How to Stay Safe Online

Many people think that a computer can only be infected by directly downloading a file, which is completely wrong. People also think, just having an anti-virus, means they will never become infected.
The internet can be one of the best places, yet one of the worst. Considering malware is becoming more and more advanced daily (becoming undetectable, hiding under legitimate process names, disguising as Java applets or ActiveX components, etc.) We need to be on our toes to prevent the chances of becoming infected. I will be covering safety tips to keep your computer safe from infections.

Download an Anti-Virus

An anti-virus or an 'AV', is a type of software that is used to find, protect, and remove malware. Many of the newest anti-virus software comes with great web protection, which can be vital to ensure your safety online. AV's with web protection can help you by warning you how safe a website is. Although you don't need an anti-virus to protect you online, it is recommended you do have one to ensure maximum safety. Most companies that make AV's typically have different packages depending on the security and extra features, such as; Avast!, Kaspersky, and AVG. Of course, if you buy the Internet Security packages of these AV's, your protection online will be substantially better. Be sure to have only one anti-virus running at one time.

Download a Firewall

A firewall is a piece of software that is an essential part of your protection online. It can prevent DDoS/DoS attacks, it can prevent a hacker from infiltrating your network, shares your privacy to a greater degree, etc. Below is a list of a few, great firewalls. All have been recommended by numerous people.

Comodo Firewall

Online Armor

Zone Alarm

Avoid Java Drive-By's

What is a Java Drive-by?

A Java Drive-by is a download, but it disguises itself to be a Java applet, or an ActiveX component, and is installed without the user's notice. The drive-by usually occurs once you open a web page.The user would see that a pop-up would ask them to 'Run' or 'Cancel'. The normal user would typically click 'Run', because it they might think the clicking 'Run' would continue onto the web page, in actuality, they have just been infected by a malicious file.



Example of what a Java drive-by could possibly look like:


How do you prevent this?

There are a few ways you can do this.

• Disable Java: This can be a tad tedious, but if you're really that worried, you can disable Java. You also have the ability to disable Java in your web browsers. This should only be used as your last option!
• Keep your Java Updated: Older versions of Java might have security exploits, which is obviously bad, and we don't want those! If you keep your Java updated to the latest update, some the the drive-by's will be detected, and or patched. You can update the latest Java update here. If you do update Java, be sure to remove the previous versions from your computer, as Java does not.

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