Your awareness of security threats is your best defence

Online, con artists can fool you into revealing private data, phish for your financial information, or install malicious software on your Toshiba laptop. While the wide range of threats may seem overwhelming, you can protect yourself and your Toshiba laptop by following a few simple rules to help ensure that using the Internet is a rewarding and fun experience for you and your family.

  1. Never provide your name, address or credit card details on a website that is not authenticated.

    Whether you're shopping online, researching, or simply surfing, you should always exercise caution on websites that you're not familiar with. Reputable sites will always provide a secure, encrypted connection whenever your personal information is required. Look for "https" in the URL of the page.

  2. Never install software or open files from a source that is not reputable

    Never allow software to be installed on your Toshiba laptop unless you know it's from a reliable and trustworthy source. Hackers may try to fool you into installing malicious software on your computer, so think twice before accepting a download. And if in doubt, err on the side of caution and don't click on any download button hastily.

  3. Ensure that your Toshiba laptop is protected by strong, up-to-date security software

    An out-of-date virus scanner is only marginally better than no virus scanner at all. Virus scanners depend on accurate, updated anti-virus files to be effective. Subscribe to McAfee® computer security service. Keeping you and your family safe whenever you power on your computer, McAfee's comprehensive security software is always active, updating, and protecting wherever you go online.

  4. Create smart and strong passwords

    Make it difficult for hackers to crack your password. Create a smart password by incorporating capital letters, numbers, and special characters, and using more than six characters. Avoid any password based on repetition, dictionary words, letter or number sequences, usernames, relative or pet names, or biographical information.

  5. Pay attention to your children's online activities

    Keep your home computer in a community area so that you can monitor their activity. Use child software that is age-appropriate. Limit your children's time spent online. Install and use parental control software that allows you to monitor your children's activity online.