How to protect your computer from strangers. Digital security for dummies: how to protect your home computer from hacking. Protection against scripts in the browser

Welcome to new material on the topic of computer security. In previous video tutorials, we were convinced that anti-virus tools are not always able to protect our computer.

Also, judging by the comments from the lesson on firewall reliability, many were convinced that their computer completely calmly allows information to be sent from their computers in any direction.

If you haven't watched these lessons yet, here are the links:

All this leads to completely logical conclusions: you need to make security settings, configure or install another antivirus and firewall.

As promised, this article will cover issues related to complex computer setup.

So let's get started.

Malicious objects are divided into viruses and worms. The main difference is in the principle of their distribution.

Viruses enter a computer mainly when running a program. For example, together with autorun of removable media. Worms, in turn, reach user computers via local networks and the Internet.

In addition, there are combinations of viruses and worms. There are practically no viruses or worms left in their pure form. To have a better chance of spreading, they have to work hand in hand. That is why they often just say “viruses” and that’s it.

The main task is to know what to do to avoid infecting your computer with a malicious object. Therefore, it is important to know the main ways of infecting your computer.

Ways to infect a computer:

- Removable media;
- Local networks;
- Internet network.

First of all, of course, infection occurs via the Internet (downloading files from sites, visiting malicious pages with active content, clicking on malicious links, or launching malicious, fraudulent programs downloaded from the Internet).

1. Windows Update

Viruses penetrate the operating system through its vulnerabilities. Since viruses find more and more holes in Windows, security updates are mandatory. It may not be necessary to install all updates, but installing security updates is an important step in the fight against malicious objects.

Unfortunately or fortunately, we cannot know in detail what exactly these updates fix, so we have to trust Microsoft that their updates are really needed. From my experience, I can say that it becomes noticeably more difficult to fight viruses on your computer if updates are disabled.

2. Remote Assistance

Thanks to the remote assistant function, you can make connections remotely to your computer. In order to protect yourself from this vulnerable function, it is advisable to disable it and use third-party programs if necessary.

3. Windows Services

Disable unnecessary vulnerable services that are enabled by default in Windows. For example, these services can be disabled exactly: netbios support module, setting up a remote desktop server, Windows Remote Control Service.

4. Account Control

In the Windows operating system, User Account Control improves with each version. Thanks to this feature, Windows tries to track all activities on the system and warn the user when a program is launched or installed. For reliability and greater safety set control above average.

5. User with limited rights

If a virus penetrates your computer and intercepts user functions, it will not be able to fully perform all system functions, since a user with limited rights cannot change system functions and install programs.

6. Public wi-fi networks

When working in public wireless networks (train stations, airports, cafes), use the function when connecting to the “public network” network. While connected to such a network, do not manually enter passwords and logins for your accounts. Keyloggers on such networks can often read all the information you enter. When using social networks, enable the secure connection protocol feature https.

7. Browsers

Use Google Chrome or Mozilla FireFox browser. Over a long period of time, I have determined that they are the most protected. Make sure your browsers are always up to date.

It is very dangerous to store saved passwords in the browser. You can’t even imagine how easy it is to read all the passwords by launching a small Trojan into the system. There are a few more settings that need to be made in the browser, but we will talk about this in more detail in separate lessons.

8. Checking removable media

Scan all removable media (flash drives, disks) with any antivirus tool before opening them. Also disable autorun of all removable media, as this is the main source of viruses from these media.

9. Working with email

Do not use email programs, use mail through a browser. It is easier for viruses to penetrate an email program on your computer than it is into mail opened using a browser. As a last resort, use well-protected email programs such as The Bat.

10. Antivirus programs

Despite the settings of the operating system and browser, installation of anti-virus programs is necessary. If you think that an antivirus only harms the system and you can do without it, then this is a misconception.

Stable operation of Windows without antivirus tools is only a matter of time. Most users can work without an antivirus for a long time and not get infected only due to a lucky coincidence. The importance and necessity of an antivirus is a separate topic for discussion.

