How to Secure a Computer Running Windows 10 or 11
Windows is the dominate computer operating system. Since
Windows has such a large installed base it is the main focus for
malware and cybercrime. At last report there are many thousands
of new Windows based malware programs created everyday. There
are also now large organized crime rings throughout the world
who have discovered that cybercrime is a low risk, high reward
endeavor, and are pursuing cybercrime very aggressively. If you
use Windows to access a network it is imperative that you take
all possible security precautions.
Step 1:Backup Computer and Set Restore Point.
If you are attempting to secure an already used computer there
is a chance the process causes you to lose valuable data. To
guard against data loss a full backup of your hard drive is
recommended. The easiest and safest way to go is to use an
external hard drive. A good place to start shopping for hard
drives is Newegg.com. It has low prices and lots of user
reviews. These will help you find good external hard drive and
price to beat:
Newegg
External Hard Drives
Windows 10 currently only offers a backup utility. However, it
is simpler to setup and makes it easier to automatic backups. To
learn how to setup Windows 10 backup follow the link below:
Windows
10 and 11 Backup
If you are attempting to secure an already used computer there
is a chance that the securing process causes Windows to function
incorrectly. To guard against this you should also set a
Restore Point. If Windows starts to behave incorrectly you can
sometimes fix it by restoring your Windows installation to an
earlier restore point.
To learn how to set a restore point in Windows 10 read the
information at the following link:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/create-a-system-restore-point
Step 2: Make sure Windows
Automatic Update is turned on.
Windows, like most software, has many security flaws that can be
taken advantage of by malware. Many security patches are made
available for Windows by Microsoft to fix these flaws. Before
putting any security software on Windows you should make sure it
is updated using Windows Automatic Update feature.
To turn on automatic updates in Windows 10 and 11:
Manage
updates in Windows
Step 3: Check that all
non-Windows software you use to access Internet has automatic
updates turned on.
Check all non-Windows programs you use to access the Internet
(email, web browsers, PDF viewers, social programs, iTunes,
etc.) and make sure that automatic updating is enabled. You can
often find these settings by looking at the options presented at
the top of an open window. If you cannot find
the updating functions you can use Google to find the location.
Step 4: Install Firewall to
protect from unauthorized network traffic
Next you need to block unauthorized network access to your
computer. This is the job for a firewall. A software firewall
will attempt to keep unauthorized network traffic off your
computer, or if some malware does infect your computer stop it
from sending information back out on to the network. Both
Windows 10 and 11 all have built-in firewalls. However, since
these are on by default this is one layer of security the bad
guys will spend time learning how to beat. This is why it is
recommended you supplement the Windows built-in firewall with a
third party firewall. Download and install the following
firewall to supplement the Windows built-in firewall:
Tiny Firewall:
http://tinywall.pados.hu/download.php
Step 5: Install malware detection software (anti-virus)
and set to update each time Internet is accessed.
(TWO IMPORTANT NOTES:
1) If
you have any malware detection software installed (usually
called anti-virus software) make sure you uninstall the
software before installing its below listed equivalent.
2)
When installing software make sure to read each dialog box
during the install process and uncheck any other programs that
you do not want installed. Also, do not be scared into buying
the upgrade version. If you do all the security steps listed
here you will have good protection.)
Once you have Windows backed up, and updated, you are ready to
put on the following malware detection software to stop viruses,
Trojan horses, worms, adware, spyware, rootkits etc. from
infecting your computer:
Avast Free Windows 10 (make sure to click the Free Download
button):
https://www.avast.com/windows-10-antivirus
Avast Free Windows 11 (make sure to click the Free Download
button):
https://www.avast.com/windows-11-antivirus
Step 6: Create
a password protected Local (or Standard)
user account for yourself and for any other users of your
computer.
When you turn on a Windows computer for the first time it
asks you for some information (name, time zone, etc.) and then
automatically creates an administrator user account. An
administrator user account means that you are allowed to make
changes to the computer such as installing new software. After
that each time the computer starts up it automatically logs the
user into the administrator account. This practice creates two
security problems. One, it means that anyone who has physical
access to the computer (roommates, parents, thieves, etc) could
gain access to all the information on the computer. Two, if the
computer is attacked by malware (viruses, Trojan horses, worms,
etc) the software can more easily install itself since a
computer administrator account is allowed to install software.
To eliminate these two security flaws on a Windows computer
learn how to create a Local user account and assign a password
to the new account.
How to create a local account in Windows 10 and 11:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-a-local-user-or-administrator-account-in-windows-20de74e0-ac7f-3502-a866-32915af2a34d
Step 7: Consider using the
Tor web browser and a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
for web activity.
To
learn about Tor please visit the following web site:
https://www.torproject.org/about/overview.html.en
To learn about Virtual Private Networks please read the
information at the following link:
https://thebestvpn.com/what-is-vpn-beginners-guide/
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