Lelan's Computer Security Tips

Lelan Callaway's
Computer Security Tips
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To ward off ugly creatures I have my AntiVirus and Windows
set for auto updates but I also do a manual update on my system at least weekly.
Defragmenting your hard drive often is a very good idea and time well spent.
Click Here for My Suggested Routine Computer Maintenance

It is ALWAYS a safe practice to NOT open attachments from an unknown source or from a known source if you were not expecting an attachment. You need to be especially careful of attached files with these extensions: ade adp bas bat chm cmd com cpl crt exe hlp hta inf ins isp js jse lnk mdb mde msc msi msp mst pcd pif reg scr sct shs url vb vbs wsc wsf wsh

You can and will get email notes that appear to come from someone you know and they will have had NOTHING to do with sending it to you.

When you get a note that seems “too good to be true” please take the time to check it out before you pass it on to your entire address list

If you get a note that seems to come from your bank, credit card company, etc do NOT click on the link in the note.
DELETE the Note.
Go to your bank or credit card company's web site from your browser and check it out or call them.

Before opening a file from a USB Flash Drive, external drive, floppy disk, etc … scan it for viruses … a few seconds can save you hours.

What are the email etiquette rules?
Top 10 Most Important Rules of Email Netiquette - About Email

It is VERY important to have a good ANTI-VIRUS program and UPDATED defiinitons.

SPYWARE is becoming an serious problem. You may want to try ThreatFire which is free at www.threatfire.com

A comparison of Anti-Virus and Spyware software worth checking out is online at http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com

The Belarc Advisor builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, including Microsoft Hotfixes, and displays the results in your Web browser. All of your PC profile information is kept private on your PC and is not sent to any web server.

Steps you can take to improve your computer's security microsoft.com/security/protect/default.asp or microsoft.com/security

Update your Microsoft Office at office.microsoft.com/officeupdate

You can perform a free security check on your computer at symantec.com/securitycheck.

Symantec (makers of Norton AntiVirus) provide information about the latest virus threats and security advisories at: securityresponse.symantec.com

Some really practical information can be found at cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity

www.cnet.com, www.komando.com, www.pcworld.com are good sources for computer news.

The Microsoft Knowledge Base is a great place to start software problem solving.
Microsoft Expert Zone Columns and Woodyswatch are a good places for information.

I’m sure you have all heard of Worms, Trojan Horses, and Viruses that are floating around cyberspace attacking innocent computers. There are “writers” busy creating Worms, Trojan Horses, Hoaxes and Viruses around the clock so please keep your anti-virus software updated.