[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 057 ]
[]fi ] HOW TO MAKE A WINDOWS PC SECURE AND PRIVATEFileHippo App Manager scans
for app updates automatically.The CrashPlan app lets you
back up from one PC to another.Turning up UAC is an alternative to
creating a Standard User account
for your day-to-day usage.Even though
Microsoft would
very much like you
to use Microsoft
accounts for
additional users,
you don’t have to.using a library of dictionary words. Head to
‘Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options’.
Require a sign in on sleep, change your
password and switch the Privacy option to off.
Use a non-administrator account for
day-to-day usage (and for other people).
Most of the time, you don’t need admin
access on your PC. It’s typically only when you
install new apps or make system changes, and
for most people that doesn’t happen that often.
You also don’t want your kids or other family
members mussing around in your system
settings. So you can create separate user
accounts for day-to-day operations and for
other people. These non-admin accounts don’t
have access to core system features — and
neither do any applications they run, which
limits the capabilities of any viruses they
might encounter.
Head to ‘Settings > Accounts > Family &
other people’. Under either ‘Your family’ or
‘Other people’ click on the ‘Add’ button (you
can do this even if that ‘other person’ is you).
Microsoft then gives you the option to add
them using their Microsoft sign-in; instead
just click on the ‘I don’t have this person’s
sign-in information’ link.
It will offer to sign up for a Microsoft
account for them. Ignore that. Click on the
‘Add a user without a Microsoft account’
button. Give them a username, a password and
a password hint. Then you should be all done
— a new user option will appear on the login
screen. That user is, by default, a Standard
User — someone who has limited control over
new apps and system settings. (As an admin,
you can change the user to an Administrator
if you want by clicking on ‘Change account
type’ under the user name.)
If you really don’t want to create a separate
Standard User account for yourself, there is
another option: it’s called User Account
Control. Go to the search bar in Windows
and type UAC and press enter. Whenever
you or an app (including a virus) tries to do
something risky, UAC will notify you. How
often it notifies you is controlled by this bar.
Crank it up to max for maximum security.BACK UP YOUR DATA
Given the prevalence of ransomware, regular,
scheduled backups are absolutely essential.
We actually strongly recommend a cloud
backup solution like Code42 CrashPlan
(www.code42.com/crashplan/) or
SpiderOakONE (www. spideroak.com)
since those plans put any sensitive data out
of the reach of ransomware encryption.
But if paying an annual fee isn’t an option,
you can also use a backup app to make
protected copies of your data on a USB drive or
network attached storage. Windows has a
built-in backup system but, frankly, we’re not
huge fans of it — it has actually gone
backwards since Window 7 in our opinion.
A better option is a third-party backup tool.Our current favourite is the CrashPlan app,
which is free and supports local as well as
cloud backups (you only pay for cloud storage,
not the app itself ). Its biggest advantage is that
you can set other PCs as the backup target.
As long as both PCs are running CrashPlan,
they can create backups on each other, which
gives you cloud-like protection for free.KEEP YOUR APPS AND SYSTEM UP TO DATE
Automatic Windows Updates can be annoying
as hell, but turn them on anyway. Many
malware infections come from new ‘zero-day’
exploits, and having automatic updates on
allows Microsoft to patch your system as
quickly as possible.
If you’ve turned off automatic updates
(it’s on by default), head to ‘Settings > Update
& security’ and turn it back on.
But that just covers Windows itself. What
about your apps? For app update checking,
we like FileHippo App Manager (filehippo.
com/download_app_manager), a lightweight
tool that scans your system for apps and
checks if they’re up to date. If not, the latest
versions will be downloaded from FileHippo’s
own software library.KEEP YOUR HEAD
The rest is just common sense. Don’t trust
email attachments. Don’t download apps from
dodgy sources (including and especially
BitTorrent). Be careful about what websites
you visit. Don’t believe anyone who contacts
you out of the blue asking for or offering
money. Really, it’s not hard to stay secure
if you know how the threats might get on
your system.