The Ten Net Commandments

 Like a Policeman seeing the crime and stopping the bad guys, as a Computer Service Technician I see a lot of the seedy side of the computer world, spyware, viruses, and other mischievousness of “hackers.”  My job is to  eliminate the problems they cause so that computer users can go about their business on their computers.  Time after time I am asked “but how do I prevent these problems from happening in the first place”  In this article I will explain the best ways to keep these evils from infecting and affecting your computer.

 Live by these simple rules and ye shall compute with less problems:

 Thou shall not buy merchandise from pop-up ads or spam – making purchases from pop-ups is only asking for trouble as pop-ups are normally generated by some type of spyware.  Therefore you are encouraging spyware and yes, you guessed it, replying to spam spawns more spam.  So, counsel your friends, neighbors and relatives and the world will be a much better place to compute in.

 Thou shall not post thy email address, phone number, address or social security number to the internet, nor shall thou post anyone else's – This one is a little trickier because as we know to join any “group” or to conduct some business on the Internet you may be required to submit certain information such as your email address.  Bottom line here, just as in life giveth only when necessary and only to those you trust.

 Thou shall not forget to update thy Windows every second Tuesday – It is recommended that you update Windows whenever you get a notice to do so.  These updates are how they say “for your own good”.   You should ensure that you have automatic updates enabled on your computer.  In Windows XP you can enable (or ensure they are enabled ) by clicking on [Start] Right click [My Computer] Click [Properties] The System Properties Property Sheet will open. Click the [Automatic Updates] tab and make your selections to enable automatic updates. Click [Apply] and [OK].  These updates are as a result of new found bugs, holes and security flaws.  Kind of like when they come out with vehicle recalls, they need to be taken care of.  Just do it!

 Thou shall not connect to the internet without installing an antivirus, nor shall thou begin a scan without checking for updates – Word on the street is that it takes less than 5 minutes to contract an ITD (Internet Transmitted Disease) from just being connected to the internet without proper protection.  Some people think that because they just use their dialup connection to download email they don’t need an antivirus program – wrong!  The first step in protection is a dependable antivirus program running at all times with it’s most recent update.  Don’t compute without it.

 Thou shall not connect to the internet without installing a firewall –  Think of a firewall on your computer just as you would a firewall on an automobile.  The firewall on an automobile is meant to protect you from a fire in the engine compartment while you are in the driver/passenger compartment.  A firewall on a computer is meant to protect you from the evils lurking outside your computer.  Two of the most common questions asked regarding the necessity of a firewall are:  Doesn’t Windows XP come with it’s own firewall?  Yes it does, however this firewall only protects you from inbound traffic.  If you have some evil vermin lurking inside your computer it may be transmitting outbound traffic causing more havoc.  

The next question is if I have a router doesn’t that have a built in firewall?  Routers are used to connect more than one computer to the Internet using the same connection and generally routers provide the same security that XP provides.  Most experts recommend both a hardware (router) and software firewall.

 Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's credit card number, nor his bank routing number, nor his social security number – This is pretty self explanatory.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

 Thou shall not enter thy credit card number without seeing the tiny padlock icon on thy status bar – if you need to conduct business on the Internet that requires you to enter your credit card number, social security number or other personal information look for the little padlock in the bottom right hand corner of your browser.  This tells you that you are on a secure site.

 Thou shall not reply to the email from the Nigerian banker – ah yes, the Nigerian Banker.  He is the man that sends you an unsolicited email (spam) telling you that his homeland has been besieged and he needs your help to get his family’s fortune out of the country.  If you help him you will gain a substantial fortune yourself… deleted this and any email like it immediately if not sooner and go about your business.

 Thou shall not forward chain letters to thy friends and family- When you get one of those emails telling you to forward it to all your friends and family don’t!  This is usually a chain email with the intent, knowingly or not, to jam up ISP (Internet Service Providers) email servers.  While the intent of your friend may be to inform you of some new virus or scam, check it out at a site such as Snopes.com (http://www.snopes.com)  You may find that it is merely some hoax being spread thought out the World Wide Web.

I would also recommend that you ignore those emails that tell you to forward it to 10 people immediately or you will have bad luck.  Just delete it and go out and buy yourself a lottery ticket.

 Thou shall not use "password" as thy password, nor thy birthday, nor thy children's names – This is also pretty self explanatory.  Don’t make it any easier for anybody to guess your password.  Just don’t forget whatever password you come up with.