Antivirus
Free antivirus
The most important thing is to have at least an antivirus on your computer. You don't absolutely need to pay for one.
There are several good antivirusses out there for free. Here you can find a list of some of them:
All these softwares have almost the same virus-detection rates. We really recommend to install and test at least one of them if you have no anti-virus on your computer or if it is outdated. It's better to have a free up-to-date antivirus than a commercial outdated one.
Backup
Don't loose your data
Loosing your data can always happening : Virus, hard-drive crash, loosing you laptop. It's never funny when you loose your vacation photo's or important company files. Here are some solutions that let you safely backup your data is case something like that happens.
- BackupMaker: Free Backup program, to backup you data locally.
- AllSync: 50GB online storage to backup important data and access it anywhere.
- TeamDrive: 2GB online storage
Browser
Plugins to secure your browsers
Depending on the browser you use, you can install some special addons that will help you browse the web more securely.
Beware, if addons can be usefull for certain things, they can also be harmfull if you don't know where you download it from. Always use the official website to download addons and don't install addons from third parties you don't know.
- Firefox
- AdBlock Plus: Disable popups, adverts and banners, a must have!
- NoScript: Disable javascript (only for paranoid, can be annoying).
- Ghostery: Avoid web-tracking devices, adds privacy to your browser.
- WOT: Gives a trustworthy-ranking of websites you visit, helps avoiding phishing.
- Chrome
- AddBlock: Disable popups, adverts and banners, a must have!
- Use HTTPS: Force using HTTPS when available, usefull for WI-FI.
- ScriptBlock: Disable javascript (only for paranoid, can be annoying).
- Ghostery: Avoid web-tracking devices, adds privacy to your browser.
- WOT: Gives a trustworthy-ranking of websites you visit, helps avoiding phishing.
- Opera
- AdBlock: Disable popups, adverts and banners, a must have!
- Redirect to HTTPS: Force using HTTPS when available, usefull for WI-FI.
- NotScript: Disable javascript (only for paranoid, can be annoying).
- Ghostery: Avoid web-tracking devices, adds privacy to your browser.
- WOT: Gives a trustworthy-ranking of websites you visit, helps avoiding phishing.
- Safari
- AdBlock: Disable popups, adverts and banners, a must have!
- Javascript Blocker: Disable javascript (only for paranoid, can be annoying).
- Ghostery: Avoid web-tracking devices, adds privacy to your browser.
- WOT: Gives a trustworthy-ranking of websites you visit, helps avoiding phishing.
- Internet Explorer
- Simple AdBlock: Disable popups, adverts and banners, a must have!
- Ghostery: Avoid web-tracking devices, adds privacy to your browser.
- WOT: Gives a trustworthy-ranking of websites you visit, helps avoiding phishing.
Data Destruction
Remove your data safely
Deleting sensible data on your PC must be done with sepcial tools to be sure it can never be retrieved.
Here are different tools that can help you to get rid of your data:
- Secure Eraser: Delete a whole disk, or simple files permanently.
- DBAN: Burn file to a blank disc, boot the PC with it and erase hard drive, easy as pie!
Encrytion
Free tools to keep your data safe
When dealing with sensible information or when you want to travel or put data into the cloud, we recommend you to encrypt this data to prevent it is stolen or disclosed. The most used tool to encrypt data is AxCrypt ans is available on Windows:
- AxCrypt: Free tool to make a encrypted part on your hard drive. When installing uncheck OpenCandy box to avoid installing addons.
Mobile
Keep an eye on your mobile
The growth of the number of viruses is now bigger on Android than it ever was on Windows. It's a fact criminals are now focusing on smartphones instead of PCs. They did understood that data on your phone is even more valuable than the one on your PC. In fact you do even more with your smartphone than your PC making it a perfect target. You need to avoid this by using a protection suite. Here are the ones we tested and recommend (only for Android):
- TrustGO: Easy to use antivirus, backup and protection tool. Find your phone when lost or stolen.
- Avast: A little bit more difficult to use than TrustGo, but has a hide function that permits to keep control over your phone via SMS when stolen (Very Powerful). No backup possibility.
- Android Antivirus: Simple virusscanner, use to quickly check if you are infected (No real time protection).
- NoRoot Firewall: Firewall that helps you keep an eye on your internet consumption and stops application that are sending data to the web.
Passwords
Generators, managers, ...
Having a good (= long) password is important if you want to keep your data and accounts private and secure. You also better have different passwords for your different accounts. It's not always easy to remember al these passwords or to generate good ones, these tools can help you dealing with al those problems:
- PassManager: Manage and create passwords online, only 1 password to remember.
- Keepass: Keep your passwords offline on an encrypted file.
- Lastpass: Use this online password vault to remember all you passwords.
Sandbox
Prevent intrusion into your pc
A sandbox is a part of your PC that is completely separated from the rest. What is happening in the sandbox cannot affect the rest of your system. This is particularry useful when a virus is attacking your PC, because it can only harm what is in the sandbox and not the entire machine.
- BufferZone: Create a sandbox when you are surfing the web.
Update
Keep your pc up-to-date
Virusses are using weaknesses in your PC to get in and propagate. The best way to prevent being infected is to avoid having weaknesses. That's why you need to have your PC always up-to-date.
- PSI: Update any software automatically on your system.
- Windows Update Check and update your windows OS.
- Sofware Update Check your updates automatically on a MAC.