Here are some things you can do to protect yourself, not just from hijacked accounts but also from viruses, spyware and other Internet threats:

• Use strong passwords that are unique on every system, and change them every few months. Earlier this week I posted an article about how to create secure passwords. This is the number-one thing you can do to prevent your accounts from being hijacked.

• Use a high-quality security software suite. I used to recommend free solutions for Windows like AVG combined with Spybot or AdAware, but these days I’m finding the freebies aren’t enough to protect you. Norton and McAfee will do the job, but Norton in particular tends to take up a lot of memory which may make older machines run more slowly. I prefer AVG’s paid Internet Security Suite or Trend Micro’s Titanium Internet Security or Titanium Maximum Security. If you’re using free AVG, you can get a discount on the full AVG suite if you buy through the “upgrade from free version” option.

Whatever solution you choose, be sure it is a full suite—containing antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall—and not just antivirus. And be sure it’s real software and not one of the many rogue security programs that are actually viruses in disguise.

Mac users, you need security software too. My personal favorite is Intego VirusBarrier or Internet Security Barrier. If you run Windows on your Mac through Apple’s Boot Camp or a program like VMWare or Parallels, try Intego’s Dual Protection options: VirusBarrier DP or Internet Security Barrier DP. These include BitDefender for Windows to protect the Windows half of your computer.

• Make sure ALL of the software on your computer is regularly updated. In one of my previous Northwest Herald columns, I talked about the dangers of old software. Here on my blog I’ve also talked specifically about the risks posed by old versions of Adobe (Acrobat) Reader and Flash.

• If you’re on Windows, use a browser other than Internet Explorer. Using Firefox or Opera instead of Internet Explorer offers you that much more protection. If you must use Internet Explorer, find out why older versions of Internet Explorer pose a greater risk of virus infection.

• Watch out for poisoned search engine results and learn how to spot bad web links.

• Never click on links or open attachments in email. Always visit the site directly. For example, if you get an email saying you have a new Facebook message, go directly to facebook.com from your Web browser instead of clicking the link in the email.

• Learn about social engineering and how hackers will do anything and everything to trick you into letting them in.

• And, finally, subscribe to the free email version of Triona’s Tech Tips for easy-to-understand tips you can use to protect yourself from the latest Internet threats. You can click this link or send email to techtips-request-at-guidryconsulting-dot-com, subject “subscribe.”

Some extensions are probably familiar to you. One of the most popular, Flash, lets you see video content on the Web. Flash also illustrates the risks of extensions. Viruses can enter your computer through malicious Flash content, especially if you’re running an older version of the extension. Most people don’t realize that browser extensions, like all software, need to be updated.

To solve that problem, several months ago Mozilla introduced a check for Firefox to help users find and update their extensions. Mozilla is now offering this free service for other browsers. To maximize your computer security, become familiar with the extensions you’re running. The easiest way to do that is to visit Mozilla’s extensions check page, but you can also find them under Tools>Manage Add-Ons (Internet Explorer), Tools>Add-Ons (Firefox), and Help>Installed Plug-Ins (Safari).

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Search engines don’t verify that keywords match results, nor that sites are free from infection. Sponsored ads are particularly notorious. If you do a search for “Windows antivirus”, the paid results are often links to fake antivirus programs just waiting to lure you in.

I advocate the use of link-checkers such as McAfee SiteAdvisor or LinkExtend for Firefox. These free add-ons indicate through red, yellow or green icons whether links are safe to visit. Even so, you should always be cautious. Make sure your security software is up to date and that you have the latest versions of programs like Adobe Reader and Flash (here’s why). You can also run Secunia’s Online Software Inspector to check the status of your security protections.

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• Old Versions Of Internet Explorer Vulnerable To Viruses
• Fall In Love With Secunia Personal Software Inspector
• Mozilla Firefox Expands Check For Unsafe Plug-Ins
• No Click Required: Malware Via Infected Ads

Below you’ll find links to related resources including those mentioned in the column.

