Computer Security Explained – Everything You Need to Know

Privacy, security, and viruses have never been a more important topic. With more people than ever working from home, we’re taking a look at how to keep your PC secure and cutting through some of the technical jargon.  

A Quick History 

As long as computers have been around, so have viruses and other security issues.

Whether it be an email from the king of a far-off land offering you your well-deserved millions; or a ransomware attack threatening to steal your personal data and banking information. Viruses and scammers have become increasingly more sophisticated over the years; therefore, scams and viruses are becoming more challenging to spot.  

Believe it or not, viruses used to be mostly harmless and more of an annoyance than a hindrance. One of the first Windows viruses that became widespread was produced by two brothers, to combat piracy. The Brain virus was intentionally spread alongside pirated copies of their heart-monitoring software. It would show users an embedded message stating their computer was infected, and they needed to contact the brothers for it to be disinfected.  

Sadly, modern-day viruses are no longer this simple and can destroy, steal, and sell your data before you even realise what has happened. Modern-day computers, however, include features to avoid and mitigate some of the risks, including firewalls. 

What is a firewall? And do I need an extinguisher? 

No. You don’t need an extinguisher. It isn’t that sort of fire.  Simply put, firewalls help protect private data on your computer by filtering and blocking unwanted traffic from accessing your PC. 

There are different types of firewalls, including hardware and software options. The most common type is the one you’ll likely already have. Microsoft Windows 10 comes with a firewall as part of its operating system known as Windows Defender.

To get the most out of Windows Defender, you can set up advanced security tools, such as two-way traffic filtering, which blocks unauthorised network traffic in and out of a computer. As this software is host-based and included within the operating system, no additional hardware or software is required.  

Other software options include firewalls from companies such as Bullguard, who offer a range of security and anti-virus software with key features to protect your PC, data and Identity online.  

This service provides heavy-duty layered security protection against malware and intruders. It does this by blocking unauthorised attempts to connect a device to the internet, providing end-to-end protection before, during and after downloading applications. What’s more, it is designed to use less processing power so your other applications can run smoothly. 

Whilst a firewall can permit or deny communications based on IP address and port information, this tool is not ideal on its own to protect your data and PC from viruses when browsing online. 

So, what can you do? 

Taking a proactive approach to computer security is your best option. Having anti-virus software installed on your PC is the minimum you need to do to keep your files and data safe. There is, additionally, a range of other products and services that can further help to keep your accounts and data secure. 

So, which anti-virus is best? Here at Overclockers UK we offer a range of Bullguard security suites the are designed to protect your devices from threats. We’ve broken down their key features below.  

Best for The Whole Family – Bullguard Premium Protection 2019 10 User

Secure the whole family with the ultimate in online protection. Featuring award-winning internet security, essential social media protection, and rigorous identity protection. Bullguard’s 10 user Multi-Device Premium Protection offers outstanding security.  

This One-year licence can be used by up to ten people across multiple devices and offers a range of tools to keep your data safe: 

Identity Protection: 

Protecting your Identity online has never been easier. Simply provide the information you want Bullguard to monitor – such as credit/debit cards, bank accounts, passports, drivers’ licences, phone numbers, and email addresses. Bullguard then monitor the web, social networks, and stolen & compromised data sources, around the clock. The second they detect your information may have been stolen or compromised, they will contact you. Helping protect you from becoming a possible victim of financial fraud.  

Social Media Protection: 

Protecting children on social media is a growing concern for many parents. Bullguard offers a great range of tools to help keep your children safe. Such as blocking their access to suspicious websites, limiting their time online, and monitoring their activity. Bullguard is perfect for keeping your children safe from harm on the internet. What’s more, in addition to these protection tools, this software also lets you monitor your children’s Facebook profiles, including photos and friends lists. It then flags all possible threats to your children’s safety and notifies you whenever it finds inappropriate content or suspicious strangers.  

To learn more about this security package, click here.

Best For Staying Secure Online – Bullguard Internet Security 2021 3 User

This is Bullguards latest internet security package. Designed for up to 3 users across multiple devices, this package is perfect for single users or smaller families. Offering powerful protection for PC, Mac, and Android, you can keep all your devices safe from online threats. 

Everything you need to stay secure online: 

You can rely on Bullguard internet security for its ease of use and robust, multi-layered protection. It keeps you and your family safe from online threats like hackers, viruses, credit card fraud, spam, and spyware. Plus, it keeps a discreet eye on your children’s social media activity to help keep them safe online, too. 

BullGuard Internet Security was voted Best Buy and Best in Test, in the UK and across Europe in 2016. The latest version has lots of enhanced features, including cloud-integrated backup that lets you back up and encrypt all your personal files and pictures directly to Dropbox, Google Drive, and One Drive. 

