With a world full of malware, identity thieves and hackers, securing your computer properly is of at most importance. But unfortunately, most of us do not think further than installing security software. Mostly it is only after you get infected or hacked, that you realize you have done too little. But it would be too late by then.

The truth is, by following some very simple practices, you can easily minimize chances of being infected. Here’s a rundown of some of basic tips to secure your computer.

Install reputed Anti-virus software

You should make it a habit of installing an anti-virus (AV) software right after you install your OS. There is free antivirus as well as paid security software. If you are ready to shell out a few bucks, you can go for paid solutions. But the free ones work just fine. When you buy/download security software, make sure that it is a reputed one. A simple Google search can give you an idea whether the software is good or not. There are lots of Fake AVs doing the rounds and you don’t want to end up getting one of those. So this is an important step before getting a security suite.

Also Read: Protect Yourself from Internet Threats

Some examples of paid security software are Norton, NOD32, and Vipre etc. Free ones include AVG, Avast and Microsoft Security Essentials.

As I mentioned before, just having the anti-virus installed is not enough. You have to use it wisely. And by using wisely, I mean turning on the real-time protection, updating the AV and scanning your PC in regular intervals. The real-time protection mechanism monitors you PC all the time and will warn if there is any suspicious activity. Almost all major AV software has this feature.

Malware of different types are being released to the internet every minute and running an out-dated anti-virus makes your PC more susceptible to those malware. A common trend nowadays is that people tend to use trial versions of paid security suites that come pre-installed even after the trial has expired. Do not do that. As the trial is expired, you won’t be getting updates and your AV will be of no use unless you have the latest updates. So pay to get the full version of that software or else choose a free one to get those valuable definition updates. Remember! Updates are the spirit of your AV.

Do a system scan once in a while. A full scan every week would suffix. Most of the modern AVs allow you to schedule regular scans and automatic updates so that it requires minimum intervention from the end user.

Update the OS and all other installed software

While trying to break into a PC, it’s not just the vulnerabilities in Windows that the hackers take advantage of. Vulnerabilities in third party software are also an important issue. So make sure that all of the programs that you have installed are fully updated and not just your OS or security software.

Use a strong and unpredictable password

Your password is the key to your data and it is extremely important that you use a strong password. Here are some tips on creating a strong password.

• Your password should have more than 8 characters.
• Use a password that is not easily predictable. People tend to use passwords that are related to them such as their own names, date of births, favorite quotes etc. A hacker who stalks their victim’s social networking accounts such as Facebook can find this kind of information very easily. So it is very important that you use an un-related word, preferably a non-dictionary word as your password.
• Try to include upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers and special characters to strengthen your password.
• Do not use a single password for all your accounts. If you use a single password and your account gets hacked, your other accounts are also compromised.

Also Read: Tips to Create Easy-to-remember Strong Passwords | 4 Tools to Generate Strong Passwords

Practice safe browsing habits

Bad browsing habits are one of the major sources of malware infection. Always be vary of things that your download from the internet. Even if you download something from a trusted source, scan it before opening or executing the file. Do not download pirated software or media as there’s a big probability that they might be infected with malware.

Use your browser’s security features such as the smart screen and phishing filter while browsing. All of the major browsers such as IE, Firefox and Chrome come with these features.

While using social networks, be careful about whom you befriend and the level of data that you want to share with. For more on Facebook security, check out this guide.

Backup your data

Even if you are following the above practices, it is better to have a backup’ plan. The best method is to backup your data to an external hard drive. There is lots of software that will do this for you. Using Windows built in tools; you either do a full PC backup or choose which data you want to back. These settings can be found in the Backup and Restore Center in Windows 7 and Vista (just type backup in the start menu and press enter to open the Backup and Restore Center).You can also use paid software like Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost if you need more features.

Whether you use paid solution or the native Windows tool, make it a habit to backup important documents and media so that even if your system gets infected or corrupted, you don’t lose your important data.

You can also use Online Storage websites to backup your data to the cloud. We have covered several services which allow users to backup files for free online, you will find most of them in our Online Storage section.

With the help of security software and by using our very precious common sense, we can easily reduce the chance of getting infected up to a great extent.

So stay safe and happy browsing!

