How to Reduce the Possibility of Being Hacked

 First, to completely eliminate the possibility of being hacked:

But that makes your computer a lot less useful.

If you do leave it plugged into the network (or, these days, connected via Wi-Fi, most likely, that gives you the Internet, with all its joys .... and dangers:

Here are the security suggestions I've been following since seeing them on a UW Colloquiam a few years ago:

(0) If you are on a version of Windows no longer supported by Microsoft, you need to stop using it immediately. Specifically, Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft, so any Windows 7 machine connected to the Internet is ... toast.

(1) Use a different password for every website. I know, how to keep track of all these? Look at the next item.

(2) Don't store passwords in your browser for anything sensitive (bank, brokerage, etc.)

Instead: use a password manager on your computer .. Password Safe is a good one for Windows; Password Gorilla for Mac and Linux.

(3) Use a different browser for banks and brokerages and such than  you use for normal browsing. For example, if you use Chrome for most browsing, switch and use Firefox for sensitive browsing.

(4) Use your sensitive browser in "private browsing" or "incognito" mode, which keeps you from exchanging "cookies" and other information with the site. 

So you will absolutely need to type in your username and password every time for these sites. You also may be subjected to some other security methods like 2-factor authentication more often than when using normal cookie-centric mode.

(5) Make sure the password for your router (the box that connects to your ISP) isn't left as the default password. Change it to something complex and keep that password in your Password Safe repository. This is crucial ... if anybody gets control of your network router they can crack the machines behind the router at leisure.

(6) Don't click on a link in email unless you are POSITIVE where it came from ... most banks these days will not send a link to their service in email, but hackers trying to get you to put in your username and password will send an email that looks EXACTLY like your bank ... or Microsoft ... or your brokerage ... trying to get you to put in personal information. This is called Phishing, and it's the thing that got the Democrats' emails exposed to the world in the 2016 election. Don't!

(7) Last but certainly not least: don't delay system updates, many of which contain urgent security upgrades! Windows update can be set to run automatically in the middle of the night: DO THAT!

Eternal vigilance is pretty much the price to keep hackers and phishers at bay ... but there isn't currently any way to avoid this.

Questions? Leave me a comment below!