The content kept on a home computer is often an easy target for people wanting access to such information. Home computer users often store credit card information, bank numbers and account information on home computers. This type of information is what intruders are after when trying to access a home computer. With this information, intruders can use the information acquired to purchase goods and services for themselves.
Not only do computer intruders want access to account information, but other popular targets are hard drive space, the computer processor and even the internet connection. With access to these computer resources, a computer intruder can use a home computer to attack other computers. The more computers that have been compromised, and used in a malicious computer attack, the harder it is to track down the source of the attack.
Antivirus Software
Every computer should have good antivirus software installed and kept up-to-date. Often new computers are purchased and come installed with a thirty-day trial antivirus software. Once the software expires, home computer users do not take the time to purchase the full antivirus software. A computer with no antivirus software can leave the computer open to computer viruses, spyware, malware and compromised data on the machine.
Software Computer Patches
Microsoft publishes security patches for software on the second Tuesday of every month and whenever a critical update is necessary. Computers can easily be set to enable ‘Automatic Updates’ so the critical security patches published by Microsoft will be installed when available. Other software companies publish security patches as needed. These software patches fix known issues that can leave a computer vulnerable to attack. By applying these patches, home computer users can be sure that malicious computer intruders cannot gain access to the computer through these software vulnerabilities.
E-Mail Attachments
Use extreme caution when reading e-mail and clicking on attachments in an e-mail. Malicious e-mail is often sent with links enticing people to click on the link. Once a computer user clicks on a malicious link, a virus can be launched, embedded code can be applied, malware can be installed and the computer can be completely compromised. Some malware, called key loggers, will log every keystroke made on the computer and can send the information to an attacker. So account information, passwords and bank numbers could easily be compromised while the computer user is completely unaware.
Strong Computer Passwords
Strong passwords are very important when it comes to computer security. Computer hackers can quickly get passwords when the passwords are made up of common names, common words, family or pet names, or any one of these with numbers added on. Never leave a password set to the default password or leave it blank.
Choose a different password for each computer and service that is used. Choose long passwords; at least eight characters, and use letters, numbers and special characters for the password. If the password will be difficult to remember, think of a phrase and convert the phrase into a password. For example, ‘I Love My Dog Peanut’, could be, ‘!LuvMyD0gP3@nut’.
Keeping a home computer safe and secure from unwanted attackers requires diligence, but is well worth the effort. Maintain up-to-date antivirus software; keep the computer patched with all relevant security patches, and set strong passwords on accounts, services and the computer. By taking these steps, a home computer user can rest easier and be far less vulnerable to computer attacks.
