With all the press about problems of computer security, people are worried. However, some people who should be worried about it don't think it applies to them or are just oblivious to the problem. But I have known such people to have major computer problems as a result. Let me give you some tips so something like this doesn't happen to you.

1. Run Antivirus Software and Keep Its Virus Definitions Up To Date: Having antivirus software running in the background in intercept mode (always looking for viruses on or coming into your system) is considered mandatory these days for anyone on a network, especially the Internet, or who share files between computers. This is in part because you no longer have to open a file to have your computer infected with a virus; your computer can be fooled into installing it automatically.

Update your antivirus definitions at least weekly and if you hear something really nasty has come out go to your antivirus software company's website to get information how to best combat it, including installing a new set of virus definitions. You should also run a weekly full system antivirus scan. There might be something that arrived before your antivirus definitions got the update with the definition of it, and this should pick it up. Discounts or rebates on antivirus software usually can be found. Even one antivirus software maker, Grisoft (www.grisoft.com), will allow you to get one free copy of their personal edition of antivirus software with free virus definition updates.

2. Run A Firewall: A firewall limits what gets in and out of a computer over a network. You may have a dedicated hardware firewall between yourself and a network, such as the Internet; however, such firewalls may only protect you from what may come into your computer, not what is going out. If you clicked on a file with an email worm and your antivirus software did not pick it up, the hardware firewall will not prevent the worm's dedicated email client to send out a copy of itself to all those in your email address book. As such, it is best to run a software firewall too. Windows XP comes with a simple firewall, but it is turned off by default. Turn it on until you get something better. Windows XP Service Pack 2 is suppose to come with a very good firewall, but for now you should install a good third party firewall. Some of them are free. I personally use the free version of Zone Alarm from Zone Labs (www.zonelabs.com), but their Pro (paid) version has a lot of nice features that many people like.

3. Run Anti-spyware Software: Spyware is mostly something someone installs on your computer to track your movements on the Internet. However, some of the anti-spyware programs also look for Trojan horses that try to partially or fully enable someone else to control your computer for their purposes. Two highly regarded anti-spyware programs are Ad-aware from Lavasoft (www.lavasoftusa.com) and Spybot Search and Destroy (www.safer-networking.org). Both have free versions and updates. They also have the ability to block at least some of spyware/Trojan horses being installed on your system. You should do an anti-spyware scan weekly. Remember that some websites and programs require you have tracking cookies or spyware running to work, be careful in what you tell the anti-spyware program to remove.

4. Don't Open Attachments: Don't open email attachments unless you know they were going to be sent ahead of time. A lot of attachments contain viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Remember that some email worms not only grab email address out of someone's addresses book to send to, but also grab one of them to act as the spoofed email sending address. As such, something that says it is from one of your friends may not be.

5. Update OS Software: Microsoft Windows has been referred to as security hole disguising itself as an operating system. A lot of this came from a programming philosophy where to reduce tech support calls they wanted just about everything to be able to run without the user changing any settings, which left a number of things open by default that shouldn't have been, and missing a release date set by marketing was an unpardonable sin.

The consequences for Microsoft's reputation have been dire, which has changed their programming philosophy to give security a priority. The new philosophy is suppose to be fully shown in Windows XP Service Pack 2, which unlike previous Microsoft products has more services turned off by default and having some security measures, including a firewall, turned on by default.

If you are running Windows run Windows Update (www.microsoft.com) at least weekly. A majority of the Windows patches show up on the first Wednesday of the month, but urgent patches can show up anytime. If you are running other operating systems check regularly for security patches on the appropriate websites.

6. Update Internet/Network Software: Not only should you update you operating systems, but also update the applications software you run on a network. This would include your web browser, email, FTP, chat, and other network using software. Remember that so much software can now access a network, so this may also include your word processing or other productivity software.

7. Be Suspicious of Email Inquires: You may get inquires that look like they may come from your bank, payment service, ISP, and other places asking you update your account information with a link where to do it. It's probably not them. The link, even thought it says it is going to the appropriate website, may be going to a false website to get information about you including credit card, bank account, or customer numbers which can be used in identity theft related fraud. Also those links may send you to a website through which they will try to install remote access software or other bad things on your computer. Attachments they say to click on for review may also be Trojan horses trying to do the same thing.

8. Get your Software From A Reliable Source: Get your software from reputable, trusted, or well known stores; directly from the company; sites that the manufacturer/publisher directs you to; or places that a significant number of people you trust have recommended. Download software from long lasting well know and respected download sites (examples: Tucows and Download.com), and university sites that only allow their IT people to post software (Kazaa, E-Donkey, and warez newsgroups are not such places). A lot of pirated software contains Trojan horses that are used to turn computers into zombies for distributed denial of service attacks and sending spam. They also contain viruses and worms.

9. Run a Non-Microsoft Web Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer has had so many security problems many well-respected consulting firms have advised their clients to replace it with something else. I personally use Mozilla (www.mozilla.org) and it's free. Netscape (www.netscape.com) is there, but there have been questions about continued development of it. Opera is considered good and comes in free and paid versions (www.opera.com). For those of you wanting to be on the cutting edge there is Firefox from Mozilla. It still is in beta, but many people like it and use it as their default browser. Keep Internet Explorer, but use it only when necessary (some websites will not work well without it). Have something else as your default browser.

10. When A Website Gives An Unsolicited Invitation To Install Something Say No: Sometimes when I visit a website a window will suddenly pop up and ask me if I want to install something so I will get more out of the website. Sometimes it's ok, but a majority of the time it is asking you to install spyware without telling you that's what it is. It could be something even worse. A good philosophy on this is to Just Say No.

11. Consider Not Running Active-X and Java Applets and Scripts: This is a tip for those who are extremely concerned about security and may not be for the majority. In many browsers there are switches in the options/preferences section where you can disable running Active-X and Java applets and scripts. These applets and scripts have the potential of installing something nasty into your computer event though there are suppose to be precautions taken against doing that. Some people have these apps turned off and then when something doesn't work on a website they make a decision whether to turn the ability back on again or not just for a while on that site.

These are just a few tips to help keep you computer secure. May your computing be healthy and be free of viruses and other parasites.

Timothy Everingham is CEO of Timothy Everingham Consulting in Azusa, California. He is also Chair (CEO) of the Los Angeles Chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH, the largest chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques and one of Southern California's significant professional organizations within the entertainment and media industries. He is also on the Management Information Systems Program Advisory Board of California State University, Fullerton; which he also graduated from with honors with the double majors of Management Information Systems and Accounting. In addition he is the Vice President of the Windows Media Users' Group of Los Angeles. He is also part-time press in the areas of high technology, computers, video, audio, and entertainment/media and has had articles published throughout the United States and Canada plus Australia, England, & Japan. He is a member of TUGNET. Further information can be found at http://home.earthlink.net/~teveringham