I recommend that you install an antivirus (Avast, AVG, Avira, Kaspersky, Dr. Web, NOD32), a firewall (COMODO, Emsisoft, Outpost) and an antispyware (MalwareBytes, SpyBot). Some antivirus products contain antivirus, firewall, and antispyware functions.

Details of working with antivirus tools, setting them up and using them correctly will be discussed in other lessons on computer security.

Please answer 2 questions:

- What viruses have you encountered?
- And how did you remove these viruses?

Your information will be useful to other users who read this article.

Our video course will be released very soon "Comprehensive PC protection".

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Many people mistakenly believe that the devices of ordinary users are not at risk of hacker attacks. Indeed, you are not an important political figure, why would anyone need your information? Moreover, what can you steal from an ordinary Internet user - a vacation photo?

But in reality, home PCs are under attack every day. First of all, it's really easy for a hacker. Secondly, unfortunately, computer hacking is a lucrative business for scammers. Yes, your personal correspondence with your neighbor is of scant interest, but most viruses require you to pay money so that the user can restore access to all available information.

To protect yourself from uninvited guests, take into account the following tips:

• First of all, regularly scan your system for viruses manually. Some malware easily bypasses protection and antiviruses do not respond to them. However, during manual scanning, suspicious programs are detected.
• Install the Spybot utility and use it regularly. It will help you identify if hackers are following you.
• Check for Windows updates regularly and install them. Developers continually eliminate “holes” in the security system that are actively exploited by attackers. Block access to
• device webcam using the Webcam On-Off program. This is much more effective and better than covering the peephole with a band-aid, as some still do.
• Check if there are any unnecessary browser extensions. If you find suspicious ones that you did not install, feel free to delete them.

To protect yourself online, experts recommend using a VPN. For convenience, you can switch to the Opara browser, which has a built-in VPN tool.

Another secure browser is BitBox. But it has one significant drawback: to surf comfortably through this program, you need a computer with powerful hardware, otherwise lags will not allow you to do even the simplest things, such as scrolling through a feed on a social network or sending an e-mail.

Today I want to move away from the usual focus of my materials and raise a topic that is, in my opinion, no less important than spiritual development or personal transformation...

I'm talking about the SECURITY of your computer and the information you store on it.

I don’t consider myself a great expert on this issue, BUT I can give some timely recommendations.

I would be grateful if you add to the list of precautions in the comments to the article!

Activation of Unconditional Love by Chakras

These short meditations will help you activate Unconditional Self-Love in every chakra of your physical body.

* * * * *

P.S. I almost forgot... If you have children who actively use the Internet, know that you should conduct a full scan of your computer with antivirus programs much more often. My daughter loves mail.ru toys, as a result, every month we catch dozens of viruses, fortunately she has her own laptop...

Young children should turn on the “Parental Controls” mode, which prevents them from accessing pornographic sites or sites with a dubious reputation.

Yesterday I wanted to write an article about security for Windows 7, then I decided to review antiviruses, but I came across something interesting and decided to adjust it a little. In this article I will write how you can protect yourself using free, manual methods, give recommendations on choosing an antivirus and what you need to do to be protected.

There are many jokes about this, for example, “The most secure computer is the one that has not yet been released (or is turned off)” or “the most important virus sits on the chair in front of the monitor.” Of course, there is some truth in this. But what if you follow these examples, then don’t turn on the computer at all and don’t surf the Internet or work? Let's figure it out...

