Securing Your Home Network

You have probably read about how people are able to gain access to an individual's computer and essentially steal all their personal data. There are many ways that this can be done without the owner even knowing that someone is trawling around within their computer right under their nose. There a few simple steps that you can do to safeguard your personal information from internet predators.

Your home network is your first step to securing your personal data from the outside. You should have a secure perimeter network that stops any potential intruders from accessing your data. It is by far better to stop intruders at the perimeter rather than at your computer. Make sure that you have a hardware firewall enabled at the point where your home equipment connects to your internet connection. Hardware firewalls are more difficult to hack and do a good job of keeping unwanted eyes from seeing your personal computer.

A hardware firewall for homes normally comes in the form of a router. Some people have a modem connected to their internet connection but these do not come with a hardware firewall and are not secure. Make sure that you are using a router with a hardware firewall between your computer and the internet connection. If you are not sure which one has been supplied by your service provider, have a look at the original documentation or phone your service provider and ask them.

Most routers provided by internet service providers are wireless. This means that if you have a laptop, you can connect to the internet using a wireless network card from your laptop to the router, and finally out onto the internet. Even if you don't have a laptop and use a desktop computer, the router from your service provider will still have the wireless functionality enabled. This wireless connection broadcasts a name called an SSID. This can be picked up by any wireless device normally within a 50m radius of your home. You need to make sure that the wireless broadcast is switched off if you do not use it. If you have a laptop and use it to connect to the internet wirelessly, make sure that it uses an encryption key to secure all communications. The older type of encryption is WEP and is now less secure; you should be using WPA which is more secure. Read the documentation that came with the router on how to configure encryption on your router.

Author : Mike JJ Johnson
Mike Johnson has worked within the It industry for over 15 years. You can also view his latest website over at Double Curtain Rods and Wood Curtain Rods.
Source : EzineArticles.Com

You have probably read about how people are able to gain access to an individual's computer and essentially steal all their personal data. There are many ways that this can be done without the owner even knowing that someone is trawling around within their computer right under their nose. There a few simple steps that you can do to safeguard your personal information from internet predators[...]

Downloading Free Spyware Adware Removal Programs

There was a time when the person did not have to worry about viruses, spyware, worms and other headaches. Unfortunately, these things are here and people have to deal with it rather than becoming another victim.

Given that this problem affects everyone on a global scale, software companies have come out with various products to deal with the threat. Here are a few examples of those that are quite popular in the market.

1. McAfee is one of the many software companies that can help make those spyware and adware programs go away. Unfortunately, people have to pay for it since it doesn’t offer a 15 or a 30-day trial period.

2. Those who have genuine installed windows operating systems can download Windows Defender for free. The system will scan for potential problems and get rid of it, product updates will be downloaded automatically and problems incurred will be reported back to Microsoft so a solution can be made to fix the problem.

3. Those who feel more comfortable after getting a good review from some of the top PC magazines can also try downloading Spybot Search and Destroy. This program solves any spyware and adware currently in the computer and keeps it out for good.

4. Adaware is another company that has been around providing security for computer users. It has various versions and those who will use it for personal get downloaded the program for free. Those who choose it to use it for business will have to pay a fee.

5. Ewido Security Suite is also another free program that can take care of both spyware and adware. The designers of the system have even designed it to handle Trojans, dialers, worms and keylogger.

6. Another company joining the fight against spyware and adware is Symantec. It has various versions available and the individual can download the software for a 30-day free trial period. After the time is up, the customer can choose to buy the program to ensure the computer is safe from any threats.

7. Spyware Guard is a free program courtesy of Java Cool. It works just like the others making sure no harm comes to the files inside the computer.

The products just mentioned are the most frequently used by people in the market. All the free spyware and adware programs once downloaded will first scan the computer for any problems and once these have been identified, will be deleted preventing it from coming back.

Software and Adware programs can be purchased online or from the store. The person should make sure that there is enough space in the hard drive so this can be installed and fully operational within minutes.

It will also be a good idea to make sure the software that is about to be downloaded comes from a reputable site because there are some bogus programs that are just as harmful as the spyware and adware itself.

Computer users are also advised to set up a firewall and a backup disk because no matter how great the system is, hackers and other designers out there are still coming up with newer ones that can bypass the system.

Given that the threat is always there, won’t it be good idea to get something that can protect the computer? There was a time when the person did not have to worry about viruses, spyware, worms and other headaches[...]