Here are 3 simple things that anyone can do and everyone should do.

Keep your computer and software up to date.

All modern systems update themselves through the Internet. You know those annoying little messages that say, “Updates are available for your computer”? DO NOT ignore them! Click on the message and follow the instructions. Without updates your computer cannot be secure.

Malicious Software Prevention and Scanning

Make sure your virus and malicious scanning software is installed and updated.

Backup Your Data!

What would happen if your hard drive failed in your computer? In most cases you will lose all of the data on it. Do you have family photos, tax documents and other personal files that you might lose? Keeping backups is easy in most situations.

If you have a broadband Internet connection, you can use the free backup service, DropBox. For no-cost you can automatically backup up to 2GB of files remotely.

Other options include: USB hard drives (approx. $100).