This article will not be a review of antiviruses or a test of them with pros and cons. There are billions of queries and answers about this on the Internet. This is such a pressing problem that it simply cannot be touched upon. And you shouldn’t believe all the tests and ratings, because in some there is something true, in some there is advertising (for a dime) for antivirus, in others the positions fluctuate. And definitely the answer to questions like How to protect yourself on the Internet or Which antivirus is the best? You won't find it. Especially on forums, even popular ones. As they say - “How many people, so many opinions”, and on the same forums, even on one product, you will see many conflicting opinions - someone writes the truth, someone advertises, someone succeeded, someone did not. Depends on many factors, including the curvature of the hands

How can you still protect yourself?
The main problem from which one is protected is computer viruses (there are also crooked hands, the same and all sorts of physical factors - such as a power surge or a falling flower pot, but this is another topic, less common), and they get into the computer in three ways - via the Internet ,through software, through devices (flash drives, memory cards, portable ones, local network, etc.).
If antiviruses help get rid of infected software (I think everyone knows what it is), then various firewalls will help against various types of network attacks and Internet threats from websites (you can read about them at).

Get to the point.

I'll give you some tips for free effective computer protection from the use of which you will somewhat protect yourself, and if you do everything, you will be protected by at least 80-90 percent. No one will give a 100% guarantee; I wrote about such protection above.

1) Disable autorun of a flash drive or portable drive.
On the one hand, this is convenient - I connected the flash drive to the computer and the operating system turns on autorun, all that remains is to choose how to open it. And some sit there and wait for it to open. However, viruses use this common and most unprotected method and safely “move” to a new place of residence - that is, to our, not yet infected, computer. If you connect another flash drive to a computer infected with viruses, the malware will rewrite itself again - this is one of the most common ways for malware to penetrate the computer.
Therefore, I disabled this function and open everything that is connected through the file manager (not the standard explorer!) Total Commander. It does not allow viruses to “auto-start” and shows everything that is hidden and is generally very convenient. When opening in this way, you need to immediately pay attention to hidden files and folders (usually they have an exclamation mark and the names are strange to you). On a normal blank flash drive or portable hard drive there will never be such files and folders (with the exception of ) only if the owner did not do so (usually they hide files ala XXX).
If you find such suspicious files on your flash drive, immediately check it with an antivirus (you may even need more than one).

Disable flash drive autorun can be done in two ways:
1 - through the Control Panel.
Start - Control Panel - Autorun and uncheck the box "Use autorun for all media and devices" or fine-tune for each media type.

2 - using the Group Policy Editor (If you have a version of Windows 7 from Home Premium and higher).
- Click the "Start" button, enter Gpedit.msc in the search field and press Enter. If you are asked to enter an administrator password, enter it. If you are prompted to launch the program, confirm it.
- In the "Local Group Policy Editor" window that opens, in the "Computer Configuration" section, expand the "Administrative Templates", "Windows Components" and "Startup Policies" nodes one by one.
- In the area on the right, double-click on the "Disable AutoPlay" item.
- In the window that opens, select the “Enabled” option and just below “All devices”.

2) Install antivirus.
You can install some paid antivirus or even a combine (2 in 1, both antivirus and firewall). But now I’ll focus on free solutions.
As I already wrote above, you shouldn’t immediately believe any test or rating and use what they recommend. In fact, any antivirus will not detect 100% of all viruses, Trojans, spies and other evil spirits. Something will be detected by one antivirus, something by another, something by a third...
On this occasion in my life I had the following problem:

Kaspersky antivirus was installed, it was always new (I reset the key every month), it was always updated and found something. But one day, not a good day, I couldn’t go to the site (and at that moment I had a site with downloads for phones) and all the mail was deleted. At first I didn’t understand, I thought it was a glitch (I didn’t want to believe the sad thing), I changed passwords everywhere, but it didn’t help. I never returned the site. Then I received a letter sent to myself which contained text like “if you don’t want your computer to be used anymore, remove the virus.” I did something radical - I simply copied the necessary data, formatted the hard drive and installed Linux, which I used for about six months or more. After that, I lost confidence in Kaspersky and I began to do the things that I describe in this article.

3) Check with other antiviruses.
Still, for a greater degree of protection, I advise you to check your computer at least once a week with free “scanners” from well-known paid antiviruses, such as , (5 in 1), or send a file that you think is infected to an online scanner, which will check it with more than 40 antiviruses. This and .
As I already wrote, if one doesn’t find it, then others can.

