Don't make it easy!

People take risks on a computer that they never would in ordinary life. We'd never leave our front door open and walk away but we do it time and again with our computer.

Turn it off.

Go into any large office and you'll see computers logged in and running with their operator nowhere to be seen. They may have gone to the loo, or to the photocopier, but there is their machine ready for anyone to use, and with your identity established in the best possible way.

If you move away from your computer, even for a few minutes, log it out or put it into a 'hibernate' mode that requires your password to re-activate it.

Protect your network

Protect your 'wireless' network with passwords so that your friends and neighbours cannot 'piggyback' onto the net.

Shred it!

We're always told to shred our paperwork before disposing of it yet we're quite happy just to throw out a computer when it's time expired

You can either physically remove and destroy the hard drive or use software to wipe your drive. See http://www.howtowipeyourdrive.com.

If someone wrecks your PC with a virus the replacement cost of the machine is the least of your worries.

What is the value of the records you lost: the letters, e-mails, family photos etc which are gone forever?

What information did he take to use on another day?

Do I need anti-virus software? It costs so much on a limited budget.

Sources of reliable anti-virus software
Norton Antivirus Suite
McAfee Anti-virus

Wherever else you save money don't try it here. Good anti-virus software costs money to install and money to keep it up to date.

Hackers and authors of viruses never sleep; neither should your anti-virus software.

Is that all I need?

No, there is other opensource software - that costs you nothing - that you should download and use every week or so. Try

• Ad-Aware from Lavasoft or
• Skybot

What other precautions can I take

Never open attachments unless you know and trust the source

Never respond to e-mails from strange addresses. Even responding tells whoever is on the other side that your e-mail address is real

Keep away from dubious websites. Your anti-virus software should warn you off the worst of them but even the best can't be fully up to date.