Here’s a little quiz about computer safety at home or while traveling. http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2015/wireless-network-security-quiz.html .
Your Web Guy’s Simple Steps for Computer Safety
1. Make sure you have your latest updates. This is for Windows and Apples – Apple systems have vulnerability problems too.
2. Make sure that you update the Adobe products, especially Flash (which is used to view lots of videos on web sites, and is a favorite attack point). Only get your updates from Adobe at www.adobe.com/downloads . When installing, make sure you uncheck the ‘additional software’ box, or you’ll get things that you don’t need. It’s OK to enable auto-updates, though.
3. Make sure your anti-virus is current. Update it if needed, and set up a anti-virus scan weekly. It takes a while, so let it start and wander away from your computer until it is done. If you need a free one, use Windows Defender from Microsoft (www.microsoft.com/protect ); it’s included in Windows 8 and 10.
4. Make sure that you don’t install software from ‘pop-ups’ that you might see while wandering around the Interwebs. If you need an update, go directly to the vendor’s web site. (Don’t rely on links that the googles might tell you; sometimes, the first results you will see are not ‘nice places’).
5. Don’t use the same password on all sites. Especially on banking sites. There are some great password managers out there to help you keep track of things.
6. Consider upgrading to Windows 10 for your Windows 7 or 8 systems. (I’ve been using it for a week, and it’s good!). If your system is Windows XP, it might be a good time to replace it if you can.
Any questions or helpful hints? Use the comments below.