Below, I would like to share my favorite essential security downloads that have helped me keep my system secure over the last 2-3 years. Check them out and tell us what you think in comments.

1. AVG Anti-Virus (Windows)

AVG is a free anti-virus program, also a really good one. In the past I have tried Norton, Kaspersky, NOD 32 and several others but finally settled on AVG. It’s been my preferred anti-virus program for the last couple of years. MakeUseOf readers seem to agree as well.

We have already reviewed the AVG on MakeUseOf before so if you want to know all the details check out Mark’s AVG review here.

To get an idea here are some of the things you get with AVG:

* real time virus checking
* automatic daily updates
* scans incoming/outgoing emails for viruses
* removes malicious tracking cookies from the browser
* scans search results (ex. Google) and warns about non safe links.
* option control the speed of virus scanning process

2. MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (Windows)

Malwarebytes is an easy-to-use and effective anti-malware application. With over 8 million downloads MalwareBytes is ranked as the 6th most popular software download on Download.com and second in spyware removal category. The users ratings and reviews are pretty good as well.

Malwarebytes’ claims to detect and remove malware that many of the other well known spyware removal programs fail to detect. I can’t really confirm that but after using it for about 2 months it has become my primary spyware removal/scanner app. I must admit I haven’t been using this one long enough yet but so far it has done a pretty good job.

While MalwareBytes doesn’t offer as many features as other tools in that category, it has a comprehensive library of threats to protect against. It’s also very light on your system resources.

The program does have a few more options open to you. For instance, it adds a contextual right-click option to scan individual files. This second option is handy for times when you have to download a file that you think is suspect or need to open someone’s flash drive.

There are some other handy addons as well. You can read more about MalwareBytes in a previous MakeUseoOf article Stop & Delete Spyware With Malwarebytes.

The Basic version which consists of a spyware scanner and removal tool is free. The Pro version costs $24.95 and comes with an additional Protection Module that can detect malware before it can do any significant damage.

3. Spyware Terminator (Windows)

I use Spyware Terminator as my secondary spyware removal tool.

I first heard about it from Bill Mullins, a security expert and MakeUseOf author who recommended the app for real-time spyware protection. In his own words:

As you can see, Spyware Terminator is my current application of choice in the spyware protection/removal category. Having tested virtually all of the major anti-spyware apps over the last year or more, I’ve settled, for now, on Spyware Terminator.

The program is easy to setup and customize, for both less experienced and expert users alike. One noteworthy feature of Spyware Terminator is its ‘Real-Time Shield’ that silently runs in the background and offers strong active protection against both known and unknown threats.

Moreover, there is a simple option to schedule automatic updates and fast spyware scans on a daily basis to ensure your computer is clean.

4. Comodo Firewall Pro (Windows)

Firewall has an essential role in safeguarding your PC. It can block unauthorized remote attempts to access your computer as well as attempts to transfer data by locally installed programs. Unfortunately not many people know about that.

Windows XP and Vista users already have the default Windows Firewall but based on my past experience I don’t find it effective and prefer Comodo Firewall instead (and so do many others).

Just like the above mentioned AVG, Comodo Firewall also came out as the best Firewall in our poll. It’s also probably the lightest one when it comes to your precious system resources. For me it takes only about 3.2 MB on average.

Comodo automatically monitors your connection and alerts you whenever some remote computer or locally installed program tries to initiate an unauthorized connection.

In many cases it also gives you advice on how to react to the alert.

Moreover, Comodo Firewall also comes with something called Defense + Host Intrusion Prevention System. This security addon helps to further secure your computer against malicious craplets before they can do any harm to your system.

Note: Like with any extensive security software if you haven’t used a Firewall before you might find Comodo alerts a little overwhelming. So, keep in mind that it takes some time to get used to.

5. NoScript – Firefox

With over 42 million downloads NoScript is the most popular Firefox addon out there. So if you haven’t tried it before it’s time to do so now.

To put it simply, NoScript makes web browsing safer by blocking everything that can potentially be used to harm your computer. The includes JavaScript, Java, Flash and other executable content.

Now there is one thing to keep in mind here, while you do get a safety net with this addon, as a novice user at the beginning you might find it annoying to constantly add sites to your “trusted sites” list. For instance, when you visit Youtube for the first time after installing it the videos won’t load unless you add Youtube to your trusted list.

But the good news, adding sites to the trusted list can be accomplished with a click of a button and you need to do it only once.

Also for the websites that present information from several sources you might have to “allow” several sites before you are able to view them in full. In such cases you can simply select “Allow all this page” option.