Outstanding Protection No Matter What: 

This Bullguard package offers protection for the whole family. Keep your children safe online thanks to comprehensive award-winning Parental Controls. Including protection from cyberbullying and predators. What’s more, take the protection with you on your phone. Remote Lock and Wipe, locate with GPS, and Scream alarm protects mobile devices from theft and loss. The call manager function blocks unwanted texts and calls. Finally, the new interface makes managing your internet security simple, with easy-to-use menus, simple setup, and monitoring tools.  

To learn more about this security package, click here.

Public WIFI, Protocols and Passwords 

Whilst anti-virus and security software can help keep you stay safe from online threats; hackers may attempt to gain access to your data locally. Understanding WIFI protocols and which are the safest to connect to is essential for keeping your data safe. This is especially important when connecting to public WIFI hotspots. Hackers and scammers can place themselves in between real public WIFI and your computer to harvest any data transferred between your computer and the internet. Tools like Bullguards Identity protection can help monitor whether your information has been stolen and posted online and then notify you. This can help mitigate the risk of connecting to public WIFI.  

WEP, WPA, WPA 2 and the third title where the Villan becomes the hero WPA 3. What are they, and which WIFI Protocol should you use? 

WEP – Wired Equivalent Privacy

hit the scene in September 1999. This protocol was developed for wireless networks and was intended to offer the same security as wired networks. WEP, however, has a range of well-known security issues, and despite improvements to the protocol, it remained easy to hack and hard to configure. WEP was officially abandoned by the WIFI Alliance in 2004 

WPA – WIFI Protected Access

intended as a temporary security enhancement for WEP this network protocol was formally adopted one year before the WEP standard was abandoned. WPA is a significant improvement over WEP but still has vulnerabilities. Most modern WPA use cases utilise a PSK – pre-shared key and the TKIP Temporal Key Integrity Protocol for encryption.   

WPA2 – WIFI Protected Access version 2.

This system, also known as the 802.11i wireless security protocol, uses AES – Advanced Encryption Standard. This standard is approved by governments for encryption of classified information, notably the USA. Despite being the most common standard of wireless networking today, WPA2 is venerable, especially when the attacker already has access to your WIFI network. 

WPA3 – WIFI Protected Access version 3

is the next generation of WIFI security and is designed to keep you safe. One way it will do this is by mitigating the damage from lazy passwords. The WPA2 system is vulnerable to brute force attacks where hackers remotely attempt to guess your password by using data, they know about you. WPA3 seeks to stop this by protecting against these attacks with a new key exchange protocol.  

Being on the most secure protocol your router and devices allow is a great way to improve your network security. However, if your passwords are not secure or easy to guess you will remain vulnerable to attacks.  

Passwords: 

Keeping your WIFI secure is one of the best steps you can take to secure your PC and Data. Additionally, By changing not just the password you use to connect to your WIFI, but also the admin password to the router itself you can help better protect yourself. The admin password for your routers control portal can often be generic or easy for hackers to crack.  

Changing this to a strong password makes gaining access to the admin area of your router much harder for hackers. To stay secure you should change the password of any device that has an admin control portal, such as smart home tech.

When choosing a password, the best practice is to avoid using generic themes. An example would be to avoid your name, age, date of birth or any other information someone would be publicly able to find out about you. Choosing a password you’ll remember can be difficult, but you should aim to use a unique one for each account or service wherever possible.  

Top Tips

• Internet security and virus protection can be confusing with so many options available. What’s more, no matter what security you use, you still need to be cautious online. Here are some top tips to remember to keep your PC safe and secure.

• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Sadly, as much as we all want to be the one-millionth visitor to a shady website and win a new car, it is almost certain to be a scam. 

• Wherever possible, use two-factor authentication through email, mobile, or an authentication app from a trusted source like Google Authenticator and Authy. Doing this helps protect your account from hackers and scammers by adding an additional layer of 2FA security to your account.  

• A common scam often found on video streaming sites, will tell you your computer has a virus, and you must phone a trusted company for help. Sometimes, this scam will come to you via an email that looks like an order receipt from an online store. These scams can often be run by large teams and are highly sophisticated and realistic. No reputable company will ask you to pay them in generic gift cards or by mailing large sums of money via post.  

• If you’re not sure about something, ask a trusted friend. It’s becoming harder and harder to spot scams, so if something doesn’t feel right, ask a trusted person to have a second look. 

You can check out all of the anti-virus and security software available at Overclockers UK here. Plus, for full systems with optional software be sure to visit the custom configurator.

The last date for ordering systems to arrive before Christmas is Monday 6th December. Order before this date to make sure you don’t miss out!