HOWTO: Keep a computer virus and spyware free

This guide will teach you how to keep your computer free of viruses, spyware, and other malware. I will try to keep this as Operating System independent as possible.

1. First and foremost, your computer should have some form of anti-virus software. The Help Desk provides McAfee VirusScan Enterprise to all students free-of-charge. This is the only recommended and supported anti-virus solution. It is important that your anti-virus software is kept up-to-date with the latest virus definitions. McAfee, as provided by the Help Desk, is setup by default to update itself everyday and will never expire for as long as you own your computer. In fact, the IT department requires any computer connecting to the PC network to have active and up-to-date virus protection software, including Macs, for which we also have a copy of McAfee available.

2. We also recommend that you have anti-spyware software installed and that you periodically run full scans — once a week is generally a good rule of thumb. We recommend the combination of Ad-Aware, SpyBot, and Windows Defender. While Ad-Aware and SpyBot do not provide real-time protection or automatic updates, Windows Defender provides both. Windows Defender comes pre-installed as a part of Windows Vista. It is an additional download if you use Windows XP. To my knowledge there is no mainstream anti-spyware software for MacOS.
   

3. The third most important part of basic computer security it to keep your operating system up-to-date with the latest security patches and critical updates. Just about any modern operating system has a mechanism that will automatically and regularly check for and install any necessary security patches. If you are using Windows, it is called Windows Update and is accessible from the Start Menu in both Windows XP and Windows Vista. If you are using MacOS X, it is called Software Update and is accessible from the Apple Menu.

4. Finally, you should have a personal firewall installed and running. This helps block unwanted internet access through your computer by both unwanted programs installed on your computer trying to reach the internet and other computers connecting to your computer. Windows XP with Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista have the Windows Firewall, which is accessible from the Control Panel. MacOS X has a firewall, which is accessible from the Security preference pane in System Preferences (by default it's located on the Dock, but is also available from the Apple Menu).

5. Some other recommendations for keeping your computer virus and spyware free include the following:
   1. Don't install free screensavers or free peer-to-peer software, such as BearShare, Limewire, or KaZaA.
   2. Don't open email attachments from people you don't know or even unexpected attachments from people you do know.
   3. Don't click on pop-up windows when browsing the web. Simply click the close window button to get rid of it (a red X in the upper right hand corner in Windows or a red dot in the upper left hand corner in MacOS X).
   4. Don't click on suspicious looking links in IM windows, especially if preceded by "OMG! check out these pics!"
   5. Being the most common web browser, Internet Explorer is attacked more often than alternative web browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox or Opera. They are both free downloads. If you prefer Internet Explorer, be sure you are using the latest version, IE 7. Also be sure you turn on the phishing filter and the pop-up blocker.