Tip # 1: Use a good firewall.
I can't stress this enough. A firewall is your best line of defence against attackers. While a firewall alone is not enough, it can significantly reduce the risk of being hacked. For Linux, a good firewall is propbably IPtables. For Windows, not too sure. The Windows firewall in itself is probably fine, as it is integrated into the OS. Never used a Mac for home use.
Tip # 2: Lock down your web browser.
This is very important, as it is the most likely point of intrusion, especially in a Linux system (since the rest of the OS is mostly secure). We all hear about Javascript exploits, or worse happening through a web browser. People can spy on you through the web browser too, through tracking cookies and other crapware. No OS is immune to browser exploits. The best things to do are the following:
-Install AdBlockPlus, or your preferred ad blocker. Make sure you configure it to not block ads on legitimate websites (like these forums) so as to support the website. What the ad blocker does is prevent advertisers (to some degree) from learning about your browsing habbits. It also removes the anoyances of ad's everywhere. A good ad blocker should also be able to prevent ad's from inserting malicious cookies into one's system. I will have to see if adBlockPlus has this feature.
-Install NoScript, or disable javascript all together. What noScript can do is prevent websites from running malicious scripts (javascript exploits mostly) hence hardening the web browser. For the best protection, one can simply disable javascript. To do this in firefox, type about:config in the URL bar. READ THE WARNING CAREFULLY. You could seriously mess up your web browser if you aren't careful. Now search for javascript.enabled of type boolean, and set it to false. This is a browser-wide configuration. Some websites may no longer work properly. All in all, noScript should be enough. But theres how to disable javscript completely, for the paranoid user.
-Set your firefox privacy settings acording to how private you want your web browsing to be. Always use private browsing, disabling cookies on a per-site basis, and many other settings can be found here. Play with them to suite your needs.
-Keep your web browser up to date. This is also very important. Since security fixes are released constantly, you too should be upgrading the browser constantly.
-Disable things like Flash and QuickTime. These are known to be vulnerable, and if you dont use them, disable them. I personaly am not that paranoid, so I dont worry about this too much.
All in all, avoid suspicious websites. Do not look at piracy, hacking, or other related illegal sites. Avoiding the dangers is much easier than cleaning up the mess after someone has hacked your system.
Tip #3: Keep your entire system up to date.
-This means upgrading your OS after it become unsupported. Or use an LTS release. Also, you should install most of what the update manager says to install. Levels 1-3 packages should always be installed. Levels 4-5 packages are to be installed at your own risk, as they are known to cause system instability. Keeping the whole system up to date prevents a known exploit in older software from, well, being exploited on your system.
Tip #4: Prevention is the best medecine.
-As mentioned in tip 2, preventing the attack is better than cleaning up after an attack has happened. One of the easiest ways to prevent yourself from being attacked is to keep a low pofile online, so to speak. This means do not have 10 email accounts, do not register for every single website you visit, etc. Remove old, unused accounts so that they cant be linked to you. One should also avoid illegal websites, like hacking and piracy. Use common sense when web browsing. Then again, common sense is not all that common...
Tip #5: Educate yourself
-You don't need to have a degree in network administration to know the basics of how a network works and what you can do to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. Educating yourself is easy. There are literally thousands of resources online. I'm curious to know how many people know what the Tor project is, what phishing is, or what a DDoS attack really does. Google all 3 if you dont know what they are. They are quite common and important! If you can outsmart an attacker, then they won't be able to pick on you. Its that simple. If you know how to harden your system, you are doing everything within your power to keep your important data safe.
Thats about it. Let me know what you guys think of my top 5 tips!
