, and support, that is unsurpassed by any software in its class. Also Paretologic is Better Business Bureau accredited, and Microsoft certified, as a company with excellent consumer relations, and excellent products in good standing.

For more information or to purchase this five in one pack please visit my website at http://www.mhpenterprises.com and email me or you will see it listed under special offers at a price you can’t refuse.

Thank you;

Myles H Patterson

Director,

MHP Enterprises Inc.

It surprises me how many users don’t take computer security seriously.

With hackers, spammers, and viruses lurking around every corner, you can’t afford not to follow some basic steps in protecting your PC and your personal information.

Here are the 10 ways to keep your computer safe.

1. Update your OS
2. Install anti-virus and update
3. Use anti-spyware/adware
4. Secure your home network
5. Use a firewall
6. Don’t use IE
7. Watch out for email attachments
8. OpenDNS
9. Be careful with dangerous websites
10. Keep your personal information safe

1. Update Your Operating System (Windows Update)

The first thing you should do, after getting a new PC or reformatting, is to run Windows Update.

In my household, I have 4 computers running Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Ubuntu 9.04, Xubuntu 9.04. Some dual-boot while one triple-boots etc.

Whichever operating system you are using, make sure to update them frequently. Especially if you’re running Windows, I recommend that you turn on the auto-update in ‘Windows Update’ if not already done so. Microsoft releases frequent vulnerability and security fixes.

Keeping your operating system up to date is the first step in keeping your computer safe. To check if you’re covered (in Windows), open up your control panel and click on Windows Update. If you see the automatic update option selected, you’re all set. If not, either choose the full auto update or the option that gives you the chance to choose which updates to install yourself. Just don’t turn it off. If you must turn it off for whatever reason, manually check the Windows Update website at least once a week.

Recommended: Try out Ubuntu, the most popular Linux distro. Using a Linux OS may sound too nerdy for some, but the level of user-friendliness has gotten a lot better over the years. It has all the pretty GUI, too. And, if you’re having problems, a huge online community is waiting to help you. It’s FREE and SAFE.

2. Install Anti-Virus and Keep the Virus Definitions Up-to-Date

An anti-virus software is a MUST. If you don’t have one, you are almost guaranteed to get infected; it’s only a matter of time.

It is amazing how many people don’t have an updated anti-virus running on their computers. Especially if you bought a pre-assembled PC from Dell or HP or Acer etc., your computer may come with a free trial period of 30 days to 1 year. Be mindful of this when you purchase a new PC.

When your subscription period runs out, you will need to either pay to continue using the anti-virus you currently have or get a different anti-virus software. Shop around.

Recommended: There are tons of options out there. But Avast and AVG are two of the best. Why? Because they’re free and very effective. Now, if you want more features and protection, you can move up to a paid anti-virus software. I know Symantec and Mcafee are two of the dominant players, but I don’t recommend them as they take more resources to run and there are others with better detection rates. Full list of recommended antivirus

3. Anti-Spyware / Adware

Many times when a PC user complains about a sluggish computer or a slow startup, it is due to a presence of ad/spyware. Most common ones are mostly cookies from your browser as you surf the web and are not very dangerous, while some spywares are very malicious in nature. One example is a key-logger that can log your key strokes to steal your credit card numbers and passwords.

There are also adwares that hijack your browser’s homepage to display their content every time you load up your browser and toolbars that won’t go away.

These days, a lot of anti-virus softwares are able to protect your PC from spy/ad-wares, too. But if you want to be extra safe, install a couple of anti-spyware programs that will more aggressively block various malwares.

Recommended: Free: Spyware Blaster, Windows Defender, SuperAntiSpyware

You can get started with just a couple of those. If you have Windows Vista or 7, you will have Windows Defender by default. So, you might as well use it. I recommend Spyware Blaster in all cases. You simply run it, update, and protect. It doesn’t need to run in the background. It adds black lists to your browsers, and provides an effective prevention. SuperAntiSpyware is a complete suite with real-time protection.

