**The Importance of Antivirus Software**

When it comes to protecting your computer from malware and viruses, antivirus software is a must-have. However, if you're running a Mac or a Linux computer, you don't have to worry about this as much. But if you're running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, antivirus software is a good idea. In fact, antivirus software is not necessary for everyone, and some people have had no issues without it. However, it's always better to be safe than sorry, and having antivirus software can provide an extra layer of protection against malware and viruses.

**Microsoft Security Essentials**

One popular antivirus software that I highly recommend is Microsoft Security Essentials. This software is free, easy to use, and does not bog down your computer with unnecessary processes. It also stays updated automatically, which means you don't have to worry about keeping it up to date yourself. Microsoft Security Essentials is a great backup option for those who want antivirus software without the hassle of installing multiple programs.

**Keeping Your Computer Up to Date**

Another important step in keeping yourself secure online is to keep your computer and browser up to date. This includes updating your operating system, as well as any plugins or add-ons that you have installed. The Mozilla Plug-in Checker is a great tool for checking if your plugins are up to date. Simply visit the website, scan your computer for any outdated plugins, and download the latest updates.

**Common Sense**

Finally, it's also important to use common sense when browsing online. This means being careful about downloading software from unknown sources, and avoiding shady programs that may contain malware or viruses. It's also a good idea to read the terms and conditions carefully before installing any software, and be wary of toolbars or other features that you don't need. Additionally, if you want to torrent something, make sure to run it through a virus scan first to ensure that it doesn't contain any malicious code.

**Why Common Sense is Key**

Using common sense when browsing online can make a big difference in keeping yourself secure. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of downloading new software or movies, but taking a few extra precautions can save you from trouble down the line. By being careful about what you download and install, you can avoid many types of malware and viruses that can harm your computer.

**The Benefits of Antivirus Software**

Antivirus software provides several benefits, including protection against malware and viruses, as well as the ability to scan for and remove any threats that may be present on your computer. Some antivirus software also includes features such as firewall protection, email scanning, and password management. By using antivirus software, you can help keep yourself safe online and avoid many types of problems.

**Conclusion**

Taking a few simple precautions can make a big difference in keeping yourself secure online. Whether it's installing antivirus software, keeping your computer up to date, or being careful about what you download and install, there are many ways to protect yourself from malware and viruses. By using common sense and taking these precautions, you can help keep yourself safe and secure online.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys this is Austin and today I'm here a video showing you some tips on how not to get hacked now in the last couple days there have been some major websites that have been hacked including Last FM e-harmony and Linkedin now while there's nothing you can do about a specific website getting hacked if it happens it happens but there are definitely some things you can do to make sure that your data is safeguarded and secure the first tip is very simple don't use the same password on multiple sites now I know we've all done this before however it's a very bad idea as far as security goes so let's say you had an account at Last FM for example okay so you use it and you have the same password on that as you have on multiple other sites well all it takes is something like this to happen where Last FM gets hacked and all of a sudden your password is available most likely with your email address or all kinds of other information it's available for anyone so all they need to do is say oh okay you have a Gmail account with this password let's go ahead and give it a shot they go to Gmail they punch in the password from Last FM and Bam they have access to your email and once they have access to your email then of course they can reset passwords they can get at pretty much anything that they want want to avoid this it's really easy just don't use the same password on multiple sites now to do this it's really simple if you've got some crazy awesome brain just get a bunch of different passwords for different sites and just remember them if you're like me though you probably can't do that so in that case I recommend using last pass one reason you should use last pass is that it will allow you to create a long random password so for example a lot of us might use a password similar to this now first place it looks like a nice secure password however it really isn't for starters it's all lowercase now when you want to create a a good secure password it should always contain a mixture of lowercase and uppercase letters as well as punctuation on top of that it's a dictionary word now anytime someone's trying to hack you it's very simple to go ahead and crack it if it's a standard word straight out of the dictionary so instead you should use something like this which last pass will create now of course there's no chance that you're going to be able to memorize this by yourself but since last pass has it saved you really don't have to worry last pass is also integrated into most major browsers so all you need to do is download the extension and it will automatically fill in all the information that you need as far as your passwords go you can also opt for last pass premium which is $12 a year and will allow you to access last pass on pretty much any kind of mobile device out there another tip is to change your passwords regularly now if it's a site that you rarely use or doesn't have any kind of major personal information it's probably not something that you need to worry about however if it's something important like banking or email it's a good idea to change your password once or twice a year another tip is to use antivirus software now if you're running a Mac or a Linux computer you really don't have to worry about this however if you are running Windows XP Windows Vista or Windows 7 then antivirus is a good idea now I should note that antivirus is actually not necessary so a lot of people do not use anti virus and never have any issues in fact I've had antivirus on my computer for several years now without having any issues however it is a good backup what I recommend is to download Microsoft Security Essentials now this is what I run and I think it's absolutely excellent not only does it not really take up a lot of resources so it doesn't bog your computer down like a lot of other antivirus softwares but on top of that it stays updated and does pretty much everything it needs to in the background of course there are some paid ones as well however I generally don't recommend these just because while they might be slightly better sometimes than Security Essentials of course they cost and they're almost always going to take up a lot more resources and slow your computer down another very easy thing you can do to keep yourself a little bit more secure is to keep everything up to date now there's a lot of different things that are involved in getting yourself on the internet so at the base level you have your operating system so this could be Windows 7 it could be Mac OS 10 line it doesn't really matter there are always new updates that help with security and bugs and all that kind of stuff it's very simple to keep your computer up to date and I highly recommend that if you haven't updated in a while just double check and see if there are any new updates available and install them to make sure that you're as secure as possible you should also keep your browser up to date so if you use a newer browser such as Google Chrome you really don't have to worry about this as it will automatically keep you up to dat however if you have an older browser such as Internet Explorer it's a great idea to use the update functionality from time to time to make sure that it is in fact fully up to date you should also keep your plugins up to date so these range from everything from flash which is most likely what you're using to watch this YouTube video right now to Quick time to Silver light to Java now generally these are going to be spread all over your computer with different options and control panels however the best way to check to see if they're all up to date is to use the Mozilla plug-in Checker this website is made by Mozilla the makers of Firefox however it does work in any browser what it will do is scan your computer for all the different plugins you have installed and see if any of them do need to be updated if so a simple link will appear we can download the latest update and get that all taken care of of lastly but definitely not least it comes down to Common Sense so of course you really need to be careful about downloading Shady programs there's all kinds of spyware and adware that is not a virus technically but it's something that you may accidentally install while you're installing something so typically free software will have toolbars or might even have stuff that will put ads on your computer all that kind of stuff and this is not anything that anti virus will take care of as you're the one saying okay okay okay on the million check boxes so anytime you install something it looks a little shady just be sure to read carefully if there's going to be any kind of toolbars or anything like that you should also be careful with torrent and illegal downloads now if you want to torrent something by all means go ahead it's none of my business but you should be at least a little bit wary of these so run it through a virus scan or something before opening it up as you never know what could be lurking inside so there you guys have it a few tips on how to keep yourself more safe and secure online and while there's no foolproof way of doing this by taking a few simple precautions such is not using the same password on websites installing some antivirus and being wary of what you download it can make a big difference if you enjoyed this video definitely be sure to leave it a thumbs up and if you're interested in more videos like this be sure to subscribehey guys this is Austin and today I'm here a video showing you some tips on how not to get hacked now in the last couple days there have been some major websites that have been hacked including Last FM e-harmony and Linkedin now while there's nothing you can do about a specific website getting hacked if it happens it happens but there are definitely some things you can do to make sure that your data is safeguarded and secure the first tip is very simple don't use the same password on multiple sites now I know we've all done this before however it's a very bad idea as far as security goes so let's say you had an account at Last FM for example okay so you use it and you have the same password on that as you have on multiple other sites well all it takes is something like this to happen where Last FM gets hacked and all of a sudden your password is available most likely with your email address or all kinds of other information it's available for anyone so all they need to do is say oh okay you have a Gmail account with this password let's go ahead and give it a shot they go to Gmail they punch in the password from Last FM and Bam they have access to your email and once they have access to your email then of course they can reset passwords they can get at pretty much anything that they want want to avoid this it's really easy just don't use the same password on multiple sites now to do this it's really simple if you've got some crazy awesome brain just get a bunch of different passwords for different sites and just remember them if you're like me though you probably can't do that so in that case I recommend using last pass one reason you should use last pass is that it will allow you to create a long random password so for example a lot of us might use a password similar to this now first place it looks like a nice secure password however it really isn't for starters it's all lowercase now when you want to create a a good secure password it should always contain a mixture of lowercase and uppercase letters as well as punctuation on top of that it's a dictionary word now anytime someone's trying to hack you it's very simple to go ahead and crack it if it's a standard word straight out of the dictionary so instead you should use something like this which last pass will create now of course there's no chance that you're going to be able to memorize this by yourself but since last pass has it saved you really don't have to worry last pass is also integrated into most major browsers so all you need to do is download the extension and it will automatically fill in all the information that you need as far as your passwords go you can also opt for last pass premium which is $12 a year and will allow you to access last pass on pretty much any kind of mobile device out there another tip is to change your passwords regularly now if it's a site that you rarely use or doesn't have any kind of major personal information it's probably not something that you need to worry about however if it's something important like banking or email it's a good idea to change your password once or twice a year another tip is to use antivirus software now if you're running a Mac or a Linux computer you really don't have to worry about this however if you are running Windows XP Windows Vista or Windows 7 then antivirus is a good idea now I should note that antivirus is actually not necessary so a lot of people do not use anti virus and never have any issues in fact I've had antivirus on my computer for several years now without having any issues however it is a good backup what I recommend is to download Microsoft Security Essentials now this is what I run and I think it's absolutely excellent not only does it not really take up a lot of resources so it doesn't bog your computer down like a lot of other antivirus softwares but on top of that it stays updated and does pretty much everything it needs to in the background of course there are some paid ones as well however I generally don't recommend these just because while they might be slightly better sometimes than Security Essentials of course they cost and they're almost always going to take up a lot more resources and slow your computer down another very easy thing you can do to keep yourself a little bit more secure is to keep everything up to date now there's a lot of different things that are involved in getting yourself on the internet so at the base level you have your operating system so this could be Windows 7 it could be Mac OS 10 line it doesn't really matter there are always new updates that help with security and bugs and all that kind of stuff it's very simple to keep your computer up to date and I highly recommend that if you haven't updated in a while just double check and see if there are any new updates available and install them to make sure that you're as secure as possible you should also keep your browser up to date so if you use a newer browser such as Google Chrome you really don't have to worry about this as it will automatically keep you up to dat however if you have an older browser such as Internet Explorer it's a great idea to use the update functionality from time to time to make sure that it is in fact fully up to date you should also keep your plugins up to date so these range from everything from flash which is most likely what you're using to watch this YouTube video right now to Quick time to Silver light to Java now generally these are going to be spread all over your computer with different options and control panels however the best way to check to see if they're all up to date is to use the Mozilla plug-in Checker this website is made by Mozilla the makers of Firefox however it does work in any browser what it will do is scan your computer for all the different plugins you have installed and see if any of them do need to be updated if so a simple link will appear we can download the latest update and get that all taken care of of lastly but definitely not least it comes down to Common Sense so of course you really need to be careful about downloading Shady programs there's all kinds of spyware and adware that is not a virus technically but it's something that you may accidentally install while you're installing something so typically free software will have toolbars or might even have stuff that will put ads on your computer all that kind of stuff and this is not anything that anti virus will take care of as you're the one saying okay okay okay on the million check boxes so anytime you install something it looks a little shady just be sure to read carefully if there's going to be any kind of toolbars or anything like that you should also be careful with torrent and illegal downloads now if you want to torrent something by all means go ahead it's none of my business but you should be at least a little bit wary of these so run it through a virus scan or something before opening it up as you never know what could be lurking inside so there you guys have it a few tips on how to keep yourself more safe and secure online and while there's no foolproof way of doing this by taking a few simple precautions such is not using the same password on websites installing some antivirus and being wary of what you download it can make a big difference if you enjoyed this video definitely be sure to leave it a thumbs up and if you're interested in more videos like this be sure to subscribe