Security Update for December 16, 2006
Brian Gongol


Urgent This Week:

Item Be sure to install the latest series of Microsoft Updates released this week
Item Avoid opening Word files you receive by e-mail or download, at least for a while. Some pretty serious security problems have been discovered that make Word documents high-risk for right now. If you have to exchange Word documents, update your antivirus software and scan every document before opening it. You might also try opening those Word files using OpenOffice, which is compatible with most of those files. OpenOffice also lets you save to PDF format, which is generally a more secure file format to use for exchanging documents than Word.


Important to Do Every Week:

Item Run a backup of your important computer files and store it in a safe location.
Item Update your anti-spyware software and run it. If you need free anti-spyware software, visit http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/ and download Spybot Search and Destroy.
Item Update your anti-virus software and run it. If you need free anti-virus software, visit http://free.grisoft.com and download AVG Anti-Virus.


Other Recommended Security Measures:

Item Set up a limited-access user account on your computer and use it for most purposes. See http://www.gongol.com/howto/createalternateadmin/ for complete instructions.
Item Use Firefox, Opera, Safari, or another web browser other than Internet Explorer. See http://www.gongol.com/howto/getanewbrowser/ for complete instructions.


Other Helpful Links:

Item Listen to the WHO Radio Wise Guys Saturdays from 12:00 – 2:00 Central via streaming audio at http://www.whoradio.com/ or on 1040 AM.
Item Get a professional website for under $500 at http://www.northernrepublic.com/