Securing computer

• Firewall Settings,
• Antivirus Software,
• Anti-Spyware Software,
• Anti-Spam Software ,
• Security Updates,
• Secure Browsing Settings,
• Scan Devices before Data Transfer,
• Social Engineering Attack Precautions,
• Password management,
• Miscellaneous tips.
 Firewall
• Firewall is the first line of defense for a
computer, when it is connected through the
Internet or other networks.
• A firewall is a type of security software that is
able to check and monitor traffic coming from
certain sources and leaving for a certain port
or destination
• security checkpost for any traffic originating
from your computer.
• Many firewalls monitor both incoming and
outgoing traffics, but some firewalls only focus
on the incoming traffic
• because the main threat normally originates
from the external sources sitting on the other
side of the firewall.
• It is imperative to note that the software
applications that we use on our computers
use the communication port numbers at
transport layer of the Open Systems
Interconnection (OSI) model.
• The firewall checks the port numbers of the
traffic to make sure that the traffic is
originated from the authorized sources and is
terminating at the genuine port.
• If there is any kind of irregularity in the traffic,
the firewall is able to detect the suspicious
activities and to generate an alert for the
same.

• It is also able to close the port for incoming

traffic if it is configured for the auto-blocking
malicious activities.
• There are numerous firewall security software
available in the market. You can get so many
firewalls for free too
• but it is always not recommended to get the free
security software for your computer with critical
information. Always purchase the firewall security
software by paying their price.
• The paid software are more robust and highly
featured to capture numerous kinds of threats
originating from the malicious users.
• A few very important firewall software that are
known for having many great features and
capabilities are mentioned below:
• ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall
• Comodo Firewall
• Norton Security Standard Firewall
• Kaspersky Internet Security with Firewall
• Bitdefender Security Firewall
• TinyWall Firewall Software
• If you have many applications that you do not use, you
should remove those applications from your computer to
make your computer less prone to the external threats.
Windows operating system (OS) comes with integrated
firewall software.
• It is activated by default, and you need to configure your
security firewall for stronger security settings. The
Windows-based firewall does not monitor the outgoing
traffic from your computer,
• but it focuses mainly on the incoming traffic to monitor any
kinds of threats originating from the adversary sources.
 2.Antivirus software
• Antivirus is one of the fundamental security
tools that are recommended for every
computer whether it is connected to the
external world through Internet or even it
operates in a stand-alone position
• Antivirus software is a security software utility
that is able to detect different types of viruses
and malware programs on computers.
• It is also able to remove, delete, and quarantine
a virus that has already affected the computer.
• There are many types of viruses that
commonly spread on the Internet at a very
high rate; among such viruses are Trojan
horses, worms, viruses, rootkits, and other
rogue programs.
• These viruses are very dangerous for
damaging your valuable data on your
computer
• Hackers and malicious attackers use different
types of viruses for different purposes to
launch some of the lethal cyberattacks on the
networks and computers on the Internet.
• So, you should always be very well aware of
the damage those viruses can inflict on your
computers computer may crash completely
without leaving any possibility of data and
system recovery.
• Almost all available antivirus software
programs have multiple features such as
• virus cleaner, spyware cleaner,
• Trojan horse detection,
• performance improvements,
and other standard features required for
keeping your computer clean
Types of antivirus softwares:
• Panda Premium Antivirus
• AVG Internet Security
• Microsoft Security Essentials
• McAfee Total Protection
• Comodo Antivirus Software
• Avira Antivirus Pro
• Avast Security Ultimate
• Norton Security
• Most of the antivirus are set to update their versions automatically by
default, but in some cases, if the antivirus software update is not turned on,
activate it.
• You should also take of the following important points for keeping your
computer free from viruses.
• Make sure your antivirus software automatically starts with the starting of
your computer.
• Antivirus is always “on” while the computer is on.
• Always download and install the latest updates from the vendors to update
the virus definition database.
• Regularly run quick scans on your computer.
• Run full scans occasionally after a few weeks.
• Always scan the data transfer media before copying any data.
• Take notice of all warnings and alerts generated by the antivirus software
 Anti-Spyware
• Spyware is one of the most critical tools for launching
cyberattacks on the targeted networks, services, or the
computer servers.
• Spywares are the malicious code design to spy on the
activities of the user for getting information about the
behavior of the user or to steal crucial information from the
computers and online user accounts.
• The spyware codes are also extensively launched by the black-
hat marketers to track the Internet user’s behavior so that the
advertisement campaigns can be started with proper focus on
the targeted market segments suitable for their online
marketing campaigns.
• One form of the dangerous spyware code is known as the
keylogger, which is used to track and record the keys pressed.