To sum up, NoScript does take some time to get used to but is definitely worth it. Just like like the Comodo Firewall. If you have any questions check out their FAQ page here.

6. Lastpass (Firefox / Internet Explorer)

LastPass is that one password manager you have been waiting for. Unlike Internet Explorer and Firefox’s built in password managers, data in your LastPass Vault is encrypted. The encrypted login details are stored on LastPass server which are then accessible from your browser or any web-enabled computer that you have Lastpass installed on.

It takes about a minute to install and setup.

Once you have set it up, you can start adding your accounts by simply going to sites and login as usual. When Lastpass asks if you want it to remember the login details for the site, click ‘OK’ and done. Next time you visit the site lastpass will fill the login details automatically.

You will only need to know one password, that is the the password to your Lastpass account. You will have to enter it everytime the browser is restarted.

Once logged in you’ll be able to access your web accounts with a single click. Other lastpass features include:

- auto online form filling
- ability to access your account details from multiple computers
- password generator
- and more …

7. WOT (Web Of Trust) – Firefox

Another extremely popular Firefox addon. I have been using WOT for about 4-5 months and so far it has been great. The purpose of WOT is to warn users about unsafe websites before they actually enter them. These unsafe site can mean a site known to scam visitors, deliver malware, send spam etc.

WOT uses color-coded icons show ratings for over 21 million websites – green for safe, yellow for caution and red for stop. Screenshot below shows WOT safety icons on Google search results.

As you can see from the screenshot above WOT warns about the first two entries. So I would skip them.

Do you use any of the the above tools? Any others you would want to add to the list? Please share them with us in comments.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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Before you go out and buy a wireless network card or attempt to run wire through your attic, you might be able to save yourself time and money if you have an old wireless router lying around. You may be able to upgrade your old router with a different firmware that will allow it to act as a wireless bridge. That is, turn your old router into wireless bridge. A wireless bridge allows you to connect one network to another over the airwaves, rather than having to run wire from one room to another.

The free firmware that makes this possible is called DD-WRT.  Before reading further, check the DD-WRT supported device list to see if your router is supported.  If it is supported, be sure to check out the notes for running DD-WRT on the supported device page. You’ll need to refer to the recommended installation method later.

Requirements

- Broadband internet connection.
- Two wireless routers:

• One connected to your broadband internet connection to serve as the access point.
• One connected to other machine(s) that need to connect to web. This one will need to support DD-WRT.

Initial Setup

1. Make sure your main internet router is working properly. Verify the wireless connection is working properly by connecting a laptop or some other device.

2. Set up the remote computer at the remote location.

3. Connect the remote computer to the router you will be installing DD-WRT onto. Just plug it into one of the ports on the hub (i.e. not the internet port or uplink port).

4. Open your browser and connect to the router’s web configuration page.

If you’re not sure what the address is, you may need to refer to the router’s manual. If the router is running DHCP, it is likely to be the address of the computer’s gateway. In Windows XP, go to the Control Panel and then Network Connections. There Double-click on your LAN connection and go to the Support tab. The default gateway will be listed there. You can also check it on CIRT.net along with other details such default username and password for the router.

Download DD-WRT

Now, you need to download the DD-WRT.

1. Go to the DD-WRT download page and Navigate to the stable directory.

2. Navigate to the latest version (you can sort by date descending).

3. Navigate to the Consumer directory.

4. Navigate to the proper directory for your router’s manufacturer and then the model/version of the router. You should be able to find the model and version number printed somewhere on the router.

6. Download the .bin file of your choice.

The notes for running DD-WRT on the supported device list may mandate you use a specific version. If not, I recommend you select either the mini or the standard. If you want to know the differences between the different versions, check out the File Versions section of the What is DD-WRT? page of the DD-WRT wiki.

Install DD-WRT

If you downloaded DD-WRT from your main internet connection, you may need to copy it to a USB drive to install it on the remote router from the remote computer. The remaining instructions are to be run from the remote computer connected to the remote router where DD-WRT is to be installed.

Install DD-WRT according to the installation instructions on the wiki.  Use the installation method recommended for your device in the notes on the supported device page (if applicable).

Warning: It is possible to brick your router when you install the new firmware (i.e. render it useless).  Please take caution in reading the installation instructions carefully.  I recommend you install DD-WRT on an old router that you are currently not using, so that if something does go awry there is no major loss.

Configuring DD-WRT as a Client Bridge

1. Once you have DD-WRT installed, open your browser to http://192.168.1.1 and log into the router. In older versions of DD-WRT, the default username is root and the default password is admin. Be sure to change the default password to secure your router.

