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• Pick a strong password. Many organizations who need strong security have an Achilles heel: users who pick easily guessable passwords. Some people choose words straight out of a dictionary, others use a name. Many who think if they append a digit or two on the end of their chosen word it'll be good. Such feeble attempts at deception are no match for today's computers, which are capable of trying millions of word variations per second and often can guess a good number of passwords in less than a minute. A strong passphrase coupled with system policies that limits the number of guesses allowed in a given period of time is your best defense.
  
  You might try this strategy: take the first or last letter of each alternating words in a saying or phrase. For example, by using random capitalization and substituting some punctuation marks and digits for letters, "You can't draw a Smile on Someones toe without putting a Smile on their face too" might become "YdSSw@St2" - it's easy to remember but very hard to guess.

• Do not ever trust a web link in an email message that takes you to a site that asks for personal information no matter how official it looks.
  We have seen many emails that ask for you to update your banking info,  PayPal account,  or mortage information etc. These almost always point to some site that looks official but is in reality an attempt to steal your personal identity. Don't be fooled. Always type in the web address for your bank, broker or other financial institution yourself or choose another method of contacting them such as the phone.
  
• Email and Instant Messaging is not usually encrypted. Be careful about what information you send using these services. Don't write anything you wouldn't be comfortable sending on a postcard.
  
• Install and use an encryption tool such as PGP to store and transmit information that is sensitive.
  
• Any antivirus package needs regular updates or it will only give you a false sense of security. AVG offers a free and very useful version for home users. Free web based scanning services  such as Trend Micro - HouseCall can be useful for computer users who want to find out if a virus lurks in the depths of their computer but you will still need a full time anti-virus tool. An antivirus program such as Norton Antivirus , AVG or Panda Software 's antivirus - are a must have.
  
• Check for and install any critical security updates regularly (at least weekly) to from your operating system vendors patch site such as WindowsUpdate.microsoft.com or www.apple.com/support/downloads/
  
• Get full service for your PC
  Windows Live Safety Center is a new, free service designed to help ensure the health of your PC.
• Check for and remove viruses
• Learn about threats
• Improve your PC's performance
• Get rid of junk on your hard disk
   http://safety.live.com/site/en-US/default.htm
  
• Do not surf the web as an administrator or root user. Configure a limited user account to be used on a daily basis. Many computers that run windows (like windows XP home and Pro) are configured to run with administrator rights by default. You have to make a second account that is "limited" to help protect your computer through start-control-panel-UserAccounts . Avoid going online with an account that has privileges that allow installation of applications or changes to critical system files and settings.
  
• Check for and remove spy ware and adware from your computer. Spybot - Search and Destroy and Ad-aware are excellent tools for this.
  
• If you are using Internet Explorer, install a second web browser such as Firefox to use for most of your surfing. It's easy and free. To be really secure turn off java and java script under the tools-options-web features menu after you have it setup. Some sites will not work with these options unchecked but if you trust the site that firefox will not render, you can open it in Internet Explorer. To see if your copy of IE is vulnerable to one of the latest known vulnerabilities check this site and click on the test now Link.
  
• Check to see how exposed your computer is to external snooping. The Shields UP service will do a quick check to see what you are exposing to the Internet.
  
• You need some kind of firewall - if you flunked the Shields UP check. An inexpensive hardware firewall such as the those made by linksys can be very helpful. Zone Alarm is a Free personal software firewall which allows you to control which computer processes communicate with the internet.
  
• Get a backup strategy in place an use it often, like daily or weekly. Now that most computers have Firewire or USB2 ports it's easy and inexpensive to attach an external backup device to your computer. Most ship with a backup program that works for single computers. One touch of a button and your computer files are backed up!