Online Security

Today's Community Chest was aflurry with all kinds of techy bits and bobs. Dominik Lukes was in the studio providing brilliant advice to do with online security. Here's the breakdown of what he had to say:

1: keeping the computer safe: - don't click on links in emails - don't open attachments - turn automatic updates on in Windows and other software - only install software updates from the original pages

2: keeping your data safe: - back up everything on an external hard drive - back up key data online - encrypt confidential data

3. keeping your identity safe: - choose secure passwords - only transmit important data over encrypted connections (SSL/https) - never send personal info via email - learn how to recognise phishing and smishing attacks Important things to bear in mind are that most normal users don't have to worry too much. If you just go on mainstream, big name websites, then a Windows Firewall should be enough for you and a free antivirus software like AVG should provide enough protection. (Things like Norton and McAfee may well just slow down your computer with all their unnecessary extras, so it's worth uninstalling and getting something nice and streamlined like AVG or Avast). If you are a light user, then your main worry is attachments to emails. It's just not really worth opening these. Nothing is funny enough to warrant getting a virus! When visiting websites, if the site suggests you need to download something in order to be able to view the page (for example Flash on a youtube page), never follow the link the webpage automatically displays. It's safer to go to the original site (eg for Flash http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/).

Sometimes when things pop up, they are designed so that no matter where you click on the box (even if, you think you are clicking on a cancel button!) they will start downloading something or taking you somewhere. It is always safest to click on the red cross in the corner of the box to close it. Also, make sure you never get rid of a computer without wiping the harddrive. There is software out there for this. I'll update the blog with this info soon! Not everything in the bullet points above got covered today.

Next week Dominik will be covering who you can trust online, and hopefully going through anything that he didn't have time for today. If you've got any tech questions, feel free to send them through in advance or on the day and Dominik will see what he can do to aid you in your time of need! Oh, and another techy thing that came out of today's show, in our first spot focussing on older people and the internet, is that local libraries provide IT training. If this is something you're interested in get in touch with your local library and they should be able to tell you more! So, there we go! See you next week!