Keeping your home computer protected from all those bad guys that want to do you harm doesn’t need to be particularly complicated nor costly.  While no safety measure can guarantee you will never get a virus, by applying the four steps below, you can make your computer a lot harder to break into than a whole lot of others.  

First, here’s some terms to know

• Malware: Malicious software, usually accessed online. This includes viruses, bots, trojans, etc.
• Operating System (OS): This is the computer program that helps run your computer. Most common are Windows and Mac.
• Software: Programs on your computer.

Keep your computer and software up to date

Most malware is designed to exploit weaknesses in your OS or software. Manufacturers create updates to help fix these weaknesses. By default, most OS’s and software receive these updates automatically (you will occasionally see a message that says something like “Restart your computer to complete updates”)

One common scam is a popup telling you to install an update specific to a certain program. Usually these popups look very genuine and it is difficult for even an experienced user to know if it is legitimate or not. In these cases, it is best to close the popup, go directly to that program, and try to find the updates there.

Use a free antivirus

Antivirus programs scan your computer to prevent malware from coming onto your computer.

Windows 10 comes with Windows Defender for free. Past versions of Windows can download Microsoft Security Essentials free from Microsoft.com. Other popular free antivirus programs are: Avira, Avast, Sophos, and BitDefender. These companies also offer free products for Apple computers.

Companies that charge for antivirus software generally provide very little that is not available for free and so there is little advantage to paying for them. Too many bells and whistles in antivirus software slow your computer down.

If you suspect that you have been exposed to malware, MalwareBytes is a great program. It is available for free at Malwarebytes.com

Watch out for hoaxes

If you receive an email that asks you to click a link, proceed with caution. Fake links also exist on some websites. Be cautious about clicking on news headlines that seem too bizarre to be true.  If it is an email from a business you have done business with, go directly to their website, log in, and try to find the relevant information there. If it is from a person or business you do not recognize, delete the email.  Receiving the email is not a danger, unless you click the link that takes you somewhere you do not know.

Also, some people receive phone calls from scammers who try to tell you that your computer is at risk, and needs their tech support (for a fee, of course!). Don’t take the bait!

Passwords

You’re not up against someone manually trying one password at a time, but computers making thousands of attempts per second. Your password needs to be something easy for you to remember, but hard for a computer to guess.

Avoid dictionary words (easy for computers to guess)

Difficult passwords may be hard for you to remember, and not necessarily any more challenging for a computer to guess, unless they are long, avoid very common phrases, and include characters and symbols that are easy for you to remember, but appear random to anyone else.

BNA board member Rob Sorbo is an IT professional who has worked for Walmart and the Assemblies of God.