From spyware to the “blue screen of death,” one computer disruption can ruin an entire workday. Here are four basic tips to protect your PC, whether at home or on the job.

This October marked the eighth annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, which promotes awareness of a multitude of security issues and online safety. The initiative highlighted solutions available to every worker to protect their computers and personal information, and avoid more serious problems.

Re-evaluate Your Security
Anti-virus software and firewalls exist to safeguard computers, yet there are numerous safety “myths” about the capabilities of these standard security practices, the National Cyber Alert System says. For example, while it’s easy to assume that installing safety software will protect a device, doing so is not always 100 percent effective.

Another myth: Once software is installed on your computer, you do not have to worry about it anymore. On the contrary, it’s essential to install updates on a regular basis. While some systems may have automatic updates, others will provide updates that should be installed as soon as possible. To that end, it’s important to verify your settings and keep them current, Microsoft explains.

Extra Tip: Avoid fake virus alert scams, also known as “scareware,” which may appear in the form of a pop-up disguised as a legitimate alert, prompting users to take action and inadvertently download rogue software that can steal personal information. Microsoft provides a detailed, side-by-side comparison of fake versus valid antivirus messages and more tips.

Use Strong Passwords
Determining a secure but easy-to-remember password takes some thought. For starters, as Yahoo’s Upgrade Your Life blog advises, never use personal details, such as part of your name, birthday or e-mail address, within your passwords. Instead, an effective alternative is a password hodgepodge: a mix of letters, numbers, symbols and capitalized and lowercased letters. Microsoft recommends passwords have at least 14 characters.

Effective passwords include those that begin with an identifiable word and end with a sequence of repeated characters, i.e., L0VE%!%!%!%.” These are easy to remember, but difficult for others to guess, Gibson Research Corporation explains. The National Cyber Alert System adds that different passwords should be used for separate accounts.

Once a password is set, be careful where you record it (i.e., don’t keep it under your keyboard) and try not to share it with anyone else.

Extra Tip: The Federal Communications Commission recommends changing your password every 3 months.

Back Up Data
In an instant, a personal computer can crash and take all your stored data with it. With the threat of the “blue screen of death,” it is crucial to back up data on a regular basis. You can back up your data by saving it to a disk, on a separate hard drive or in the cloud. Back-up frequency should reflect the amount of user content, the National Cyber Security Alliance advises. For instance, those who constantly add or change data may benefit from back-ups on a weekly basis.

Extra Tip: Backing up on a device, such as a USB drive, is a good idea for storing data, yet external equipment may be at risk of malware or virus infection. This makes it crucial to use security software to scan every external storage device, StaySafeOnline.org advises.

Check Web Page Safety
While web surfing or sending personal e-mail might be inevitable, or even seen as productive by some, one click on a bad link can trigger a multitude of computer problems. With this in mind, there are easy ways to safeguard searches. A website address that begins with “https” indicates that it is secure (s) and that the site uses encryption, which is important for personal safety. For Wi-Fi safety, log out of site accounts when you are done.

Extra Tip: Be careful of deceptive messages, which may come in the form of e-mail links from regular contacts or friends. Additionally, urgent “act now” prompts may actually be fraudulent.

Earlier: Safeguard Yourself Against Cyber Threats

Resources

Protect Your Privacy on the Internet
Microsoft, 2011

National Cyber Security Awareness Month
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Oct. 27, 2011

Is Web Surfing Distracting Your Workers?
by Michael Blanding
Harvard Business School, May 4, 2011

5 Ways to Make an Easy-to-Remember, Ultra-Secure Password
by Taylor Hatmaker
Upgrade Your Life (Yahoo! News) Aug. 24, 2011

Stop. Think. Connect.: Keep a Clean Machine
StaySafeOnline.org

How Big is Your Haystack…and How Well Hidden is Your Needle?
Gibson Research Corporation, June 22, 2011