Infosec security tip #1 - keep your computer up to date

The single best thing you can do to protect your computer and your data is to ensure that your system is up to date.  If you don't do this, NOTHING else really matters!  Think of this like keeping gas in your gas tank - no matter how often you wash and wax your car, if you don't have gas in it, you aren't going anywhere.

NOTE - I am assuming you are running Windows.  If you are running Linux or another operating system, this won't apply to you.

The first step is to identify what version of Windows you are running.  To do this, click on the Start menu or the Windows icon in the lower-left corner of your screen.  Then, right-click on "My Computer" or "Computer" and click "Properties."

We are looking for one of the following:

Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows 7

If you see Windows 2000, ME, or 98, you are in deep trouble, and you need to upgrade NOW, as those versions are no longer supported and are not secure at all.  Be careful with the upgrade, however, as your computer hardware may not work well with the newer operating sytsems.

Assuming you are running a supported operating system, now we need to make sure that you have all of the latest updates.  So, click this link to go to the Microsoft update site:

http://update.microsoft.com

You may have to do several downloads and reboots to get everything working - keep doing the update until you run it and it says you don't have any more updates waiting.

Now, tell your computer to update automatically.  Again, click on the "Start" menu, and right-click on "My Computer."  Select the "Windows Update" option and set your computer to automatically download and install updates.

Leave your computer on at night, and you will always be up to date!  

Doing these simple steps ensures that your computer is immune to many of the security risks, and all if it is done at no cost to you!