• Adobe Acrobat Reader updates
• Flash updates
• Mozilla Firefox plug-in check
• Microsoft Update for Windows, Office, Internet Explorer
• Apple Software Updates for Mac OS, iTunes, Safari, iPhone and iPod
• Secunia Online Software Inspector for Windows

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PSI takes care of this for you, by scanning your computer and giving you a vulnerability assessment, with links to download what you need. Call it one-stop shopping for computer updates. While it doesn’t detect every program, it does scan for all the major ones, and that alone is enough to give you an edge on viruses and other threats.

If you want to check it out, give the Secunia Online Software Inspector (OSI) a try. If you like it, download PSI and toast your new-found happiness.

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Plug-ins are bits of software that work within your Web browser to provide additional functionality. Mozilla debuted this feature with a check for updated versions of Flash, a popular plug-in used to view video content. Outdated versions of programs like Flash are used to spread viruses and malware.

Firefox will run the check automatically, or you can visit this site to check your plug-ins manually. You still have to update them yourself, but Mozilla’s new feature provides a more intuitive way to do so. You can also view your plug-ins and get more information about enabling and disabling them. The check works for both the Windows and Mac versions of Firefox. It’s such a good idea I suspect we’ll see this sort of functionality added soon for Internet Explorer and Safari, the default browsers for Windows and Mac, as well as other browsers like Opera.

Mozilla says it will continue to expand this feature to include additional plug-ins, which is great news for users struggling to keep their computers free of malware and other threats.

The ad services, including DoubleClick, FastClick and ValueClick, offer infected ads that use malicious PDF files to inflict viruses via bugs in older versions of Acrobat Reader. You don’t even have to click on anything, merely visit a page with an infected ad. All you see is a window opening and closing as the PDF is launched. Remember, Google, Yahoo and the infected web sites are not going to protect you from this stuff. Your only option is to protect yourself.

Your best protections are using strong security measures and keeping your Adobe Reader (aka Acrobat) up to date. Meaning, if you’re not using the current version, 9.1.3 (and I know many of you are still on version 7 and earlier), you want to RUN not walk to Adobe’s site to download the latest version.

Installing Adobe Reader is similar to installing Flash. You’ll have to install Adobe’s Download Manager if you haven’t already, then download and install the Reader software. I’ve put the links for Acrobat Reader and Flash Player in the right-hand sidebar under Help For PC Users and Help For Mac Users.

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Old versions of Flash are problematic because they can be used to infect your computer with viruses and other malware. It’s not always easy to tell which version you’re running, and Flash often goes under the radar screen because it’s a plug-in, not a program you run directly by clicking an icon.

Mozilla reports that 99% of Firefox users have Flash. Of the six million users who upgraded Firefox after last week’s upgrade, half of them had unsafe versions of Flash.

Firefox can’t run the Flash upgrade for you; you have to do it yourself by clicking the link to visit the Adobe site. When I visited, Adobe tried to lump some free McAfee antivirus software with the Flash upgrade; you can de-select that. You may need to approve the Adobe Download Manager (look for the yellow bar at the top of your Firefox window). Once Download Manager completes, Firefox needs to restart. A new window will appear, downloading the latest version of Flash. Finally, close Adobe Download Manager by clicking the orange button. (With all these steps, is it any wonder people don’t upgrade Flash more often?)

While the new version of Firefox 3.0 (3.0.14) also includes this Flash check, I encourage you to upgrade to 3.5.3 for greatest security.

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Even if you’re not running Snow Leopard yet, you’ll want to use Software Updates under the Apple menu to get your copy of the latest Security Updates for Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.8.

Why is this update important? If you don’t have the latest version, your computer could be attacked by viruses simply by viewing an infected Web page. “Trustworthy” sites are often infected, so your only protection is updated software, good antivirus, and a little computer security savvy.

Download the latest Flash Player today, and stay tuned to Tech Tips for the latest computer news.