There is a lot of good information out there on how to secure your PC’s and I don’t intend to repeat any of these. What I do want to do is document what I tell my friends and family in one place so that I can easily point them at it – rather than me waffling on each time. I also want to add in a “how to” remain safe when using your PC.

The order in which these steps are approached greatly depends on individual circumstances – is the machine brand new, has it already been used on the web … and so on. Anyway, without further ado:

• ensure all OS updates / patches have been applied
• install a software based firewall
• install a reputable AV application
• use malware scanners, etc on a regular basis

And that is the sum total of it.

Well, no, it isn’t but that is the basics. Of course questions will arise such as what firewall, what AV, what do I do with the alerts, etc., and it is these I will attempt to answer now.

1. Update your PC. Ensure your PC is running the latest service pack and has got all the latest patches. This one is a simple matter of going to the Windows Update site and following the prompts.
2. Install a firewall. There is a lot of debate as to whether you need this with some thought being that ‘if you’re behind a router and have up to date AV then no you don’t’ – however I strongly disagree. We all fall prey to installing software or clicking on something that perhaps we shouldn’t and this is where a software firewall comes into it’s own. Software firewalls primarily work by alerting the user to outbound connections and it is these we need to be most wary of – as once we allow an outbound connection the reverse is also true.My current choice of free firewall for home use is Tall Emu’s Online Armor <sic, but equally as good is Comodo’s. There are marginally better paid versions (including Tall Emu) but I’d suggest keeping an eye on Matousec’s site for the latest news.
3. Install anti-virus. This is an absolute must. These days, most AV software will also do basic malware scanning so please don’t fall into the trap of buying a suite (av/firewall/malware/etc all in one). The decent free versions out there are from Avast and AVG but for what it’s worth I use Nod32 for £30 a year.And whilst here, you must make sure you keep you AV signature base up to date.
4. The rest.

My other advice is:

- do all your surfing in a sandbox / virtual session – this will keep your surfing sessions separate from your day to day PC activities and you can more or less click on anything without affecting your PC. Once done, close the sandbox session and all you’ve just done disappears. This includes installing apps that you want to try. For this I recommend (and use) Sandboxie – which is also free.

- don’t click on anything you don’t recognise. This includes the latest attachment from your mates unless you are expecting it. If in doubt, question it.

- use online AV scans periodically to supplement your installed one. A second opinion is always worth it. Here’s Trend, Bitdefender and Panda Security versions.

- use anti-malware scanners from time to time, such as A-Squared or Window Security variants.

- don’t use IE it is a security nightmare. If you insist you like it better, or websites only work with it then install and use Firefox along with IE Tab.

- use some form of web filter to semi-automate you being shielded away from the bad sites. For a free one that works well but is currently a one size fits all approach, then try Bluecoats K9.

- don’t use Outlook or any of its variants. Or if you insist on doing so, then get a Google mail account and then collect your now mostly filtered mail from there. Locally also run spamfighter to grab anything that google misses – between the two you’ll have a mostly spam free inbox.

That, in a nutshell is it. Yes I could go on and on, but then a line needs to be drawn somewhere. What I will add is that if you suspect your PC of being infected already then a slightly different approach needs to be taken.