User knowledge or what sometimes I like to say common sense. We have to practice some type of common sense when surfing, like safe sex sort to speak. So keep in mind when visiting unknown websites or downloading files that you didn’t request. Infections are so prevalent you can even get them by just simply closing out an advertisement pop up. Let’s face it the Internet is dirty and filled with wonderful experiences and a great deal of not so wonderful experiences. Trust me if you have ever caught a virus or Trojan horse that was very hard to get rid of then you know what I mean. These are just a few tips when securing your PC to access the Internet. If you have some experiences you wish to share, questions or feed back I like to hear them.

Firewall Protection, a good appliance firewall is also needed to prevent access to your PC. One caveat, remember a firewall is as good as the front door of your home! Think of it like this, most of us have some way of locking and opening up the door to our homes right? I hope so, when your door is locked and someone knocks on it. Can they get in without actually breaking the door down? Firewalls work the same way, if a hacker comes across your PC making noise on the Internet (yes PC’s are very noisy out on the Internet) he attempts to scan your PC or network. This is where the door is locked and the intruder can’t access. But think about this, at home you go out the door check the mail, or take out the trash on Thursday or whatever day is trash day. With the door open as you leave out is your home now still safe? But what about when you opened up the the door, couldn’t an intruder enter while you are stepping out? Treat firewalls as the same concept concerning doors. When we surf the Internet think of your firewall as a glass door and not a brick wall. A one way glass door only you can see out of. When you open up the door to go out to the Internet. it’s technically a closed door but actually open while you are outside playing on the Internet. Surfing one of our favorite social media sites, music site or even illegal free movie sites.

Yes, perform any updates to your OS. Whether it’s Windows, MAC’s or Linux you should check with the manufacturer to see if updates are available.  Reasons aren’t so obvious. Many people believe that having anti-virus is more than enough protection but fail to realize if there’s a whole in the OS (patches do plug the holes), anti-virus or anti-malware can’t protect the PC. You can be sure the unfriendly neighborhood hacker will use this exploit to gain access to your PC.

Let’s consider step 1