4. Secure Your Home Network

In today’s typical household, multiple computers share a single internet connection. Usually, a router is used to share that connection.

What many people forget is that router is not only an internet sharing device, but a firewall to protect your whole network as well.

Setting up your router’s firewall is the first thing you need to do when setting up a network. Make sure that the firewall feature is turned on in the router settings.

What’s more concerning is that, with the gaining popularity of wireless (WiFi) networks, people are leaving the door wide open to potential hackers and your neighbors (who’s accessing your wireless network right now). You need to protect your computers not just from threats on the internet but also from threats close to your house.

If you have a wireless network enabled in your router, please look at your security settings. If you’ve never touched it, it is very likely that your neighbors had a peek inside your network a few times.

Set it up so that you are using WPA or (preferably WPA2 if supported) with AES encryption (or TKIP if your device doesn’t support AES). WEP is no good. It can be cracked within a couple of minutes. Even WPA is not all that safe these days, but you might not have the option to use WPA2.Create a shared key (password) that’s impossible to guess.

My key is 60+ characters long with numbers and lower/upper case letters randomly generated by the router.

5. Use a Firewall

A firewall prevents intruders from getting in. If you have a router, you already have a firewall. Just confirm that it is up and running. A software firewall can increase the level of security, and especially if you don’t have a router, you need a software firewall. Windows has a built-in firewall, and should be enabled by default. There are other popular firewalls like Zone Alarm.

What I’d recommend, if you want to keep things simple, is to use a security suite that has both anti-virus and firewall included. Full list of recommended firewall

6. Try Something Other than Internet Explorer

If you are still using Internet Explorer as your main browser, you really need to switch. IE is the most vulnerable and is also the least efficient browser on the market.

Browsers such as Firefox, Opera, and Chrome are much faster and safer. At the moment, Firefox is the most popular alternative. But I encourage you to try out all the browsers and see which one you like the best.

I highly recommend Opera. Opera is faster than Firefox. It has built-in email client, bittorrent client, widgets, mouse gestures and more. Opera has all these features built-in, yet, it is smaller than Firefox. With the new release of Opera 10 with Turbo (speeds up browsing for slower connections), I predict it will gain more market share. I personally use Firefox, Opera, and IE. Firefox is my main browser; Opera is number two. IE is only used when testing website changes and visiting Korean websites. Lots of Korean websites are only compatible with IE, which I really hate.

7. Careful Opening Email Attachments

Even if you receive an email from one of your friends, don’t assume it’s safe to open file attachments. Some viruses take control of a person’s email account and sends viruses to all his contacts.

If an email is from a stranger, most likely the attachment is a virus. Having an anti-virus should protect you from email threats, but still be careful.

Now, if you experience harm because you had replied to a Nigerian email saying you won a $10 million lottery, there’s nothing that can help for you other than your common sense.

8. Try OpenDNS

OpenDNS is a free DNS service that can help your browsing experience to be faster and safer. DNS (Domain Name System) “translates domain names meaningful to humans into the numerical (binary) identifiers associated with networking equipment for the purpose of locating and addressing these devices worldwide.

An often used analogy to explain the Domain Name System is that it serves as the “phone book” for the Internet by translating human-friendly computer hostnames into IP addresses. For example, www.example.com translates to 208.77.188.166.” – Wikipedia

OpenDNS keeps track of and blocks harmful websites and also has a parental control feature and more.

All you have to do is put these two numbers “208.67.222.222″, “208.67.220.220″ into your router settings or your computer’s network settings.

Instructions for various routers and computers are available on the website.

9. Be Careful about Which Sites You Visit

If you got OpenDNS all set up, you can worry about this a little less. But OpenDNS cannot protect you 100% as news malicious sites keep on popping up.

Warez, crack, and adult sites are the most dangerous categories of websites. Don’t visit them unless you know it’s safe.

Again, an anti-virus will protect you from this kind of threats as well. See how important an anti-virus is?

10. Keep Your Personal Information Safe

Many of these threats are aimed at getting your personal information. So, keep them safe!