• This software code could become very d angerous because it

records all keystrokes and sends to the command and control
center run by the attacker.

• By this kind of malicious program, the hackers steal the

information such as usernames, passwords, and other codes
or pin numbers used for your financial activities and other
valuable transactions through the Internet
• A few very well-trusted anti-spyware software
companies are listed below
• SuperAntiSpyware software
• Spybot – Search and Destroy
• Adaware software
• SpywareBlaster
• AVAST Antivirus (embedded)
• AVG Antivirus (embedded)
• MalwareBytes Spyware
• Emsisoft Emergency Kit
• Take the following measures to make your spyware protection
more robust and effective:
• Use reliable and dedicated antispyware software.
• Many anti-spyware software embedded with the antivirus ignore
minor spyware programs.
• Always keep your anti-spyware software up to date.
• Scan your computer regularly for any kind of spyware on your
computer.
• Always be vigilant while visiting the unknown websites.
• Major source of spyware spreading is infected websites.
• Set your browser settings to block pop-up ads.
• Do not open emails from the unknown senders
 Anti-spam software
• Spamming is one of the major sources of
spreading malware programs on the Internet.
• Many spammers send malicious code, such as
spyware, malware, and viruses, through
different kinds of unsolicited emails from
different sources
• t the email spamming remedies date back to
the middle of the 1990s when it became
nastier for the companies and email users to
sort out the good and bad emails.
• A huge time was consumed on reading those
unsolicited emails, which caused a huge loss
to the company productivity.
• At that time, two IT engineers started working on
this problem by sorting out the Internet Protocol
(IP) addresses, servers, locations, company names,
and other information from where the spamming
emails were originating.
• That list was later used on the routers to filter the
spamming emails through the Border Gateway
Protocol (BGP) on the Internet.
• They named it as the Mail Abuse Prevention
System (MAPS).
• A large majority of the public email servers
such as Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail have
successfully tracked and identified more than
99% of the spam emails and send them
directly to their spam or junk folders.
• Thus, a huge time and energy of the email
user is saved. But this problem is still a matter
of concern for many small and big
organizations across the world.
The major anti-spamming software and
services
• Hornetsecurity spam filter service
• SpamTitan anti-spam software
• MailCleaner anti-spam software
• SpamPhobia anti-spam
• Spambrella anti-spam service provider
• FireTrust MailWasher Service
Other than using the anti-spamming email
solutions, you should also take care of the
following points while using emails.
• Never open emails from unknown users.
• Never click on the links or attachments of spam
emails.
• Always keep the volume of spam emails in mind;
if there is any spike in the emails, consult with
your cybersecurity persons or service provider.
 Security updates
• Computers perform different types of functions and
activities based on the software code that runs not
only the hardware of the computer, but also the
software utilities that we use. No software code is
100% perfect.
• There may be some flaws, bugs, and other
vulnerabilities in all types of software programs
• These bugs or vulnerabilities in the software programs
may be present in the OS, drivers, application
software, utility software, and network software.
• Hackers and cybercriminals use those
vulnerabilities, flaws, bugs, and obsolete
features to attack the computers and the networks.

The security professionals always keep a close eye

on the code, features of the code, bugs, possible
vulnerabilities, and other security-related aspects
to make improvements in the system and
application software
For keeping your computer updated with the security patches,
you should need to install patches and install newer versions of
the following applications:
• Use the latest version of the OS of your choice.
• Always install OS software updates regularly without any delay.
• Always use genuine security software programs.
• Avoid using free programs, which may bring some malware
accompanied with them.
• Always put your security applications on auto-updating option.
• Update every software application that you use
on your computer.
• Remove all applications that you do not use.
• Always use the latest versions of the software
utilities and applications on your computer.
• Do not use the cracked version of software
applications, it may be very dangerous for your
data and computer security.
• Never delay in installing downloaded updates.