Broadband internet connection is the most common form of internet used widely. It is classified in three forms i.e. cable network, wireless and USB dongle. Wireless is the one method which is more popular than others. It is mainly used in places like schools, offices, hospitals, hotels and so on.

But one common problem which every wireless broadband internet users often face is slow internet speed. So here are six solutions to improve the speed and performance of your wireless net connection.

Use an effective antivirus software

Viruses, malicious software, and Trojans are the most dangerous things prevailing on the net which can cause severe damage like data loss, system crash and are one of the reasons behind slow internet speed.

To protect your system from unwanted virus attacks and enjoy a good internet speed, secure your system with trusted and effective antivirus software.

Do not Share it on many computers

Keep your wireless connection password protected, as any unknown persons can use it. Also keep it limited to two systems running concurrently on wireless broadband internet connection. Too many simultaneous connection can lower the net speed.

Avoid sharing your wireless broadband internet connection too many computers. If you share it, you should not share it to computers outside your apartment.

Use strong and effective password

When you are online, security is the first thing one should keep in mind. Effective security measures should be used to protect your wireless broadband connection to protect it from hackers.

Limit your broadcast signal

Disable SSID

Most of the users unknowingly enable the SSID of their wireless broadband internet connection. SSID is the identification of the wireless broadband which automatically transfers the name of your wireless connection to the outside world. When other people have access to your connection, performance will suffer.

It’s best to disable the SSID of the wireless broadband internet connection.

Choose the best position for your router

The position of your router affects the speed of your internet connection. It should be placed in the center of the room instead being placed at the far end. The center position will strengthen the signal of your router and increase your speed.

==== About the Author ====

About the author: Catherine Jones writes for toyotaplace.com. She enjoys content and writing about the social sphere. Toyota place does not have a blog of its own.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team recently released a paper about the different wireless security problems that they see often in public wireless areas. These problems include wireless sniffing and shoulder surfing, which isn’t something you normally think about. These six tips will help you secure your wireless web surfing.

1. Only use public networks for non-sensitive operations. It’s easy to assume your firewall or encryption can save you from sniffers, but it’s best not to even risk it.
2. Use a VPN if possible. If you work for a company that gives you a virtual private network, why would you not use it to secure your wireless surfing?
3. Protect yourself from shoulder surfing. Some Internet crime actually takes place when people with binoculars across the street look at your computer screen through a window to see what you’re up to. Don’t forget to protect your actual computer screen by sitting with your back to a wall whenever possible.
4. Find a good encryption program. Pretty Good Privacy is a good option, or just use whatever email encryption program you like best.
5. Avoid evil twin hot spots by contacting an employee at the hot spot location to see what the actual network is called there. Then you’ll know you’re always connecting to a legitimate network.
6. Use HTTPS and SSL connections when possible. The extra security and encryption can make a big difference if you absolutely have to do sensitive things like banking at a public hot spot.

These six steps may not make your online wireless experience in a public hot spot totally secure, but it can help you keep your information more protected. The best thing you can do is just be careful when using public hot spots. They can be great for looking up directions to the nearest pizza place, but check your bank account balance to make sure you can afford the pizza before you leave home!

==== About the Author ====

Daniela from Creditdonkey.com contributed this post.   Check out her latest post on the best business credit cards for small business at her blog.

[Windows]

The other day, I spotted a warning at the Microsoft Malware Protection Center. They presented some great information about a piece of malware called    Winwebsec,  which is more commonly seen as “System Tool“. Apparently it’s popping up more often now, so I decided to put out a warning to our readers.

I’ve actually run into this one before, while fixing some of my friends and family’s computers. It wasn’t much trouble to get rid of at the time, but I’ve read that some of the newer versions are more difficult to remove.

An infected computer will start getting fake warnings like the one shown here. These warnings are very realistic. Their purpose is to try to fool you into buying some more fake software that will make things even worse for you.

I looked around and I found one or two good articles that tell you how to remove the fake System Tool, but I decided to put together my own little guide.  Below you’ll find a slideshow that I’ve put together. It will give you a better idea of what to look for and some suggestions on how to remove this Fake System Tool.

How would you feel about a computer infection that could lie to your bank about your online transactions? What would happen if details such as who you are paying and how much, could be changed without you knowing it?

