For those of you that have tried to hire help to clean the malware out of your PC, however, you’ve likely found out what the commercial never mentions, that within a month you’re right back where you started, with an infested and almost unusable computer just because you dont have the right security in your PC. Here are some tips for keeping your computer secure.

Use a firewall

You can think of a firewall as a sort of shell around your computer that identifies and filters out threats, while letting secure information pass through it and reach your computer. Because a firewall serves this all-important filtering role between your computer and the internet, using a firewall is the very first step on the path to computer security.

Install and update anti-virus software

A good firewall will filter out many of the threats facing your computer, however, some malware is always going to find its way onto your PC. For example, viruses, worms, Trojan horses and other forms of malware can find their way onto your computer by various means a firewall cannot detect, including downloading malicious email attachments and files from the internet. So to protect your PC you’ll also need strong regularly updated anti-virus software. While a firewall protects your computer from the outside, an anti-virus program will work from the inside of your computer, hunting down hidden viruses and deleting them, while also scanning attachments and downloads before they can infect your computer.

Install and run anti-spyware software

Even though firewalls and anti-virus programs are more well-known when it comes to basic security steps than installing anti-spyware software, it may actually be your anti-spyware program that provides your computer with the most significant increase in security.

Today, the most common form of malware that internet users encounter is spyware. In fact, a recent study estimated that 9 out of 10 computers connected to the Internet are currently infected with some form of spyware. Spyware can take a variety of forms, however, some of the most common effects are that it causes unsolicited pop-ups to appear, steals personal information, monitors internet activity for marketing purposes, or routes your website requests to other spammy advertising sites.

Install additional basic threat counter-measures

In addition to the three universally needed security software programs discussed above, there are a couple of other software installations which can be basic necessities for you, depending upon your particular computer usage.

Strengthen your web browser security

You connect to the internet through your internet browser. And whether you use Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera or anything else, this is a point of major weakness in any computer’s defenses. Hackers often target their attacks on your computer by focusing on flaws in browsers or their plug-ins and using drive-by downloads, to get your computer to download malware through the browser without you even knowing that something was downloaded. Because of this threat, web browser security upgrades are an important early step in your PC security overhaul.

Install the latest OS service pack

Hackers are constantly developing new types of malware, some of which try to exploit weaknesses in an operating system to get into your computer. Therefore, it is important to always install the latest Windows OS Service Pack (SP) updates in order to keep your computer secure. Microsoft releases patches and updates for their Windows operating systems once a month on “Patch Tuesday.”

Select secure software and update it regularly

You’ve probably seen those funny Mac and PC commercials on TV where the PC talks about the huge number of viruses and exploits Windows is exposed to relative to Macs. Unfortunately, it is true that the operating system and software that you select plays a big part in how many threats your computer faces. Though the number of threats that affect Mac OS X programs is expected to grow in 2007, for now at least, viruses are concentrated on Microsoft’s programs. Consequently, if you are running a Windows OS, or another Microsoft application, it is extremely important that you frequently update your application with all the new patches that Microsoft puts out. Stated simply, the longer a critical internet-dependent application goes without an update, the higher the probability your computer will have a security threat. So to avoid unnecessary breaches in security, keep your important software up to date.

Disable file sharing on your hard drives

While securing your wifi router will help keep hackers from getting access to your network, what about the potential for harm from people who already have legitimate access to your network? Having a firewall will certainly help, but it may not be enough.

One of the best ways to limit your exposure to intra-network harms is by prohibiting file sharing access from foreign machines. This is especially important if you are on a large scale or open wifi network, such as at a college library or in an office building, where you do not know who could be potentially browsing through your PC.

Be cautious when downloading

While not all freeware is bad, the old saying that nothing worthwhile in life is free is generally true when it comes to free internet downloads. Spammers often hide dangerous malware in computer programs that they then offer for free on the internet. When you choose to download these free programs, not knowing they are infected, you circumvent your firewall and anti-virus protection, and as a result often open yourself up a serious malware infestation.

Use a first-rate email client

Just because all email clients deliver your email, does not mean they are equally effective when it comes to PC security. An effective email client should provide your computer with another layer of protection by effectively filtering out all the unwanted email messages bound for your inbox, as well as providing some basic email attachment virus scanning.

Handle email attachments carefully

When you download an attachment, your computer presumes that you know what you’re doing. Consequently, your firewall won’t check the attachment to make sure that its safe, which leaves just a cursory scan by your email client as the only protection between an attachment and your computer. Given the low level of security surrounding attachments, it’s no surprise that hackers often try to hide their harmful programs in spam email attachments. In fact, an estimated 90 percent of viruses enter computers this way. Given those stats, it is important to always follow best practices when handling all email attachments in your Inbox.

Do not click on email links haphazardly

A common phishing scam technique is to embed a link in an authentic-looking but fake email message which leads to a malicious website. These email messages usually try to trick people into clicking on the link and giving up personal information in order to supposedly “confirm their financial information” or even just to “unsubscribe” from a newsletter they never signed up for in the first place. Another variant on this same scheme simply installs a virus on your computer after you click on the link via a technique called drive-by downloading. But whatever the specific harm inflicted, the point is simply that embedded links in emails can pose an enormous PC security risk.

Set up email filters

Reputable Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) are all currently developing effective spam filtering in order to minimize the amount of spam that reaches your email client. And just as that extra level of filtering helps to reduce the levels of spam that reach your inbox, so too you can add your own supplemental filtering level by setting up your own personal email filters. While your ISP filter and email client filter will together dramatically limit the amount of spam that gets through, it is only by adding a manual filtering component through custom filtering that you can achieve near zero spam levels.

Keep hackers guessing

Hackers use a variety of techniques to attempt to guess passwords. One of the most effective methods is known as “dictionary hacking” in which hackers simply run a computer program that attempts common words and number combinations. Knowing this, you should tailor your password so that it cannot be easily guessed by “dictionary hackers”.

Use a variety of different passwords

It is human nature for people to feel comfortable with a particular username and password, and to keep using it over and over. Because hackers know this, they often target less secured sites in order to harvest usernames and passwords, with the knowledge that those same username and password combinations are likely to work at more secured (and more valuable) sites such as online banks.

Password protect your computer login access

While many people are willing to set up complex passwords for online services, they often resist doing so to protect physical access to their computer. The truth is, however, almost every computer is in danger of being accessed by individuals who don’t have authorization to do so. From your own children, to the maid that cleans your house while you’re at work, the person accessing your computer does not have to intend to harm you or your computer to accidentally do so, so everyone needs a strong password for physical computer access.

Protect your wireless network

If you have a wireless network, it is important to protect yourself from freeloaders, drive-by hackers, and other unwanted users of your wifi network. There are several options you can set to make your wireless network and PC safer.

Do not use a neighbor’s wifi connection

Often hackers setup free, seemingly unprotected wifi connections in convenient locations such as apartment complexes and airports. While these unsecured connections might just be an individual who hasn’t taken the time to protect his network, they might also be “honeypots”, or traps set by hackers to snag your personal details.