Tips for protecting your computer and personal information
The internet has now become an essential business, social, entertainment and educational resource for most Australians. The increasing level of economic transactions on the internet is making it the focus of criminal activities. It is important that internet users protect themselves from falling prey to these activities. The following tips list some simple precautions you can take to minimise the chances of becoming a victim of online criminals.
- Install anti-virus and other security software, such as anti-spyware and anti-spam software. Use and update this software regularly. Use an auto-update facility if this is available. You can set most virus software to scan your computer at a set time. Information about anti-virus software is available from the Internet Industry Association website.
- Regularly download and install the latest security patches for your computer software, including your web-browser. Use automatic software security updates where possible.
- Use a firewall and make sure it is turned on. Firewalls help prevent unauthorised access to, and communications from, your computer. More information on the use of firewalls is found on the Internet Industry Association website.
- Delete suspect emails immediately. Don't open these emails - but if you open an email and it is any way suspect…
- Don't click on links in suspect emails. Visiting websites through clicking on links in suspect emails may result in malware (malicious software), such as a ‘trojan', being downloaded to your computer. This is a commonly used and effective means of compromising your computer.
- Only open an attachment to an email where the sender and the contents of the attachment are known to you. Suspect emails should be deleted immediately. If an attachment needs to be opened, it should be checked by anti-virus software before opening.
- Don't download files or applications from suspect websites. The file or application could be malware. Sometimes the malware may even be falsely represented as e-security software designed to protect you.
- Use long and random passwords for any application that provides access to your personal identity information, including logging onto your computer. Don't use dictionary words as a password. Ideally, the password should be eight or more characters in length. Change passwords regularly.
- Use a limited permission account for browsing the web, creating documents, reading email, and playing games. If your operating system allows you to create a limited permission account, this can prevent malicious code from being installed onto your computer. A ‘limited permission' account is an account that does not have ‘Administrator' status.
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