SAFE COMPUTING
In the thirty odd years I have been messing around with computers, I have only been infected with a computer virus once. I teach this stuff . . . and yet it is embarrassing to admit to yourself that you left a chink in your armor to allow some script-kiddie room to sneak in and take control of your system. If it can happen to me (and I live and breathe this stuff), then it will certainly (and most probably will) happen to you.
When you have installed, configured, and hardened as many systems as I have you begin to form an opinion of just how vulnerable most computer systems are 'out-of-the-box'. By default, the computer you buy for your home is enabled with the greatest functionality possible. You can't really blame Microsoft and the vendors for this; consumers demand functionality. With functionality comes increased complexity . . . and the chinks in the armor for someone to sneak in and wreak havoc.
In the seminars I teach, I offer Ten Golden Rules for Safe Computing. The rules aren't that much effort. They place a certain responsibility on the user to get to know their system and how to set the configurations needed to lock out malicious hackers and privacy-stealing businesses and individuals. Safe computing is really a mind-set . . . an awareness of the threats and how to avoid them. By practicing Ten Essential Rules, your online experience can be safe, enjoyable, educational, and private.