![]() ![]() Adding encryption turns that door into a bunker. A good password is like a really good lock on the door, but locks can be picked. You'll Regret It Later If You Don'tīut that’s not all. RELATED: PSA: Encrypt Your PC, Phone, and Tablet Now. Would you want a stranger having all that access? Do you know how easy it is to lose your phone or laptop? You need to have a password on your computer and phone. Now think of all the websites you’re logged into on your computer. Think of all the information on your cell phone. You need to use long passwords and you need to use different ones on every site and service. Services get hacked all the time, and if you’re using the same password everywhere, you’ve given someone access to all of your accounts when one service leaks information. Here’s the thing: we’re no longer in the olden days of the internet, where you can just use the same password everywhere and call it a day. You probably know passwords are important, but you probably don’t know how important - and how terrible most people’s passwords actually are. RELATED: Your Passwords Are Terrible, and It's Time to Do Something About It Craft Better Passwords, and Automate Them With that one-two punch combo, you should be safe from a lot of the threats out there. Malwarebytes offers a premium trial for two weeks, then it is $40 per year, but you can get some of its features for free. Anti-malware applications can help you with those. They’re not technically viruses, but you definitely don’t want them. Malicious programs like browser re-directors and advertisement injectors behave exactly like some known legitimate network filters. Just like your belt can use a good pair of suspenders to give it a little help, applications like Malwarebytes can provide extra protection against malicious software that traditional antivirus products may not identify. However, in addition to antivirus, we also recommend using Malwarebytes alongside your antivirus. RELATED: What's the Best Antivirus for Windows 10 and 11? (Is Microsoft Defender Good Enough?) Who better to know the internals of Windows than the people who built it? Plus, it won’t try to sell you other products or inject other features you don’t need, like some antivirus programs do. To be effective, an antivirus application need to integrate with the operating system on a very deep level. It’s built in to Windows, it updates automatically with the Windows Update utility, it has a minimal impact on performance, and it’s free. Which one? It’s up to you - though when it comes to free, simple, and good, there’s nothing wrong with using Microsoft Defender. Let’s set the record straight: you should be running antivirus, even if you’re careful on the web. RELATED: Do I Really Need Antivirus If I Browse Carefully and Use Common Sense? On top of these, some security expert will write an article saying antivirus is no longer relevant and you’re dumb if you use it. Three more will follow saying three others outperformed the first. It seems like every couple of years an article will come out saying one antivirus is the absolute best. Malicious attackers are always looking for unpatched systems they can attack, and automatic updates keeps you off the list of low hanging fruit. So the only way to protect yourself against the latest known vulnerabilities is by updating. These updates not only fix bugs, but they patch security holes. Apple doesn’t have a regimented schedule, but they also regularly provide updates. ![]() Microsoft provides updates for Windows and associated Microsoft products (Defender, Office) on the second Tuesday of each month. Keeping your computer up-to-date is the number one way to keep it safe against online threats. RELATED: Why You Need To Install Windows Updates Automatically If you have turned off automatic updates previously, for any of your software, go turn them on right now, and then come back to this. ![]() ![]() RELATED: How to Keep Your Windows PC and Apps Up to Date But from a security perspective, you should always leave automatic updates on. Maybe you don’t like that Windows restarts after installing an update, or maybe you just don’t like change. Some people like to turn this off for one reason or another. ![]()
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