Are you keeping your computer secure?

Please send questions to Bill Husted at tecbud@bellsouth.net.

Get a piece of paper and something to keep score with today. We’re going to take a pop quiz. There’s no sense in cheating because you’d just be cheating yourself. We’ll use this quiz to evaluate how good of a job you’re doing keeping your computer secure.

Let’s get to it – if you’re reading this in a print newspaper you can keep track of your score right on the paper. Otherwise you’ll need a scrap of paper and a pen. All the answers take the form of yes, or no.

No. 1: Do you have both anti-virus and anti-spyware/adware installed?

No. 2: Do you use a router?

No. 3: Does it have all security features enabled?

No. 4: Is your password a random group of letters, numbers, or perhaps punctuation marks?

No. 5: When it comes to websites for your banking, shopping and other financial transactions do you use a separate password for each website?

No. 6: Do you keep your copy of Windows updated with each new patch from Microsoft?

No. 7: Do you have and use a hardware or software firewall?

No. 8: Is your computer itself password protected?

No. 9: Do you avoid opening email attachments?

No. 10: Do you turn your computer off when it won’t be in use for long periods of time?

Put down your pens and let’s see how you did. We’ll go over each question.

No. 1: The answer should be yes, of course. Also keep in mind that you need to keep those programs updated so they’ll be able to catch any new virus or bit of malware.

No. 2: If you use a router, give yourself a correct answer. Besides doing the obvious – connecting your computers and providing a distribution point for your Internet connection – a router serves as a shield that makes things more difficult for a hacker. Instead of seeing your computer, they see the router and your computers hide behind it.

No. 3: You get a point if you enabled all the router’s security features. And you get a bonus point if the router was purchased in the last year or so – the new routers use better security features. So it’s possible – with the bonus answer – to get two points here.

No. 4: If your password is an ugly group of letters and numbers, with no words, no names, then you get a point.

No. 5: Each website used for financial matters should have a random and separate password. So I hope you earned a point here.

No. 6: Updating Windows is important. As holes in its security are discovered Microsoft scurries to fix them. So updates keep you safe. No points for those who don’t do this.

No. 7: A firewall makes it difficult – but not impossible – for a hacker to breach your computer or network. Windows comes with a decent one. One point for you if it – or another – firewall is enabled.

No. 8: Your computer itself should be password protected. Even if it sits in a far bedroom of your home, that password keeps it safe. After all, many of us have workmen, cleaners and others in their home. It just takes a moment to slide in at the keyboard.

No. 9: Many email attachments contain tiny programs designed to let someone take control of your computer. And, unfortunately, they can arrive from a hijacked computer that belongs to a member of the family or a friend. You can’t even trust an email from your mom.

No. 10: When you’re fishing your chances go up in direct proportion to the amount of time the bait is in the water. It’s the same with hackers – the longer your computer is online the more likely it is to be hacked.

Now the bad news – you need a perfect grade of 10 to pass my test. You flunk otherwise. And since there was a bonus question it is possible – and desirable – to get 11 points.

I hope you see – when we break out these security tips into a simple form like this – that it isn’t really difficult to keep a computer network secure. The basics are easy enough for anyone to do.

If you flunked, please skip the rest of your reading and fix these problems pronto.