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1. Keep your security software updated
One of the easiest ways to ensure a computer stays protected is by making sure that the security software installed on the customer’s is constantly updated at least daily in order to ensure that the system is protected from viruses, hackers, and malware. Almost all security software available today will check for updates automatically every day, but it’s always good to make sure that a customer checks their software manually just to make sure that the software is working properly.
2. Set up weekly automated virus scans
Another easy way to ensure a system stays clean is by setting up a weekly automated virus scan to occur at a certain time every night when the customer is not using their computer. This will make sure that the computer is clean, and does not require any user intervention unless a virus is found.
3. Practice Safe Surfing
This is a big one: You want to make sure your customer’s are smart when it comes to surfing online. Explain to your customer the concept behind social engineering, and how malicious users can often trick a customer into downloading a file or running a program on their computer that ends up infecting their computer. It’s a general rule to stay away from pop-ups or advertisements that come up telling the customer that their computer is infected and that they need to install a particular program or Windows update to ensure that their system does not get infected. Also, if you can, give them examples of pop-ups that they may see asking them to install a malicious program. Here is a list of things to look out for when it comes to determining whether a pop-up is rogue or legitimate:
1. Text in the pop-up that shows up is often misspelled or has incorrect grammar.
2. The pop-up window will come up in a browser window or instant message.
3. Often, the web browser being used will minimize itself, leaving a message on the screen telling the customer their computer needs to be scanned.
4. The pop-up will come up saying things such as “WARNING:” “DANGER!!!” “CAUTION!” or other similar words in all capital letters.
5. A window will appear with a unrecognized scanner that shows the computer infected with a number greater than 10 but less than 200 viruses that completes its scan in about 30 seconds or less.
6. The customer will often be pushed into downloading an update over and over, even when they try to close the window.
7. The pop-up comes up after the customer visits a non-trusted site or clicks on a suspicious link.
Last, you should make sure to tell them to check the validity of a site BEFORE viewing it. Sites such as torrent download search engines, pornography pages, freeware download sites and others are places to stay away from. Also, tell them to listen to their instincts – if they feel uncomfortable viewing a particular website because they don’t recognize it or have never used it, chances are they’re probably right.
4. Install Windows Updates
Show your customer how they can manually check for Windows updates, and what to do if an update is ready to be installed. Generally, it’s best for a customer to just keep automatic updates active, and for them to set the updates to install at a time when the computer is KNOWN to be on daily but is not being used to make sure that the customer’s computer does not fall behind on any security patches or fixes.
To get to Windows Update manually in Windows 7, follow these instructions:
Start by clicking on the Start button, then go to All Programs, then click on Windows Update.
Next, click on “Check for Updates” on the left hand side of the screen.
Windows will begin to check for updates and inform the customer of any updates it finds. If Windows reports that there are no important updates to install, then it is OK for the customer to close out the updates window. However, if Windows does find updates to install, have them click on “X important update(s) is/are available” (with X being the number of updates available.)
Next, have the customer click the checkmark box at the very top to select all the updates, then click on OK at the bottom of the window.
The customer will be brought back to the main Windows Update screen. Have them click “Install Updates” to begin the installation process.
Windows will begin downloading and installing the requested updates.
After the updates have been successfully installed, the customer may be required to reboot their computer. If this is the case, have them close any windows they are working in, and then click OK.
5. Install Software Updates
Occasionally there will be other updates that a customer will be required to download, such as updates for Adobe Flash Player or Mozilla Firefox. Explain to the customer how these updates show up on their computer, and how they can recognize whether or not they are legitimate updates to install. If possible, show your customer examples of what these updates may look like through screenshots. Normally these updates only require a few clicks and they’re finished, so make sure your customer feels comfortable enough to update their software on their own when the time comes.
6. Avoid Suspicious Attachments
It’s always advisable for a customer to avoid suspicious attachments that are sent to them through their email. Before a customer opens up an attachment, make sure that they know to verify who the sender was, whether or not they were expecting the attachment, and that the attachment and email do not match up with any email viruses going around at the time. If the customer is suspicious of an attachment, then the customer should either email or call the person who sent the attachment before opening it to ensure its authenticity. If the customer receives an email that has a known virus in it, they must make sure to immediately delete the email from their system, then make sure to purge any emails in their deleted items folder to ensure that the virus does not infect their system.
7. Clean Out Temporary Files
One of the best ways to ensure a computer is both secure and running well is by cleaning out temporary files on the system. Explain to your customer how cleaning out their temporary files can both help them maintain a well-performing system while ensuring that their system is secure as well by eliminating files that could have exploits which trigger time-sensitive viruses to show up on their computer. Preferably, the best time for a customer to clean out their system is right before they run a virus scan, which will actually decrease the time it takes for that particular scan to complete since the system will not have to scan the temporary files that were just eliminated from the customer’s hard drive.
To walk a customer through how they can perform a disk cleanup, follow these steps:
Click on Start, then go to All Programs, then go to Accessories, then go to System Tools, then click on Disk Cleanup.
On most systems, you will have a pop-up come up asking you which drive you would like to clean up. In almost all cases, this drive is the C: Drive.
On other occasions, you will be asked whether you would like to run the cleanup utility just for the one user account you're logged into now, or all of the user accounts on that computer.
Choose "All Users On This Computer". If you are doing this in a system running Windows Vista/7, you will be asked for permission to continue. Make sure that you have administrative privileges so you may click "Continue."
After this step, the Disk Cleanup utility will begin to calculate how much disk space it can clean up, and then a window will come up asking you what you would like to get rid of. Check everything in the list, then click OK.
You will be asked to confirm your choices. Click on "Delete Files" to start the cleanup process.
The Disk Cleanup utility will perform its tasks, and then close.
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