Don’t easily give away your name, email, phone, and address to any website.

Don’t store credit card and other sensitive information on your computer. Sometimes, you have to store them on your computer. If so, don’t save an Excel file with your credit card numbers as “credit card numbers.xls” and put it in a shared folder.

Your neighbor who was sharing your internet connection might be tempted. Playing with files will be of little help. You should encrypt your files with a password, too, if it stores sensitive information.

Overall, be mindful of protecting your personal data.

I hope you learned some ways to protect your computer and your personal data. Web is a dangerous place. You must always be on the lookout and have protection. Click here fore the full article with all the recommended software.

Security, the hottest thing on the internet. No, you can’t put your passwords into a safe box or keep them with the CIA. When it comes to social networking and connecting your accounts to other accounts, security is able to become compromised. What if that “Get Money for Tweeting!” site stole your information and got your Twitter account? What if that password was the same as your Facebook? Your PayPal? Well, they probably are going to get those too. That is why you need to keep your information safe.

One way to keep your information safe is to keep it secure. Twitter rolled out an update to support OAuth not too long ago; OAuth is a way to never, ever give out your password. When a web application wants to get access to your account, they don’t want your password or your secure information, all they want is just an access token. You don’t even have to login here, or there, or anywhere except Twitter. That way, they don’t have your password, and if they are abusing your account, you can deny access anytime.

Another way to keep your information safe is to always use a virus scanner. Malware, Trojans, and anything can get into your computer; you want to keep them out. They’re like those stalkers that watch your every move; when you enter a password, they jump right on it, and take your account! You don’t want that to happen. You may be thinking Virus Scanners cost lots of money. Actually, they don’t. There are plenty of free scanners, along with online scanners; try AVG or Kaspersky or Avast.

Being safe is a major thing to keep in mind when signing up for web applications, and being secure is what you want to be. Keep your information safe and secure by using only OAuth enabled applications and always using a virus scanner.

If you’re using your computer to make money online then you need to be vigilant with your computer’s security. A down computer means loss of revenue.

Here are some recommendations in keeping your computer safe while you’re on the Internet.

If you like to use Internet Explorer 7, make sure your security settings in Internet Options are at it safest. Follow these steps:

Click on Tools then Internet Options
Click on the Security tab, then click on Custom Level

You will see: Active X Control and Plug-ins
The following should be Disabled

Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls
Binary and script behaviors
Download signed ActiveX controls
Download unsigned ActiveX controls
Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe

Scroll down to Downloads
Automatic prompting for file downloads – Disable

Enable Pop Up Blocker

Scroll down to Scripting
Allow paste operations via script – Disable

Click OK, when done to save the changes.

I recommend using Firefox for your browsing needs. It’s a great standalone and safer browser than Internet Explorer. There are different themes and extensions which you can use to customize it to your needs. You can even view sites in IE with Firefox by downloading the IE extension.

Some telecommuting companies specifically ask for Internet Explorer so make sure you don’t completely get rid of this browser.

Each time you visit a website, a cookie is installed on your computer. There’s nothing wrong with it, but there is a concern for Internet privacy since it can be used to track your browsing behaviour.

Here are my recommended and basic software to download. All are free.

CCleaner – It’s a quick click of a button to delete your online activities. It clears cookies, Internet history, temporary files and more.

Pop Up Stopper – For Internet Explorer you can use Panicware Pop Up Stopper. Although your computer already comes with a pop up blocker, it doesn’t hurt to use two. In Firefox, I recommend downloading the Ad Block Plus extension.

Spyware Blaster – Works like an anti-virus program, but it’s an anti-spyware program. It prevents the installation of spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

Zone Alarm Free or Pro – Depending on your needs. The free firewall version works very well.

AVG Free – Free antivirus program. Other popular free antivirus programs are Avast and Avira.

Some other recommended sites to bookmark are:

Trend Micro – It is a free online scan for viruses and spyware.

PC Pit Stop – Free computer checkup and diagnostics can help you detect and fix many common PC problems.

Shields Up! – Internet connection security for Windows users.