Hacking into a home computer is the easiest task for cybercriminals because Windows is full of vulnerabilities. In this article, you will learn how to limit the threat by properly configuring the operating system.
According to experts in information security, only every tenth user has antivirus installed. But even such software does not provide absolute protection. We will tell, how reliably to reduce threats from the Network.
Safety of an operating system
To see if your computer is infected, install a fresh version of the antivirus. You should also check your system with the Spybot utility. This combination should detect all uninvited guests. The next step is prevention. Here the first place is occupied by installing Windows updates. Take advantage of the automatic installation that the system offers by default.
In addition to this, you should enable individual updates to other Microsoft products. To do this, go to the Control Panel and select “Update and Security” here. Click on “Advanced settings” and activate the “Provide updates for other Microsoft products when you update Windows” option.
5 tips: quick protection for your desktop PC
> Installing System Updates: Activate the Windows Update Auto Installation so you don’t miss important fixes.
> Installing antivirus: we recommend using domestic products from Kaspersky Lab and Doctor Web, which also have free products.
> Program Updates: Close security gaps in third-party applications, such as Adobe Reader and Java.
> Check for browser extensions: browse the list of installed plug-ins and get rid of unknown ones.
> Checking the OS with security tools: Spybot will rid your system of spyware.
Security on the Web
The technology and quality of the Internet are improving every day and cyber-attacks are unfortunately not slower. To protect against online attacks, it is recommended to access the Internet via VPN if possible. This is especially true when you are going to browse sites from your laptop on open wireless networks. The Opera browser already has a built-in VPN tool that interacts even with messaging services such as WhatsApp. In this case, all traffic is encrypted over the network when entering sites and correspondence.
Optimal protection against hackers at a high level offers a browser running in a virtual machine, such as BitBox. Malware will not be able to infect a Windows system from such a web browser. Attention: BitBox should only be used on a powerful computer, otherwise the program will be severely slowed down.
Alternatively, you can contact the Quad9 DNS service. It is managed jointly by IBM and Global Cyber Alliance. When using Quad9 as a DNS server, it will automatically filter out infected pages. The service receives information from F-Secure, an IT security specialist.
To use such a server under Windows, go to “Control Panel | Network and Internet | Network and Sharing Center | Change adapter settings”. Right-click on the name of your network adapter and select “| IP version 4 (TCP/IPv4) properties” in the menu. Here, for the DNS server, enter the address “9.9.9.9” and confirm the changes by clicking on “OK”.