On top of giving protection against computer viruses and Trojan horses, computer security requires making our desktops and laptops secure from network and physical threats. Networked computers and workstations—particularly those with unrestricted Internet access—are vulnerable to malicious activity such as unauthorized access and data theft, so there's clearly a need to protect them through common sense and best practices.

To give us a good, easy-to-read rundown of how computer security should be approached, Microsoft has come up with what it calls the “Ten Immutable Laws of Security” (www.microsoft.com/technet/). Interestingly, majority of Microsoft’s software projects themselves are later found to have security vulnerabilities, but the company makes up for them by later providing multiple software updates.

There are different approaches to safeguarding sensitive information stored on computers. At the operating system level of Microsoft Windows, in particular, the same PC can be configured to accommodate different users. However, the system needs a little bit of tweaking to ensure that only a particular user will have access to his or her own files, and it should be noted that the system administrator’s account would still have access to everything.

Windows XP Professional has an added feature that prevents access to a logged-in user's active computer. By keying-in “Ctrl-Alt-Delete,” the user can lock his or her workstation; the user's password will be needed to unlock it. This security feature is particularly useful when users have to step out and be away from their workstation for quite a while.

Some users take physical security to a higher level by installing even more powerful tools to prevent unauthorized access. Among them is the use of biometrics, or mechanisms that require users to register and store such unique physical identifiers as their fingerprints, their retinas, or even their faces as part of the authentication process. Both Windows XP and Vista support biometric authentication, and as the cost of USB fingerprint readers goes down, the use of biometrics for security will make more and more sense.

To deter thieves from walking away with your laptop, there are a variety of locks available. These locks, which are fairly easy to install, simply attach themselves to the hinge at the corner of the laptop. There has been criticism on how easy these popular laptop locks can be picked, of course, but several brands like LAPLOCKr are improved versions worth giving a try especially if your workspace have had incidents of theft in the recent past. Clamps are another alternative to laptop locks.

Data theft can also result from carelessly managed passwords. Interestingly, the most commonly used passwords are “God,” “Sex,” “Love,” “1234,” and the even more obvious "Password"—a clear indication that a lot of users take their passwords for granted. This is where the concept of password strength comes in, and this concept is the basis of password management as practiced in big companies. It requires users to come up with a unique password that's alphanumeric and that has special characters as well, and encourages users to change their passwords on a periodic basis.

Users should also take seriously such simple precautionary measures as avoiding writing their passwords on paper and avoiding the use of birthdays and common names. To protect particularly sensitive information, they may also consider installing security protection for their BIOS and hard drives.

If the user's computer belongs to a network, installation of a desktop-based personal firewall would be highly recommended. In a nutshell, a firewall ensures that the user is in control of every bit of data that goes in and out of the computer. It can protect you not only from threats from the Internet but from your local area network as well. Such popular and free personal firewalls as Zone Alarm can secure your desktop from intrusions coming from within the network, and depending on the level of protection you need, the security settings for these tools can also be calibrated.

Ultimately, computer security boils down to common sense. If you feel that your computer is vulnerable to a lot of external threats, it makes sense to employ multiple means to protect it. There's no foolproof way to protect your PC, so it's up to you to come up with a practical mix of tools to make it as secure as you can make it.

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