That’s exactly what can happen with the current crop of transactional trojans.   This is called screen injection, HTML overlayor the man-in-the-browser attack.

This type of infection can spy on you while you are online at many banking sites. ATM PINs, social security numbers and answers to secret questions are the types of information that will be stolen.

Previously, we’ve written about the Zeus trojan, which is the current king of the transactional trojans. Zeus used some very unique command-and-controlinterfaces that actually fooled security experts into giving up information. The Zeus trojan was also used to infect hundreds of U.S. Government employees when they opened a fake Christmas Card email from the White House.

If that’s not scary enough, there are more trojans out there that are being bred to compete with Zeus. According to TrustDefender, a well known security provider, a trojan named Carberp has recently added a whole slew of new features. These new features are intended to make it just as useful to black hats as Zeus. Here are some of the features:

• It can run on non-administrator accounts.
• It can infect XP, Vista and Seven machines.
• It doesn’t make changes to the Window registry.
• It hooks into the web browser to control all internet traffic.
• It’s able to transmit real-time data to it’s masters.

It also covers it’s identity by appending random data into itself to foil normal anti-virus detection. The fact that it can run in non-admin mode and doesn’t write to the registry also makes it harder to detect. To most security software, Carberp could appear to be a simple browser add-on or extension.

The older Zeus trojan hasn’t been improved recently, and it looks like there’s a battle brewing that will decide the next popular trojan. Carberp is in the running with two or three others, such as SpyEye and Gozi.

It’s a rat race, with security experts always trying to build a better trap for the fast rats that keep breeding even faster rats. The security field profits from this race and so do the hackers.

We are the big losers.

Four years ago, when Windows XP was still king, and Vista was only a jester, I ran into an article by Fred Langa, which told me how to fix XP without losing personal files. I’ve been using this fix ever since to repair computers that have been crippled by spyware and trojans.

There’s one requirement that is a show stopper. You must have an official Windows XP installation CD. Sometimes computers either don’t come with one, or they come with a Restore CDfrom the manufacturer. The Restore CD may not work, or it may work differently.

If you don’t have an official Windows XP CD, you might be able to borrow one from a friend, but you’d better have the Product Key from your PC. It should be listed on a label which was placed somewhere on your computer. If you can’t find your Product Key, there are a few ways to recover the Key.

Another way to get an official CD is to buy one. A few years ago, I bought two copies of Windows XP from Ebay.com. Just be sure to get your copy from a trusted seller.

Assuming you have a valid Windows installation CD, here are the steps to fix Windows XP. This should be done only if you have no other options to fix it. There are no guarantees that it will always work.

1. Insert the Windows Install CD and reboot.

Enjoyed So Far? Continue Reading Completely Repair Windows XP Without Losing Files

It’s bad enough that we get hit with tons of third party browser cookies that can track our surfing habits. Now we have to worry about Flash cookies and even worse, Zombie cookies. So what are these new cookies?

Almost every computer that accesses the web, now has Adobe Flash installed on it. In case you didn’t know, the Flash program stores it’s own cookies that your web browser has absolutely no control over. Are these Flash cookies bad for us? Yes, they can store all kinds of private information that can be passed to almost any website that uses them. A typical browser cookie is only 4k in size, while a Flash cookie can be up to 100k. That’s more room for information that you may not want to share.

In addition to being more difficult to control, the Flash cookies are now also resurrecting browser cookies that you may have intentionally blocked or removed. These resurrected cookies are known as Zombie cookies. I found out about this from Woody at Windows Secrets newsletter. Once I found out, I decided to look around for ways to get some control over these rogue Flash cookies. Here’s what I’ve found so far.

Adobe Flash has privacy settings that you can adjust by going to their website.

http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/

I’ll be honest with you – I really don’t understand many of these settings, but I have used them a few times. I just don’t know how much good it’s done me. Here are some sample screen shots of my settings.

There are settings in each of the 8 tabs there. All I can recommend is that you review the settings and be sure that most of them ask your permission for unusual requests such as webcam access.

Another way to control and remove Flash cookies is to use this freeware program I’ve found called FlashCookiesView.