4) Install a firewall (firewall).
This is more suitable when you have a fairly powerful computer. And some antiviruses come with their own firewall. This is a fairly good solution and conflict-free, but some nerdy craftsmen still install different antiviruses and firewalls. For example, Comodo has solutions such as just an antivirus, just a firewall, or both, but the antivirus in this case still leaves much to be desired. I recommend that you put . Of the other free ones, I advise you to pay attention to and. There are others, but they are trial ones.

5) Lower user rights.
In Windows, by default, any user is granted administrator rights - the maximum possible in the system. In this case, all malicious programs, such as viruses, that enter the system also receive administrator rights and the damage from their functioning is maximum.
In Control Panel, go to User Accounts.
For WindowsXP: → “Create an account”, enter a name → select “Restricted entry” and at the bottom click “Create an account” (or “Done”). In the next window → “Change account”, select the created account → “Create a password” and enter it at the bottom → “Create password”.
For Vista and Windows7: In “Manage another account”, select “Create a new account”, enter the account name → “Regular access” → “Create account”. In the next window, select the created account → “Create password” and enter the password.

If you want to use your old familiar name for an account with limited rights, then create a new account, but with administrator rights. Log in with this account and go to User Accounts. In your previous account, click on “Change account type”, select “Regular access” (for XP, select “Limited access”).
Well, I think you know how to switch between users.

6) Use free anti-rootkits and anti-spyware.
One of the most popular utilities in this case is . A wonderful program with a predominantly anti-spy focus. Does not require installation. Check periodically.

7) Use proactive defense programs.
Although some antiviruses have this capability, I don’t know what antivirus you have. The purpose of such programs is to monitor the state of the computer and immediately notify you of any changes that may occur without your attention. One of the best programs in this area is.

8) Use programs to protect USB ports and USB drives.
These programs block “authors” (I will write an article about them soon) on USB drives. A great solution in this case would be to install the product. It protects both the computer (prevents any AutoRun file from running, regardless of whether the device is infected or not) and the USB drive itself (disables the AutoRun file so that it cannot be read, modified or moved by malicious code).

9) Use Prevx Threat Prevention.
This, of course, is more suitable for paranoid people with even greater protection, but whether to accept it or not is up to you to decide again.
The point of this utility is that when installing new software or detecting a process, this program sends data via the Internet to its database and looks at what is new in the system, then sends a response. Usually it is either a virus, a normal program, or an unknown program. Also a kind of protection. True, it’s paid ($35, I think), but it’s not a trial, it’s just limited functionality. In this case, it will simply show that the file is a virus, and you need to delete it manually. You can download it as always at .

10) Install updates in a timely manner.
Both the operating system itself and antiviruses, firewalls, browsers and other programs. True, most often they are installed themselves, either without our attention or with a request.

11) Protect yourself in mail, Skype, ICQ, etc..
It is important to remember here that you should not open and look at what the unknown Masha Milasiskaya wrote to you and what file she attached in the letter and where the link leads in the ICQ chat text. Such letters and messages should not be opened at all. It’s good if it turns out to be spam, or maybe they are trying to “foist” a virus.

12) Ignore offers from sites.
Nowadays it often happens that on websites there are all sorts of banners or messages that your Operating System or browser or something else really needs updating. Or a message appears from VK, email, classmates and other social networks (moreover, very similar to the original) with a request to add or get acquainted or tell how to make money. Or a page appears that your account is on VK, Facebook, etc. social networks have been hacked and you need to urgently send an SMS, otherwise it will be kaput.
In any of these cases, you can immediately understand that this is all a scam, fraud, etc. Okay, they’ll try to take money from you, but they might even give you the virus as a gift. Be careful! Pay attention to the address bar of your browser, do not click on messages from social media. networks (better go to this tab or social network and check), do not click on ANY update. Think a few times before panicking and pointing at pictures of this kind.
In general, I sometimes grin at such messages; sometimes it’s funny to see that my Opera requires updating when I’m sitting on Iron. Or when my VK account is blocked, and there’s all sorts of nonsense in the address bar, and I have VK open in a separate window. But I immediately close sites that make a message about a virus pop up on the right and at the same time the sound of a slaughtered pig.
It doesn’t matter to site owners, they make money from such advertising, but it’s not their fault that they have banners on their site. This is a completely different topic.

