A few simple tips to help you keep your PC or Mac protected from ne'er-do-wells.
Yesterday was National Computer Security Day,
and
while you've surely heard the oft-repeated lines about how important
it
is to take the necessary precautions toward ensuring your computer is
safe,
we’re hoping you take those lines seriously. In 2011, about 403
million
unique variants
of malware were exposed and 55,294 malicious Web
domains were active,
according to
Symantec’s annual review. A report from Secunia also
showed that most
vulnerabilities
are resilient and that despite the
fact that their numbers are decreasing, none of the
top 20 producers of
softwar—commercial or open source—managed to do
quite enough
to help
keep that number negligible.
In 2011, the company identified “…more than 800 end-point
vulnerabilities, of which more than 50% were rated as highly or
extremely critical and 78% of all vulnerabilities affected non-Microsoft
programs,” said Morten R. Stengaard, Director of Product Management and
Quality Assurance at Secunia, in an e-mail to Ars. The most targeted
data is personal information and business-centric data, which has also
been found to be the least protected, and the hardest to secure and
defend.
So, taking that extra step to make sure your computer is protected is
worth it, and as the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Here are a few quick tips for getting your computer security squared
away this weekend.
Keep your computer consistently updated
For both Windows and OS X machines, be sure to update them regularly
to get the latest patches and fixes for your operating system of choice.
As a blog post
on Secunia's site notes, “Software programs that aren't updated are one
of the most commonly used methods by criminals to take control of
private PCs. It is incredibly important to keep the programs updated.”
You can set your computer to perform automatic updates so that you don’t
have to worry about doing them regularly. In OS X, head to System Preferences and select Software Update and ensure that your Mac is automatically checking for updates.
For Windows users, go into the Control Panel and navigate to the
System and Security tab.
Click on Action center, and make sure Windows
Update is set to “On.”
If it’s not,
you can change it under the “Change
Action Center Settings”
option in the left-hand
sidebar. While you’re
here, ensure that Virus protection, and everything else3
under that,
is
also ticked.
In a phone call with Ars, Randy Abrams, Research Director at NSS Labs Inc.,
suggested that users actually go out and manually validate that their
operating system is up to date. On the Mac, you can do so by selecting
Software Update from the Apple Menu in the upper left-hand side of the
screen. For Windows users, you can select Windows Update from the Start
menu or from the Control Panel. "One of the things malware does is it’ll
get in and disable automatic update,” cautioned Abrams. “If you don’t
manually validate it you’re not going to know that you've got the
problem.”
Consider a third-party virus scanner or security app
If Microsoft Security Essentials feels like it won't be enough for you, consider applications from vendors like Sophos and Eset. Mac users, you can also check out those vendors, or take a gander at intego. Abrams also recommends looking at reports from companies like his own NSS Labs, as well as AV-comparative and Virus Bulliton,
which all which all publish a variety of reading material on malware,
security, and phishing scams, as well as white papers on anti-virus
software. He suggests that users get a feel for what some of the major
security products are, what they like, and what they’re comfortable
using.
Also, be sure to have a backup plan in case something does go awry.
In OS X, a Time Machine backup should do the trick. It will restore your
system in case of emergency, and you can encrypt it with FileVault. Mac
users should also consider creating a backup Admin account in case they
don’t have access to their primary one, which they can do so from the
Accounts menu under System Preferences.
Windows users can access the Backup option in the Control Panel under System and Security.
Alright, you caught me. I don't have backup set up yet,
but this is what the screen looks like.
Know when you're being phished
Abrams offers two simple rules to follow that will help eliminate a
good chunk of phishing attacks. First, he suggested that if you get an
email or instant message asking for your password, do not respond.
Second, if you click on a link and it asks you log in, it's better to
close that URL immediately. If you get an email from Facebook alerting
you that a friend left a comment, navigate to Facebook.com yourself and
log in from there to find the notification, rather than clicking
through.
Use a password management tool
Abrams highly recommended using a password management program like
LastPass or 1Password to ensure that the master password is extremely
good. That means it needs to be long and contain a few numbers or
symbols. “The length is actually more important than the characters,” he
added. Abrams also mentioned that choosing common sentences and Bible
verses will probably get “hashed” or figured out. As a rule of thumb,
you should also avoid using names, words, or anything found in book that
could be easily guessed. As for security challenge answers, he
suggested that users make them up, rather than give the actual answer to
the question. Just make sure to write it down somewhere.
Keep your laptop tied down
Computer security also means ensuring that your hardware stays within arm's reach. If your laptop model supports it, you can investin a laptop lock that snaps on to the hardware and loops around a table
leg or any other piece of furniture that is immovable. Laptop locks
work for any sort of public environment, including cubicles, libraries,
coffee shops, or dorm rooms.
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