This program is available as a zip file and is completely portable. Just unpack it into a folder and execute the program when you need it. FlashCookiesView allows you to see all of the Flash cookies, view the contents of the cookies, and to delete any of them you wish.

Get Nirsoft’s FlashCookiesView

More Information:

• Firefox users can delete Flash cookies with – BetterPrivacy
•  Here is a Chrome extension which also allows Flash cookie removal:  Click & Clean
•  Here is more security information on Flash cookies
•  You can delete Flash cookies manually by going to the storage locations listed here

Now you know as much as I do. If you have your own tips on controlling Flash cookies or any other Windows security issues, be sure to comment below or email me.

A few weeks ago, a good friend of our family posted a question to me in Facebook.

How can I block adult content on my kid’s computer?

Fortunately, I already knew about several methods, but I wanted to give them something free and easy to use. I pointed them to the free OpenDNS service.

Why OpenDNS?

There’s no software to download and it’s always up to date with the latest information on what websites need to be blocked. It also works on Windows, Mac, Linux or almost any operating system.

To use the free OpenDNS Basic service, you will have to register an email address to be able to change the settings that control what types of web content you wish to block. However, OpenDNS is now offering   a new service, called FamilyShield, which doesn’t require registration and is even easier to set up.

What does FamilyShield block?

• Adult websites that are unsuitable for kids
• Proxy and anonymizer sites commonly used by savvy kids to bypass traditional Web filters
• Phishing sites that aim to trick you into handing over personal or financial information
• Some virus-spreading malware websites

How does FamilyShield work?

To tell you how it works, I’m going to use one of the 650+ free wallpapers from VladStudio.

Image: How the Internet Works by VladStudio:

When you are using FamilyShield or any other OpenDNS service, you are telling your PC to use OpenDNS as your default DNS server. Do you see the owl in the third frame of the picture? The DNS server (the owl) tells your computer the real address (IP address) of all the websites that your computer tries to access.

OpenDNS is a smart owl. If you ask it for the IP address of a website that contains something bad, OpenDNS won’t give you the address and you won’t be able to access the bad website. If you set up FamilyShield on your home network router, all the devices in your home are protected from the bad stuff out there.

Below, I’ll show you the typical FamilyShield setup for protecting your home.

1. Sign in with an email address or skip it by clicking the link labeled continue. They don’t require your email address.

2. Choose to set up FamilyShield on a single PC or on your home network (router).

3. If you choose router, you can find specific instructions for the most popular router models.

4. Below you can see the instructions for a Linksys router.

5. Once you have the router set up, you can test to see if FamilyShield is working by using the Test your new settingslink at the top of the instruction page.

That’s it. No software needed and your PC or your home network is protected. Your kids and you will be much safer using the FamilyShield from OpenDNS.

Techie Buzz Verdict:

I can’t tell enough people about this awesome free service. If you are reading this, you should tell all of your friends. It’s not a replacement for knowing what your kids are doing on the PC, but it’s an easy way to help protect them.

The folks who write malware and virus are not just smart at writing them, they are also very smart at camouflaging their stuff in such a way that unsuspecting users may easily get fooled to believe that they are actual doing something legitimate.

Many malware and virus thrive on SEO poisoning for popular search terms. They make use of the fast indexing capabilities of Google to get indexed for popular search terms, especially "sex scandals" and "sex videos".

Also Read: Tips To Keep You Safe On The Internet | Protect Yourself from Internet Threats

A recent analysis from the folks at Sophos Labs, uncovered several URLs which made it to Google through blackhat SEO, however, the more interesting finding was that, malware and virus writers have now started to generate spoof screens which look similar to Windows 7.

When users visit sites which host such malware, they will come across an interface which is similar to Windows 7, with a popup which looks exactly like the security center popup for Windows 7. Furthermore, the malware site also displays fake antivirus scan results which show the user that there are several viruses installed on the PC.

It is easy to get fooled because of the stark similarities between this Fake antivirus, however, users should know that they are using a web browser, and such scans are not carried out by Microsoft in the web browser.

Though the looks may be deceiving, you should not click on any security related or free antivirus scans on a web browser. Additionally, many modern browsers are smart enough to block such malware sites, so make sure to keep your browser upgraded to the latest version.

You might also want to check on some tips we had written earlier to keep yourself safe on the internet.