Lately, there has been a lot of news about credit card hacking, email scams, and data security breaches. Information is stolen and then bought and sold daily. While often times there is little that can be done to prevent large-scale thefts of credit card numbers (remember Target?), there are a few simple things that you can do to protect your personal information and keep your computer running healthy.
1) Never give out your passwords – Unless you are under the age of 18 and your parents require it, you should never EVER give someone your password. Passwords are the “keys to the gate” of your personal information.
2) Run your updates - With a few exceptions, you should always run your Windows updates. They often contain security patches which further ensure that your computer is safe from malicious attacks
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3) Install reputable anti-spyware software and update it regularly - Spyware can steal your personal information and address books, flood your browser with pop-up ads, slow down your internet connection, and ultimately crash your computer. While I am making no guarantees or endorsements, I have had good luck with Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware. Both are available free of charge online.
4) Have reputable anti-virus software installed on your computer and update it regularly - Some anti-virus software can run upwards of $50 or more. There are reputable, free anti-virus software downloads available online. Again, I am not making guarantees or endorsements, but both AVG and AVAST have a solid reputation and are available free of charge. A virus can corrupt or delete data from your computer and email itself to other computers (your friends will love you).
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5) Never open files from unknown sources - In fact, don’t open files from known sources if the file doesn’t seem legitimate. There was a scam email going around last year that said something to the effect of “Check out this old video I found of you lol” and it would come from one of your friends or family members. Again – if it doesn’t seem legitimate – it’s not.
6) Back up your data to an external hard drive - External hard drives are cheap and easy to use. Using and regularly updating your data onto an external hard drive will help ensure that your pictures of Grandma’s 100th birthday celebration aren’t wiped out if your computer crashes.
Ultimately, the time will come when it is time to say goodbye to your old computer. Technology is moving along quickly as it seems that as soon as you buy a computer it’s time to replace it.
When that time comes, ensure that your computer is responsibly recycled by a company that is nationally R2 certified and will wipe/destroy all your data. MRC Computer and Electronic Recycling is that company. After taking steps to protect your passwords, install anti-spyware software, anti-virus software, keep current with updates, and backup up your information – why would you just assume your recycler is going to take your data as seriously as you do. We do take it seriously.
For more information, feel free to contact me at scott@midwrc.net or call me at 314-623-8979.
Keeping it Green – Scottie Farrow/MRC Computer and Electronics Recycling