1. Protecting Your Computer & Your Information

2. Threats Virus Worm Trojan horse Rootkits Blended methods
Spyware & Malware
All of the threat can have varying levels of impact from annoying to disabling.

3. Virus Attaches itself to a program or file.
Has the ability to spread from one computer to another.
Almost all viruses are attached to executable files and will not infect your computer until the executable is run.
Usually require some form of human action to spread.

4. Worm
Really a sub-class of virus but significant enough to be classified separately.
Spreads from computer to computer without any human interaction.
Capable of replicating itself until it consumes all available memory or processing capacity.

5. Trojan Horse A program that hides inside of another program.
Usually embedded in software that appears legitimate that the user download and executes.
Embedded program often activates in response to an event or date.
Does not reproduce by infection other files nor does it self-replicate.

6. Rootkit Infects the system kernel or disk boot record.
Typically very difficult to detect and remove.
Sometime spread as a DRIVE-BY download where just visiting an infected website infects your computer.

7. Spyware & Malware Often tracks users movements.
Creates logs of keystrokes, s, websites visited, etc.

8. Regular user vs. Administrator
For day-to-day use of the computer you should be logged in as a regular user.
Only log into an administrator account when you need to perform an action that requires administrator rights.
Always be cautious when an application asks for administrator rights.

9. Updates
Perform regulars updates of your operating system (OS) and your applications.
Turn on automated updates.
Make sure updates are scheduled to run.

10. Backups Ideally back up your full system.
Back up your data on a regular basis.
Back up to a separate physical device.
Back up to a removable media.
Test your backups to make sure they are good.
Encrypt your data on removable flash drives.

11. Useful Software Virus Protection Spyware/Adware Firewalls
Microsoft Security Essentials (free, full version)
MalwareBytes (free limited version for home use)
Spyware/Adware
Ad-Aware Personal (free limited version)
Spybot-Search & Destroy (free limited version)
Firewalls
ZoneAlarm
The software listed above is (or at least was) free for personal use.

12. Useful Software Links McAfee VirusScan @ NDSU Ad-Aware
Ad-Aware
Spybot Search & Destroy
ZoneAlarm
A Guide to Firewalls & other software

13. Phishing Anti-Phishing Phil http://cups.cs.cmu.edu/antiphishing_phil/
A game based tutorial that teaches users how to identify phishing URLs, where to look for cues in web browsers, and how to use search engines to find legitimate sites.
This is now a commercial product but you can still play the first round for free.