Why You've Got to Play it Safe

The number of viruses and other threats that exist to your PC are growing at an astronomical rate, and keeping your computer protected is important. What is even more important, however, is keeping your information safe!

We use our computers for everything from online banking to making purchases using our credit cards, and making sure that this information is kept safe and private is essential to protecting yourself from identity thief. Here are some simple and quick tips for keeping your personal information safe if you use Internet Explorer 8!

Clear Your Temporary Internet Files

Every time you visit a website online your computer stores information such as images and files so that when you visit the site again it can load faster. This also includes information that you may have typed into forms, items you have placed in various shopping carts at online stores, and passwords that you have entered for various accounts. If you don’t periodically delete your temporary internet files not only are you leaving your personal information vulnerable to online predators and spyware, but you are slowing down your PC as well. Clearing your temporary internet files is easy.

• Click Start>

• Control Panel>
  

• Internet Options

• From the General Tab select Delete Files under Temporary Internet Files.

You can also clear your Temporary Internet Files directly from Internet Explorer, by selecting Tools>Internet Options.

Delete Your Cookies

Cookies are files that are stored on your computer that hold information about specific settings for various websites that you may have visited. These files send various pieces of information about how to configure a website to your account including things such as display settings, personal information, and history. Deleting cookies on a regular basis can keep your information protected, especially after signing into accounts that hold particularly sensitive data such as bank accounts, or when using the internet on a public wireless networks at a library or coffee shop. To delete cookies in Internet Explorer 8 simple

• Click Tools


• > Internet Options


• > Delete (in the Browsing History section)


• >Then Delete your Browsing History.

Make sure that the cookies selection is check-marked. It is also a good idea to have all the other options deleted as well.

Detecting Spyware and Other Threats

If your computer seems to be running more slowly than usual, or web pages seem to be loading more slowly then you may have spyware or another type of malware on your PC. This type of program is usually downloaded from emails, free programs available online from suspect sites and from bit torrent programs. There are a few ways that you can tell if you have spyware on your PC.

The first step is to make sure that you are running an up-to-date antivirus software that has spyware protection and a firewall. This should keep you protected as long as it is up-to-date. If you still think that you have a malicious program running on your PC, the next step is to see which programs are currently running on your computer. Spyware programs are usually running constantly and will be included in a list of these programs.

Press ctrl>alt>delete together. This will bring up the list of programs currently running on your computer. If you are using Vista or 7 then you will have to select the tab at the top that reads Processes. While most of these program names will mean nothing to you, you can easily look them up online to find out what they are.

These simple steps can keep your computer and your personal information protected.