Your Daily Computer Security Tips

Windows uses your random access memory (RAM) to run your programs and open pages for you as you surf the Internet.  It is the fastest memory in your computer. 

It wasn’t that long ago that having 64MB of RAM was considered enormous.  Today, Vista needs 1 GB (one billion bytes) to run well.

When Windows runs out of space in RAM, it creates a “virtual” RAM on your hard disk, called a swap or page file.  It is a hidden system file that you normally don’t see.  It allows Windows to send data in and out of RAM as needed, keeping only the current page you are viewing actually in your RAM.

There are two problems here.  First, if your computer is allotting insufficient memory for this disk “RAM”, or if it is not configured properly, your PC’s performance will suffer instead of improve. 

And second, that page file on your hard disk may soon contain all sorts of sensitive and personal information. 

Remember, because it’s on your hard disk, the information is not lost when you turn off your computer, as is the data in your “real” RAM.

To solve the first problem, you can add more memory; this is not expensive nowadays.  Or you can optimize the swap file on disk.  Check to see that Windows is using 100 MB or more for the swap or page file, or virtual memory. 

Click Start, Control Panel, System, Advanced, Settings in the Performance section, Advanced.  At the bottom, under Virtual Memory, you will see how much memory Windows is using for the swap file, and also a button to change it.  Click OK repeatedly to back out of this setting.

A more serious matter is deleting that confidential information in the swap file.  You can easily get Windows to clear this file for you, every time you shut your computer.  Do this:  Click Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Local Security Policy.  On the left, click the plus sign (“+”) next to Local Policies. 

Click Security Options, and on the right, scroll down to “Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile”.  Double-click it.  In the new little dialog box, select “Enabled”.  Click Apply, OK and close the window.  That’s it!  Your virtual memory file will now be wiped clean every time you shut down your computer.  

Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online.  He has been keeping Internet surfers safe and secure since the last century.  Find out how he does it; protect your own computer with five layers of protection right here:  => http://MyPCSecuritySite.com  

You may include these Tips in your web sites and publications provided they remain unchanged and include the above paragraph, with the author’s name and web site. 

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

 Today let’s review a few of the basics.  This is stuff we often talk about, but some people may not be sure what it’s all about.  Before we begin, please note that Oct. 9 was Patch Tuesday.  Microsoft issued patches, or fixes, for Windows, Office and other applications.  Be sure to update your computer by clicking Start, All programs, Windows Update.  

Phishing scams:  This is a deceptive email that looks like it’s from your bank, broker, PayPal, eBay, etc. but it is really from a hacker, intent on stealing your confidential information.  Never click on a link in an email and then give sensitive info.  For example you might see a link in an email like this:  http://www.paypal.com  You might think if you click on it, you would have to go to the PayPal website. 

Wrong.  The link could be masked, and clicking it will take you to another site entirely.  You can do a quick test of a suspicious link by sliding your mouse over the link.  A little yellow box should appear and you may see the link in the bottom left of your screen, with the actual destination address.  If this is different from the web address link that you see, do not click on it.  

Cookies:  A cookie is a small file that web sites put on your hard drive when you visit for the first time.  It allows the web site to greet you by name the next time you visit, suggest things or information that might interest you, and store your preferences.  They are usually harmless, and even helpful. 

 Tracking cookies:  These are more problematic, and can be considered spyware and an invasion of privacy.  They track your surfing habits, what sites you’ve visited and for how long, etc.  Then they sometimes send this data to someone via the Internet.     

Passwords:  We all have a bunch of them, and they can be an annoyance.  However, you should follow these guidelines, for safe surfing:  Don’t use the same password for all your web sites, use at least 8 characters including numbers, letters and special characters like * @ and ! if you can.  

Avoid easily guessed words like password, welcome, login, or other obvious things like your name, dog’s name, favorite restaurant, street where you live, or nearby landmark.  Always change default passwords in programs and applications.  Change all your passwords every few months.

Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online.  He has been keeping Internet surfers safe and secure since the last century.  Find out how he does it; protect your own computer with five layers of protection right here:  => http://MyPCSecuritySite.com

You may include these Tips in your web sites and publications provided they remain unchanged and include the above paragraph, with the author’s name and web site.