Tip of the week: How to stay secure online
Get the latest armor; Look before you click; Back it up
Get the latest armor. Installing up-to-date computer security software can reduce your risk of becoming one of the “nearly 2 million” households victimized by online identity theft each year. Take advantage of free browser upgrades; many offer protection against attacks. If you have an older PC, “get a firewall”; a free one is available at ZoneAlarm.com.
Look before you click. If a pop-up ad tells you to update software, watch out. Deceptive pop-ups can infect your computer with malicious software, causing you to “unwittingly send out spam” to contacts. Security updates should only be downloaded from sites of a reputable software publisher, such as Adobe, McAfee, or Norton.
Back it up. No security system is foolproof, so get an external hard drive and back up all of your data on a regular basis.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Source: Consumer Reports
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Mixed nuts: RFK Jr.’s new nutrition guidelines receive uneven reviewsTalking Points The guidelines emphasize red meat and full-fat dairy
-
Will regulators put a stop to Grok’s deepfake porn images of real people?Today’s Big Question Users command AI chatbot to undress pictures of women and children
-
‘All of these elements push survivors into silence’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day