Don Trauger – Kennett
Listed below are things to keep in mind about how you use your computer and how to shield it against malware attacks.
Install an Anti-Virus Program. With the Windows operating system you automatically have an Antivirus program as part of Windows. It’s called Windows Security. It’s not as robust as pay-for Anti-Virus programs but it does provide good coverage. If you already have your own pay-for Anti-Virus then you are ahead of the game. If you need one, Bitdefender Total Security is an excellent choice. Find it at www.bitdefender.com.
Install a Password Manager. A password manager program can control you online security by generating long mixed content passwords. Password length should be considered with sensitive sites. 20 characters are the norm. You don’t want to try to remember such lengthy passwords or even write them down and then type them into your website login. Let a password manager do that for you. Bitwarden is a free one and 1Password is a good pay-for one.
Keep Your Software Up to Date. Windows Update will take care of automatically updating the Windows system but click on Settings then click Windows Update to check the setup. First, turn off Get the latest updates as soon as they are available. Don’t subject your computer to Microsoft’s early software update mistakes by leaving the switch on. You will eventually get them after the early updates have been baked in. For even more protection against update software mistakes, you can pause updates for a period and delay them for 4-5 weeks. Do this pause routine 4-6 days prior to the second Tuesday of each month. The second Tuesday starts the new round of monthly updates and pausing them offers you time to give Microsoft the chance to correct update problems. I’ll emphasize that there’s only a very slight chance of malware getting through during a pause period. Should that occur, your anti-virus should block it.
Be Aware When Browsing Internet Sites. If you are one to investigate little known web sites to see what they have to offer, that can be risky. Web sites that you have never heard of can be sources of Malware. Avoid clicking links or pictures on such websites. Never enter personal information until you have checked out the web site. One browser extension that can help is Bitdefender’s TrafficLight. If a site is safe to explore it will place a green checkmark next to that site when doing a Google search. It will also show yellow or red checkmarks indicating to not enter that site. You can get it here:
https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/consumer/trafficlight.
Identify Phishing Scams. Phishing scams come to your computer in unsolicited emails. They are after your personal credentials. They may concoct some story about your bank account needing to be updated to the latest version of software or some other excuse. They are out to separate you from your money. There are many different fake stories out there. Here’s a legitimate one. If you shop at Amazon, their legitimate emails always end with amazon.com. For example, an email showing a shipment’s progress will show
Notice that it ends with amazon.com. Avoid clicking links in unsolicited emails.
Set up Two-Factor Authentication for Your Accounts. You may have already run into this. It is described as filling in your name and password as usual at a site, but before you can go further a screen pops up with five or six blank spaces that you fill in with a code that is sent to your cell phone. After entering that code your destination window should open. Even if a hacker would have your login credentials, they won’t have the code that is provided to you on your phone. 2FA is the norm for almost every banking site.