1. Get a reliable Antivirus Internet Security/Personal Firewall Suite!

If you are operating an internet facing PC without anti virus and firewall protection you are susceptible to abuse.

If you value your privacy and personal data invest in a reliable AV/Personal Firewall program.

There are plenty of free Anti Virus and Malware/Spyware programs available today and being free require dedication and attention to maintain updates. In my humble opinion they are worth every penny you paid for them.

My current favorite is Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 due to its advanced detection engine and constant updates.

Click here > to get protected with Kaspersky

2. Get a hardware firewall.

This could be number 1. but I think people should have AV and software firewall very least; then consider a hardware firewall.

A software firewall allows intruder in the house to snoop around but locks all the doors within. A hardware firewall locks the house. Hackers are for the most part lazy, talentless idiots who brainlessly run 'kiddie scripts' written by more enlightened idiots. These low brows are lazy and mindlessly seek "low hanging fruit' most of these hacks can be deflected with a low cost SOHO hardware router firewall. Linksys, Belkin, Netgear and Cisco are sources for decent hardware router/firewalls. The router may also be used to share the internet connection among sever PCs. If you are a SOHO I would advise a higher end solution which filters web content such as a Cisco ASA or Cisco PIX. These can be sourced on auction sites.

Practically Networked provided many networking tutorials and buyers guides for home and SOHO users

Click here > to go to Practically Networked

3. Use OpenDNS, it's simple it's smart, it's Free!!

"OpenDNS protects millions of people a day across hundreds of thousands of schools, businesses and homes. They block phishing sites, give you the power to filter out adult sites and proxies among more than 50 categories, and provide the precision to block individual domains".

Change your DNS to 208.67.222.222

Click here > for step by step guided configuration info is available from OpenDNS

4. Defend against Bots with 'RUBotted'... Malicious software called Bots can secretly take control of computers and make them participate in networks called “Botnets.” These networks can harness massive computing power and Internet bandwidth to relay spam, attack web servers, infect more computers, and perform other illicit activities.

Click here > to download free Beta version