13) Download programs and their updates only from links on the website of the direct developer.
Therefore, I try to post links on the site only to official sites. I already wrote about this in some article, but I will repeat once again - this is not due to lack of space on the server, but for your own safety. And new versions are always the first to appear on the developer’s website. And if you download something from third-party sites, then make sure that the site is known to you and you trust it.

14) Create backups.
It would be nice to have an external hard drive for such purposes and periodically (for example, once a month) make a full backup copy of the entire system and write it there. You can do this on a local disk or on a flash drive or on disks. Only you yourself understand what a perversion it will take for a long time, especially if it’s on a flash drive or disks. And it can also get to a local virus.

Well, that's basically all. In principle, the first 2-5 points are enough for protection, but for greater awareness and safety you can perform more points.
What is not clear or any questions - write in the comments.

In the era of information technology, the question of how to protect data on a computer is acute. Passwords and logins from social networks, banking account management systems, account data, private photos and other files - all this may be of interest to attackers.
It is not only government agencies, banks or popular websites that are targeted by hackers. Personal information of ordinary users may also be of interest to hackers. Criminals use stolen accounts on Odnoklassniki or Facebook for fraudulent purposes, stolen photographs become the subject of blackmail, and obtaining payment system data gives attackers the opportunity to leave their owners without a penny in their account.
To avoid becoming a victim of hackers, you need to pay attention to the security of storing personal data. This article will tell you how you can protect personal information on your computer.

Method 1: Strong Passwords

The easiest way to protect data on your computer is to use strong passwords. Most users know that security experts do not recommend using simple combinations of numbers and letters (qwerty, 12345, 00000) as a key. But the emergence of “smart” cracking programs has led to the fact that more complex passwords can be calculated by brute force. If the attacker knows the potential victim personally, an atypical but simple key (date of birth, address, pet name) is also easily found.
To save accounts on social networks and other resources, as well as a user account on a PC, it is recommended to use complex combinations that consist of large and small Latin letters, numbers and service symbols. It is desirable that the password is easy to remember, but does not contain any obvious meaning. For example, a key of the form 22DecmebeR1991 is recognized by sites as reliable, but contains the date of birth and therefore can be easily hacked.

Method 2: Data Encryption

To protect personal information on your computer in the event that an attacker attempts to access it, it is recommended that you use data encryption. Enterprise and professional versions of Windows come with BitLocker. The system mechanism allows you to encrypt information on one or more hard drive partitions. Access to files becomes possible only when using a special key.
If you need to secure individual files and folders, the easiest way to protect personal data on your computer is to use encrypted archives. Having moved documents, photos or other data to a password-protected archive, an attacker will not be able to open them even after gaining full access to the PC. To open ZIP or RAR content, you must dial an access code. Most modern archivers are equipped with similar functionality.
There is also a large amount of free software that allows you to encrypt data. Among such programs are Free Hide Folder, Folder Lock, TrueCrypt and others.

Method 3: Use an antivirus program

To gain access to someone else's PC, hackers use auxiliary software installed on the victim's computer. Trojan viruses intercept information entered from the keyboard, replace websites with copies created by scammers, and send personal data. To protect personal data, it is advisable to install the latest version of antivirus software and monitor its updates. It is also recommended to limit access to drives by prohibiting reading information from them over the network.

