Online Safety for the Home User

Greetings from IT!

I’d like to pass along some “Home User Security Tips”.  This list was generated from a recent IT Security conference I attended, and is a compilation of 21 tips agreed upon by over 100 IT professional attendees.

FYI:  When it came to certain recommendations, there were clear favorites (MalwareBytes, CCleaner, ExpressVPN, etc.).  In other areas, such as anti-virus, there are simply too many “acceptable” options to list a clear favorite.  In the anti-virus arena, the important thing is to choose a reputable option, and KEEP IT UPDATED.

When it comes to online safety for children, I strongly urge parents/guardians to invest as much into your child’s online activities as you would in their real-world activities.  I’m not suggesting you need to sit over their shoulder every second they are in front of a screen, but you may want to sit with them while they do some homework, or check out that new game they bought for a few minutes (my 14 year-old loves to watch me play so he can tell me how bad I am).

21 HOME COMPUTER TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE ONLINE

  1. Don’t run Windows XP. Use Windows 7, 10 or Mac OSX and make updates automatic.
  2. Back up your data to an external hard drive or the cloud.
  3. Your smartphone is a handheld computer make sure to apply those patches too.
  4. Update Java, Adobe Flash and Silverlight regularly. Set them to automatically update if you can. These programs are notoriously hacked.
  5. When you download and install software from the internet, avoid installing extras like Google Tool Bar and Chrome Browser. Some software will try to sneak these in on you. Uncheck these if you see them.
  6. Run only one Anti-Virus program. Pay to keep it updated if you have to and update it regularly. We don’t have a preference. Don’t trust antivirus exclusively. Safe surfing habits are the best way to prevent infection. The best antivirus is the one you use and keep updated.
  7. Cover your computer cameras with a small piece of tape, especially your kids.
  8. Download and install CCleaner free version. It cleans a lot of unwanted junk off your computer. Only get it from piriform.com. Run the cleaner once a week.
  9. Download and install MalwareBytes free version. It is a good anti-malware detector. It has to be updated before you use it the first time. Only get it from malwarebytes.org. Keep it updated and run it once a week.
  10. VirusTotal at https://www.virustotal.com is a great place to check files and links for viruses.
  11. Use the FireFox web browser mozilla.org. It is a great independent browser and the organization is big on privacy. Keep any browser you use up to date.
  12. FireFox’s greatest feature is the many plugins that you can install to enhance its security. If you feel comfortable with adding plugins, we like Ghostery, NoScript, uBlock Origin and HTTPs Everywhere. These can go a long way to protect your privacy online but remember, the more security you add to your browser, the less beautiful your online experience will be. This is why many people just choose to ignore security.
  13. For the more adventurous users look into sandbox programs like Sandboxie. Only download from sandboxie.com.
  14. Your children are a big security threat to your computers. They want to play online java based games. Most of these are great games and fairly harmless, but resist adding mods to any game unless you are experienced and are aware of the source. Many mod sites are bad.
  15. Teach your kids about online safety. Not just from hackers but also child predators. netsmartz.org is a great site for kids to learn about online security. Also, https://staysafeonline.org is a great resource.
  16. Enable appropriate parental controls on your TVs, Netflix accounts etc.
  17. You can get a free internet filter for your home at

https://www.opendns.com/home-internet-security/

You need to read and follow the instructions but it can go a long way to keeping your kids safe online by filtering out adult content.

  1. Teach your kids about phishing. They are often phished in chat rooms or through social media.
  2. Do not jailbreak your smart phones or side load third party apps. This can make your device vulnerable to hackers.
  3. Get a personal VPN https://www.expressvpn.com. A personal VPN can keep your internet surfing from being snooped on by your internet service provider and sold to marketing companies.
  4. Use a password manager like https://www.lastpass.com/families or https://www.dashlane.com/ and use 2-factor authentication on critical email accounts.

 

– Mark Swan, IT Manager/Network Administrator