Some basics:

If you use the internet, you run the risk of a malicious attack by hackers from anywhere in the world. You can take some simple steps to secure your computer.

Firewalls
Firewalls are probably your best friend on the internet. There is plenty free and legal software to allow someone to find information about your computer relatively easily if you have no firewall. Not having a firewall enabled is akin to waving an “attack me” flag. If you have a weak password (discussed below) in addition, your will inevitably be attacked, whether by software or hackers.

How do you defend yourself? Turn on your firewall! It just takes one click in the control panel. You can also use a firewall program like ZoneAlarm or a device such as a router.

Passwords
The easiest way to be attacked online is to have a weak password or no password at all. Take for example your administrator account on your laptop. If it has no password, it takes almost no effort to gain access to all of your files. If you don’t have a password, and your firewall is off, someone in Tajikistan could be listening to your mp3s or deleting your term paper, forcing you to look consider a data recovery service. You should also rename your administrator account from “Administrator” to something else. This makes it harder for someone to break in.

How do you protect yourself? Easy! Microsoft recommends using at least seven characters. Mix in some symbols, numbers, capital and lower-case letters, and you’ve got yourself a decent password. If your password is “jane123”, it takes almost no time for an experienced hacker to guess – there is plenty software that does all the work. Change that to J@nE12#!, and there’s almost no way to crack it without a supercomputer. Although less critical, you can use the same idea when setting up email and other passwords.

Viruses, Spyware, Adware, Trojans, Malware, Pop-ups, Phishing, etc
Even if you have a strong password and a good firewall, you’re not quite out of the water yet. It’s easy to come across some malicious software while surfing the net or reading email. Your computer can even get infected by simply visiting a site! This category is one of the most common ways to be attacked online. These programs can do anything from gather information about your net surfing habits to stealing credit card information to destroying your operating system. Use P2P software such as Limewire, Kazaa, DC++ or other sharing programs? You’re opening a door for malicious software into your computer.

You can take steps to protect yourself against these threats. Use common sense. If you get a file or a link from someone promising you something free, don’t open it. Install anti virus software. You can choose from a myriad of free and paid software, each with advantages and disadvantages too complex to describe here. If you already have a virus, installing one of these will probably not be effective. You need to have these installed BEFORE you get a virus or spyware.

Make sure you have automatic updates enabled if you use Windows. Microsoft releases many security related patches which may protect you.

You should also disable hidden shares if you use Windows 2000 or XP. These can be used by hackers to gain access to ANY your files if they have your username and password.

Unfortunately, many viruses target Internet Explorer and Outlook Express because these packages are so popular. A simple security precaution might be to use another browser or email client, or at the very least, set IE’s security settings to high.

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