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These are basic and simple security requirements which must be followed in order to have a computer be anything close to secure.

1. Every computer that connects to the internet in any form MUST have a personal firewall or be behind a corporate firewall. The type of connection is not important. A personal firewall is required for dial in connections, cable modem, DSL, ISDN, T1 and others. The ONLY exception is when there is some type of firewall already existing between the computer and the internet. Get a personal firewall and configure it according to the maker's instructions.
2. Every computer must have virus protection and updates to the virus list database should be done at least twice a week. A full virus scan should be done at least once per week.

If you do not at least take the two measures listed above then you should not connect your computer to the internet. In the past I believed that I could just keep my system updated with security updates and did not need a personal firewall. This was a perfect formula for getting trojans, viruses, and backdoors and I ended up with four of them and had to reformat my hard drive and re-install my system.

There are also other security recommendations but the two above requirements are critical to all systems. The other security practice that should be done includes:

• Updating your systems with security updates and service patches when they are considered stable, but this can be a technical decision. See the below paragraph about updating your system.

It is best to read a e-mail discussion group postings to determine the state of current patches and vulnerabilities. Microsoft and other vendors issue postings about security patches and vulnerabilities when they come out. One of the best mail listings to subscribe to for learning about Windows vulnerabilities and patches is at http://www.ntbugtraq.com

A couple of additional practices related to your computer which may be lifesavers are:

• Back up your data - This should be done regularly to one or more of another computer, a writeable CD ROM drive, a zip drive, or tape drive. Remember if you should lose your data, everything you have done since your last backup will be lost. If you should find it necessary to re-install your system in the event of a security breach you will be glad you have done this. Also I have seen several hard drives fail and cause complete loss of data to users.
• Create an emergency boot floppy for your operating system - You should learn how to do this for the operating system you are using. Instructions in this area are beyond the scope of this document.