Archives - Security Best Practice


Why is computer security important?

Because computers play such critical roles in our lives, and because we input and view so much personally identifiable information on them, it’s imperative to implement and maintain computer security. Computers are an essential part of our everyday lives. It’s important to properly configure your home computer before connecting it to the internet to keep […]

Watch out for fake antivirus

A lot of security software isn’t reputable. Some programs will actually increase your risk despite branding themselves as “cleaners” or “shields” for your activities. Stick with a well-established vendor such as Total Defense and be wary of insistent warnings and aggressive installation prompts.

Watch out for unsubscribe buttons in sketchy emails

Say you receive an email that has typos and asks you to do something risky like visit a strange site. You click “unsubscribe,” thinking you’ll be spared any such communications in the future. In reality, you might become more vulnerable by doing so. The safest route is to simply delete the message, or blacklist its […]

Perform routine activities from a non-administrator account

If you’re sending an email or quickly checking a website on a PC or Mac, do so from a non-administrator account. That way, if something goes wrong, the permissions available to the attacker or malware will be much less extensive, stemming the potential damage.

Know how to identify a fake social media profile

Many social media accounts are fake and designed to harvest data through deceit. One way to see if a profile is fraudulent is by downloading its profile picture and then doing a quick Google image search to see if it’s actually a stock photo. If it is, the profile is risky to engage with and […]

Remove legacy plugins such as Flash and Shockwave

Plugins used to be essential to many rich web applications, but they’ve gradually been supplanted by technologies included in HTML 5. While some sites still require add-ons like Flash, it’s more efficient and safer to uninstall them, especially considering that Adobe – which makes Flash and Shockwave – has already announced their discontinuation. Doing so […]