A lot of people simply don't realise the danger out there and how easy it is to get infected, espically when using Windows. People can continue using their PC completely un aware of what's going on, this being a hacking related forum, most of you are probably aware of the risks and how to protect you & and your PC. It's not hard to stay secure and requires a few hours of sitting down and setting things up. If your on a tight budget, protecting your PC is harder, due to the fact that some freeware programs can be limited in fuctionality however, it's possible to protect you and your browsing for free.
So, what's first?
1: Keyscrambler's - These are pieces of software that will randomize your typing and letters so they don't make any sense to anyone who has keylogged you (meaning they can see what you type). If you don't use your PC for banking and/or important accounts online, then it's not really a key element for you, however I would still recommend using one.
I would personally recommend KeyScrambler Personal by QFX Software. It's free, easy to use, works with Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008/7. The software is ONLY compatible with Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Flock. However, you can upgrade to a paid version of the software which will protect typing on a lot more, if not all applications.
2: Passwords - A very common mistake people make is using the same passwords online, having a lot of passwords online can be hard to remember, however you can either write the passwords down or save them to a notepad file or save them with your browser. For instance if I got access to someone's gmail account, and saw an email from PayPal, I would know that the gmail and paypal accounts linked together, therefore, I could try the gmail password on PayPal, success, I'm logged in and I could then either send all the money to my PayPal account (which would be stupid anyway as if the person did get the account back, they would see the forwarding email and most likely contact PayPal asking for them to get the money back) or I could just change the PayPal primary/secondy email and password. Job done.
So the simple thing to do is DON'T use the same passwords online.
3: Yhe sits you visit - You always get someone who see's something they really want online, however your browser marks it as dangerous, but because you really want it, you will ignore the warning and browse the dangerous site and that's when it all goes wrong. If your browser / anti virus gives you a pop up saying "This site is dangerous.", then leave. Don't ignore the warning.
4: Anti Virus / Spyware / Firewall - These are 3 of the bethods to staying secure online, many people just don't even bother to install these products because they either can't be bothered or think it will slow down their PC (which it will, as it's another process). So them extra few MB's of RAM that they use, they are worth it to stay secure and enjoy browsing the internet knowing you are safe. There are thousands of software related products out there, it's just a case of looking around and finding the one that is right for you. If you are unsure of what software to use, I recommend you browse the link below where you can choose a few options of what you like: