This blog complements my book, The Essential Guide to Home Computer Security, to help you keep your home computers and smartphones secure.

Thursday 25 April 2013

The Best Browser Extensions for Security and Privacy

A thorough article from Lifehacker - The Best Browser Extensions that Protect Your Privacy:
But note that some of these tools need to be used carefully as they can cause some browser hiccups.
In summary:

Block Ads, Scripts, and Popups with AdBlock Plus

Stop Everyone from Tracking You with Disconnect

In addition to privacy protecting tools and ad blockers, Lifehacker documents some other add-ons, utilities, and services worth considering if you have the other bases covered including:

HTTPS Everywhere (for Firefox/Chrome) which will try to find secure versions of the sites you visit.

And Hotspot ShieldHideman, or Tunnelbear. for a Virtual Private Network or VPN. This encrypts all of your internet traffic.

Thursday 18 April 2013

The Best Antivirus App for Windows - from Lifehacker

The lifehacker website has changed its recommended anti-virus app for Windows. They recommend Avast Free Antivirus for the best balance between protection, ease of use, and cost. Their former favourite, Microsoft Security Essentials (also known as Windows Defender in Windows 8), has not been performing well enough in tests to keep its top ranking. For more information, see the lifehacker report The Best Antivirus App for Windows


Thursday 4 April 2013

Don't click on suspicious links - even in Skype messages

The usual warning is not to click on suspicious links in emails. Now an attack has been found where a compromised Skype account is used to send out a message containing a web link. If the link is clicked on, the user can be infected by some nasty malware which, apparently, are not detected by some anti-virus software. The Skype message is very simple - it contains just one goo.gl shortened link. So be careful with links on Skype - try to make sure there is a real person behind any message before you click.