Ignore These 5 Critical Steps and You Could End Up Failing the CSET

Without a firewall, your computer will be infected within 24 hours of connecting to the Internet.

If you have a brand new computer running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista, there is a firewall built into Windows but it sucks. Do not think you are protected with the firewall that comes with Windows!

The best Firewall program to get is Zone Alarm:
http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/zonealarm_free_firewall.jsp

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall blocks hackers from infiltrating your home PC by hiding your computer from unsolicited network traffic. By detecting and preventing intrusions, ZoneAlarm Free Firewall keeps your PC free from viruses that slow down performance, and spyware that steals your personal information, passwords, and financial data.

ZoneAlarm is FREE for individual and not-for-profit charitable entity use (excluding governmental entities and educational institutions) so go and grab yourself this firewall right now.

2. Turn on Windows Updates

If you are running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista this is already set to update automatically. Microsoft releases updates for security problems and other bugs in Windows on a regular basis. These updates often fix security issues that could cause you to get a virus, spyware, trojan, etc.

If you are running Windows XP Service Pack 2, you can double-check that automatic updates are turned on by clicking Start, then click Control Panel, then double-click Security Center. The window that opens will tell you if automatic updates are turned on, and lets you turn them on if they’re not. I’m sure Windows Vista follows something close to this as well but I don’t have Windows Vista so I can’t tell you the exact steps.

To turn on automatic updates in earlier versions of Windows XP, click on the Start menu, click Control Panel and then double-click on System. On the “Automatic Updates” tab, click the option to “Automatically download the updates and install them on the schedule I specify.”

To turn them on in Windows 2000, click on Start, click Control Panel and then double-click on