Method 4: Set a password on the BIOS and/or hard drive

Basic OS password protection does not allow you to quickly hack the system, but is vulnerable if the computer falls into the hands of a criminal for a long time. By reinstalling Windows, you can gain access to unencrypted files. Setting a password in the BIOS (UEFI)*, which is required to be entered when turning on the computer, makes it impossible to boot the PC from either built-in or external media.
*BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) or UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a part of the computer system software that is responsible for organizing the operation of the system hardware components and controlling its loading. The BIOS/UEFI setup menu is entered at an early stage of PC boot (the first seconds after turning on) by pressing the Del, F1 or F2 button (see the instructions for the PC or laptop). The names of the settings sub-items may differ for different computer models, but, as a rule, the necessary options are located in the section whose name contains the word Security.
An even greater degree of protection for personal information is provided by password-protecting your hard drive. By setting the access code for the drive via BIOS/UEFI, the user makes it useless in the hands of an attacker. Even after removing the hard drive from the PC case and connecting it to another device, you cannot access the data. An attempt to unlock the drive with a “master key” will lead to the destruction of data.

Method 5: Using HTTPS Protocol

The use of the HTTPS secure data transfer protocol eliminates the risk of interception of information that is sent to the server in encrypted form. This standard is not a separate technology, but represents an add-on over standard HTTP. When using it, data encryption is carried out using the SSL protocol.
Unfortunately, in order for this data protection method to work, the server must be equipped to support this technology. It is impossible to use it unilaterally.
If the server supports HTTPS, then when a client connects, the system assigns it a unique certificate and all transferred data is encrypted with a 40, 56, 128 or 256-bit key. Thus, decryption is carried out only on end devices, and intercepting someone else’s signal will not give the attacker anything.
If the service involves working with confidential information or conducting financial transactions, it is recommended to be wary of resources that do not support HTTPS.
Websites of online stores, banks, and payment systems (Yandex.Money, Webmoney) use the HTTPS protocol by default. Facebook, Google, Twitter, VKontakte services provide the ability to enable it in your account settings. Other sites also work with it.

Method 6: Protect your wireless networks

If your computer's security settings do not restrict access to it over the network, an unsecured Wi-Fi network allows an attacker to gain access to the contents of the drives. To avoid this, it is recommended to set the data encryption method to WPA/WPA2 on your router and set a complex password (see Method 1).
To eliminate the risk of Wi-Fi network hacking, you can disable the broadcast of the connection name (SSID). In this case, only users who know the network name will be able to connect to the router.

Method 7: Parental Control Systems

If children use the computer, the risk of contracting malware increases significantly. To protect personal data on your PC, you can create an account with limited access rights for your child. Windows (version 7 and later) contains built-in parental controls. With their help, you can limit the time your child spends at the computer, deny access to certain programs, and block the ability to install third-party software.
There is also third-party software that has similar (or broader) functionality. You can find both paid and free parental control tools on the Internet. In addition, some providers support this function. In this case, in your personal account on the telecom operator’s website, you can set restrictions on visiting certain resources.

How to protect information on your computer most reliably

Each of the above methods for protecting personal data on a computer is reliable in one situation, but also has vulnerabilities. To achieve a high level of security, it is recommended to combine methods.
Unfortunately, there is no universal method of data protection that is 100% effective. Even the servers of banks and law enforcement agencies are vulnerable to hacker attacks, as evidenced by large-scale leaks of documents from the Pentagon, US governments and other countries published by Wikileaks.
However, given that ordinary users rarely become victims of hackers of this level, it is possible to secure personal data. For this it is recommended:
install the current version of an antivirus program (preferably with firewall and firewall functions);
protect the user account with a strong password;
do not use the same access codes for all accounts;
protect Wi-Fi, disable file sharing on the PC over the local network, primarily to the system partition (if this is not possible, limit access, allowing it only to trusted network members who really need it);
do not store keys and passwords in TXT, DOC, RTF and other documents on the PC itself;
The most valuable files and folders should be placed in a password-protected archive or encrypted.

You can protect personal information on your computer in other ways. The main thing is to find a compromise between the level of security and ease of use of the PC. Drastic measures (for example, full data encryption, access to the PC using a physical key, and limiting the list of allowed resources) may be unnecessary on a home PC and cause unnecessary inconvenience. Practice shows that the use of overly complex protective equipment leads to a gradual refusal of users to use them.