Step 1: Identify Potential Threats
In order to create an effective plan of action, it is essential the you identify potential threats. This includes not only ways that your confidential information on your computer could be accessed illegally without your knowledge, but also where the threats may come from. Generally we think of the nameless hackers lurking in cyberspace just waiting for the opportunity to invade our computer and create havoc. While this may be the most common danger, there are also more intimate people around you such as casual friends, business associates, friends of friends, or even associates of family members, who if given the chance could gain access to your computer and obtain some confidential information such as bank account numbers, credit card information, and other private data. The point here is that you should take steps to ensure computer security from potential threats both within your sphere of influence as well as beyond.
Step 2: Computer Lock Down
One of the easiest steps, and the most overlooked by most users, is to simply lock the computer when not in use. Whether using your computer at home or even your business computer at work, you should never leave your computer running unattended for any length of time without having some sort of locking system in place. Most computer operating systems such as Windows do have this feature enabled for when you first start up your computer, however often users leave their computer running unattended which means anyone can sit down and have access to it. Therefore it is important to have another layer of security to protect your confidential files when your computer system is actually running. This means having both a good password to lock you computer from unauthorized access, along with different passwords to protect files you want to keep private. Use a combination of letters and numbers, both upper and lower case letters for the best protection. Never use common every day items like birthdays, kids or pet names, telephone numbers etc., as these are just too risky if the computer hacker knows you personally.
Step 3: Disconnect
No computer Internet security software or firewall system can be considered 100% safe under all circumstances, day after day. With new forms of malware such as viruses being invented each and every day, there is always a chance, perhaps very slim, that your current computer security could be breached. There is a 100% solution to online threats that is rarely considered by most computer users which is actually free and very easy to do. Simply disconnect your Internet connect from your modem when not using your computer. This physical break in the path from the Internet into your computer will solve any type of online threat that currently exists.
Step 4: Onboard Security
It is amazing how many computer users today still ignore the need for good quality computer protection in the form of well respected computer Internet security software. Either they are totally naive and believe the myth "it will never happen to me" or they run on the cheap, and figure that the basic malware and spyware protection and the firewall provided with their operating system is good enough. Others will take things one step further and download some free PC internet security software thinking that this is as good as the paid version. Hello? There is a reason why it is free! You generally get what you pay, or do not pay for, in terms of computer Internet security. This is not to say that the basic security settings of your operating system and some e-mail programs, web browsers, and applications should be ignored! These should be activated to add yet another level of protection for your computer against outside threats.
Step 5: Prepare for the Unexpected
With all the concern about hackers breaking into your computer, physically or online, people often overlook the less sensational dangers to their computer system such as power surges or spikes and hardware malfunction. Any of these can destroy or corrupt important files and even make your onboard security useless. Therefore it is wise to use a good quality power surge protector that will guard against unexpected spikes in electricity which could fry your computer components and damage your hard drive containing your data files. If you are really concerned about these kinds of dangers there are battery system backups that you can use that will automatically protect against power surges as well as power outages and allow you to save data and shutdown your computer normally to avoid corrupting any files.
Step 6: Backup Important Data
Anyone familiar with computers generally knows or has heard at least one story of someone who lost everything in an instant when their computer's hard drive suddenly and without warning... CRASHED! If you do not regularly backup important data files containing confidential personal information or even information that has a sentimental value to you and your family, then it is like playing a game of "Russian Roulette". It is only a matter of time until this happens as computer hard drives are not built to last forever. Sometimes a good computer techie can still access a failed hard drive and save the contents to a different hard drive, and sometimes not. Can you afford to take this chance? External hard drives or "zip drives" are very affordable these days and can hold huge amounts of information, in most cases the entire contents of your hard drive, and offer an easy solution as well as "piece of mind" knowing that you have your important data saved in another place should your hard drive fail. Just remember to backup on a regular basis! Depending upon the value of our data and how often changes are made to it, you may need to backup monthly, weekly or even daily.