More often than usual our computer connects to different types of network in work places, school, public places and at home. We used this different network to access the internet and all of this network have different security setup. It is a must that we make sure to keep the security system of our personal computer from laptop, tablet, Smart phone to the personal computer always updated to prevent unwanted security breaches whenever we connect to all these different types of networks.
Below is the list of things for Windows Based systems that we need to check on to make sure our computer are properly secured.
Use Action Center to make sure your firewall is on, your antivirus software is up to date, and you’re is computer set up to install updates automatically.
Action Center checks several security and maintenance-related items of your computer that help indicate your computer's overall performance. When the status of a monitored item changes (for example, your antivirus software becomes out of date) Action Center notifies you with a message in the notification area on the taskbar, the status of the item in Action Center changes color to reflect the severity of the message, and an action is recommended.
To change which items Action Center checks:
1. Click to open Action Center.
2. Click Change Action Center settings.
3. Select a check box to make Action Center check an item for changes or problems, or clear a check box to stop checking the item.
4. Click OK.
If you prefer to keep track of an item yourself (for example, you use a backup program other than the one included in Windows, or you back up your files manually), and you don't want to see notifications about its status, you can turn off notifications for the item. When you clear the check box for an item on the Change Action Center settings page, you won’t receive any messages, and you won’t see the item's status in Action Center. We recommend checking the status of all items listed, since many can help warn you about security issues. However, if you decide to turn off messages for an item, you can always turn messages back on. On the Change Action Center settings page, select the check box for the item and then click OK. Or, click the appropriate Turn on messages link next to the item on the main page.
Use Windows Defender to prevent malicious software, like spyware or viruses, from infecting your computer.
Using Windows Defender
Windows Defender is anti spyware software that's included with Windows and runs automatically when it's turned on. Using anti spyware software can help protect your computer against spyware and other potentially unwanted software. Spyware can be installed on your computer without your knowledge any time you connect to the Internet, and it can infect your computer when you install some programs using a CD, DVD, or other removable media. Spyware can also be programmed to run at unexpected times, not just when it's installed. Windows Defender offers two ways to help keep spyware from infecting your computer: Real-time protection. Windows Defender alerts you when spyware attempts to install itself or to run on your computer. It also alerts you when programs attempt to change important Windows settings.
Scanning options
You can use Windows Defender to scan for spyware that might be installed on your computer, to schedule scans on a regular basis, and to automatically remove anything that's detected during a scan.
When you use Windows Defender, it's important to have up-to-date definitions. Definitions are files that act like an ever-growing encyclopedia of potential software threats. Windows Defender uses definitions to alert you to potential risks if it determines that software detected is spyware or other potentially unwanted software. To help keep your definitions up to date, Windows Defender works with Windows Update to automatically install new definitions as they're released. You can also set Windows Defender to check online for updated definitions before scanning.
User Account Control prompts you for your permission before installing software or opening certain kinds of programs that could potentially harm your computer or make it vulnerable to security threats.
What is User Account Control?
User Account Control (UAC) is a feature in Windows that can help you stay in control of your computer by informing you when a program makes a change that requires administrator-level permission. UAC works by adjusting the permission level of your user account. If you’re doing tasks that can be done as a standard user, such as reading e‑mail, listening to music, or creating documents, you have the permissions of a standard user—even if you’re logged on as an administrator.
When changes are going to be made to your computer that requires administrator-level permission, UAC notifies you. If you are an administrator, you can click yes to continue. If you are not an administrator, someone with an administrator account on the computer will have to enter their password for you to continue. If you give permission, you are temporarily given the rights of an administrator to complete the task and then your permissions are returned back to that of a standard user. This makes it so that even if you're using an administrator account, changes cannot be made to your computer without you knowing about it, which can help prevent malicious software (malware) and spyware from being installed on or making changes to your computer. When your permission or password is needed to complete a task, UAC will notify you with one of four different types of dialog boxes.
It is recommended that you log on to your computer with a standard user account most of the time. You can browse the Internet, send e‑mail, and use a word processor, all without an administrator account. When you want to perform an administrative task, such as installing a new program or changing a setting that will affect other users, you don't have to switch to an administrator account; Windows will prompt you for permission or an administrator password before performing the task. We also recommend that you create standard user accounts for all the people who use your computer.
Then we have Backup and Restore, Windows Update and Windows Firewall all this five components should be enough to determine the correct security setting for your computer.
