- Test your settings
“The first tool in your arsenal is Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer. This free tool examines your Windows and Office settings for any potential problems, especially contamination. First, MBSA will test your user account passwords and let you know if any account has a weak or disabled password, which is easy prey for hackers. MBSA will also check many of your account settings. Is your computer set up to get automatic updates? Do you have more than one administrator account on the computer? This software will check all of that information for you.”
- Update your browser plug-ins
“Open up the browsers on your computer, even the ones that you don’t use, and go to Mozilla’s Plugin checker. It will show you every plug-in installed on the browser and whether it’s up to date. Even though it’s the same company that makes Firefox, the Plugin checker works for Internet Explorer, Chrome, and other browsers.”
- Test your firewall
One of the most fundamental security setups is a firewall. Windows and Mac have decent firewalls built in, and many third-party security programs include them. A port test service like PortTest scans your firewall to make sure your computer is invisible. If it can see you, so can the hackers.
- Permanently delete files
Deleting your files doesn’t actually remove them. They can still hang around your hard drive for days or weeks. Anyone who knows what they’re doing can recover them. That’s why it’s a good idea to permanently delete any sensitive files that you no longer need.
- Check your Facebook settings
Consider this the “au naturel” setting of Facebook. You’ll see exactly what your profile looks like to strangers. Click through your Timeline, About, Photos, Friends, and other sections, and see whether vulnerable tidbits have slipped through.
Source:
Komando, Kim. “5 Ways to Test Your Computer’s Security.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 4 June 2017, https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/komando/2017/06/02/5-ways-test-your-computers-security/102354032/.