How to Keep Your Computer Safe and Secure at Home

Your personal computer at home is one of the safest devices you own. The fact that it doesn’t get connected to other WiFi other than the one you have at home means that there are fewer risks of it being compromised by hackers and other serious digital security threats. However, that doesn’t mean you should be careless with regard to security.

You need to be just as careful with your personal computer as you are with your other devices. The risks are all the same as hackers don’t really discriminate. Here are some tips on how you can up your safety and security.

Install An Antivirus And Run Your Firewall

The foundations of any digital security are anti-virus and a firewall. These two essential programs can help decrease the chances of your computer being hacked or infiltrated by malware significantly. Before you download anything else on the internet, make sure that these two programs are running.

Simply put, a firewall and an anti-virus blocks viruses and notify you of any possible problems you can encounter online. Antivirus for Windows and MacOS come with many other features such as optimization tools which can help boost the performance of your computer as well.

Browse With A VPN

A virtual private network or a VPN is often recommended when you are using a public connection when outside. However, as these solutions completely mask your identity, they can also be used for your computers at home while browsing using your own connection.

There’s no such thing as overkill with regards to browsing and surfing at home. A VPN not only keeps you and your computer private, but it also helps you browse the web without any worries.

Always Keep Your Software Updated

You might notice that your computer always gets notifications about updates. While annoying, these updates are more than necessary. With these updates come bug fixes and possible solutions to security flaws that hackers have found over time. As such, it’s vital that every software you have stays updated.

Stay Away From Pirated Software

The price of games and other software online can be expensive. As such, you might be tempted to pirate the stuff you use. However, what’s your privacy and security worth anyway? Is it worth putting yourself at risk just to use pirated software? 

Downloading pirated software puts you at great risk online. Some hackers hide viruses or other malware inside the torrent packages you see online. Another thing worth noting is that the link you’re downloading from could actually be a virus in and of itself. It’s more costly trying to recover your data after a security breach so it’s much better to buy authentic software instead.

Even if it’s at your home, your computer is not entirely safe from data breaches and other digital security problems. It’s always much better to stay safe than be sorry later on. As the number of data breaches stays the same, it only means that people aren’t doing enough to keep their devices safe.