2. Next, click on the Wireless tab at the top.

3. Set the Wireless Mode to Client Bridge. Then click Apply.

4. Set the SSID to that of your main wireless router that is connected to the Internet.  In my case, my main wireless router SSID is sierra. Then click Apply.



5. Click on the Wireless Security tab in the second row of tabs, and configure the router to match the security settings as your main router. In my case, my main wireless router has WPA security mode with TKIP shared key, so I set up DD-WRT to match it.

6. Click Apply.



7. Click the Setup (very first tab in the upper left) to configure the LAN settings.

8. Assign the router a Local IP Address on the same subnet as your main router, but give it a different address.  That means that all the numbers for the address will be the same as the main router except for the numbers in the fourth box.  For example, the address of my main router is 192.168.1.1 so I gave my DD-WRT router an IP of 192.168.1.2.

9. Set the Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0.

10. Set the Gateway and Local DNS to the address of the main router.



11. Click Apply.

Your DD-WRT router should now allow you to connect your remote computer to your main internet router through the airwaves!  If you ever need to reconfigure the DD-WRT router, just be sure to remember the new IP address that you assigned in step number 8.  You could always use a nice label maker and slap it right onto the router.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

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Today we want to run a similar poll and find out what’s your favorite firewall software. Or whether you have one at all.

Similar to Antivirus, Firewall has an essential role in keeping your PC secure from online threats. Unfortunately not many people realize that. So the purpose of this poll is to find out what is the most popular firewall software used by MUO users. Again, please vote !

Download Links

• Comodo Firewall PRO (FREE)
• ZoneAlarm Free Firewall (FREE)
• Ashampoo Firewall (FREE and PREMIUM version available)
• Windows Live Onecare (not free)
• Agnitum Outpost (not free)
• Panda (not free)
• Lavasoft Personal Firewall (not free)
• Sygate Firewall (incl. in Norton Internet Security 2008) – not free
• Kaspersky Internet Security (not free)

Got something to say ? Post in comments below.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

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I’ve just had to reset another account so I figured now was a good a time as any to introduce one of my favourite Firefox extensions and at the same time, mention a few tips I have picked up along the way.

I guess the number one rule is to make the password as difficult as possible. This means don’t use “password”, “123″, “321″ and definitely don’t use the names of anyone close to you such as partners (including ex-partners), children, parents and pets. If you do, anyone that knows anything about you will easily be able to figure out your password.

With that in mind, I would like to showcase an invaluable Firefox extension called Secure Password Generator. When you install it, you need to drag the button to your Firefox toolbar. The icon is a little padlock.

Opening it up, you first need to click on the “characters” tab to configure what kinds of passwords you’re going to generate. I recommend a password of no less than 15 characters and tick all the other boxes – letters, numbers and other characters. Plus every time you change your passwords, I would randomly alter the number of characters. As you can see from this screenshot, my last set of passwords were 19 characters long but my next set will be perhaps 17 or 22.

I would also suggest you use as many “alternative characters” as possible such as @ and _. $ and ! are also good. You can add pretty much any character you like in the “Other Characters” section so also consider ? or & or /

When you have configured your password generator fully, it is now time to click on the create tab and begin generating passwords. Just click “create” and watch a password being formed. If you don’t like the one that it produced, keep clicking “create” until you see one you like.

Now you’re obviously not going to remember a password such as K5$@88cLV8zvd!!VT5@ from memory (and if you do, I envy your photographic memory!) so the next step is to record those passwords in a secure place. The simple solution is to record those passwords in a Notepad file and then encrypt the file in your computer to prevent unauthorised entry. A simple encryption program is Steganos Locknote but if you want something a little more robust, try TrueCrypt – I wrote a MakeUseOf review of Truecrypt here.

Also make sure that your computer is protected by a firewall such as ZoneAlarm and both the firewall and the encryption program should be more than adequate to keep hackers out.

It’s up to you how often you change your passwords but I would suggest a minimum of once a week. Designate one day of the week the day when you change your passwords.

A couple of other things to remember – in all your important online accounts (especially your main email account), make sure you have specified a difficult security question (again, nothing that anyone else can guess) and also a secondary email address that is totally unconnected to your main email address. You should also check to see what the website’s policies are towards unsuccessful log-ins – will the account be frozen? Will there be a time delay before you’re allowed access again? How do you re-set the password? Will you be notified by email of unsuccessful log-in attempts?

As the saying goes “sometimes it’s good to be paranoid – sometimes they really ARE out to get you!”. The tips I’ve outlined won’t guarantee that your accounts are 100% safe but you’ve just made it a lot harder for casual hackers to break in.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

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