Computer Protection Guide Guide

Maintain a reputable antivirus program like Norton or AVG. While Microsoft Defender is built-in and sufficient for many, third-party options can offer broader coverage.

Use a unique password for every account, ideally at least 12 characters long and containing a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. A password manager can help you store and generate these securely. Computer Protection Guide

Use ad blockers and pop-up blockers to prevent malicious downloads and stop ad trackers. Maintain a reputable antivirus program like Norton or AVG

Always enable 2FA where available, especially for email, banking, and social media. This requires a one-time code from your phone or an app, providing a critical extra layer of security. Software and Tools A password manager can help you store and

Set your operating system (OS), browsers, and applications to auto-update . Updates frequently include critical security patches for vulnerabilities that hackers exploit.

Ensure your built-in firewall is turned on to monitor and control network traffic. For instance, Windows has a firewall that is usually on by default.

A Student's Guide to Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Data - HP