Protect Your PC

If you use your PC for online shopping, online banking, or you connect your PC to the internet for any other purpose, be sure to protect your PC from internet threats.

Gibson Research Corporation (grc.com) has a totally FREE set of utilities called ShieldsUP! you can run online to test whether your PC is vulnerable.

I first learned of ShieldsUP! about a year ago when my father told me about it. Since then, every time buy a new PC I run ShieldsUP! after I've installed and configured the antivirus and firewall. In fact, about a month ago I last ran ShieldsUP! on the PC I'm composing this blog entry from. It identified no open ports and no vulnerabilities.

How It Works:

The ShieldsUP! internet vulnerability tests attempt to connect to your PC to determine whether your PC has Windows File Sharing or Common Ports vulnerabilities. In addition to these tests, there are a handful of other tests including an All Service ports test and a Messenger Spam test. The grc.com site is rich with information on keeping your PC protected from internet attacks. They explain about Windows network capabilities that can leave your PC vulnerable, what capabilities a solid personal firewall should have, and more.

Protect your PC and your Personally Identifiable Information by running ShieldsUP! today! Let us all know by leaving a comment if you're able to identify and close any vulnerable ports on your PC as a result of running the tests. I'd love to hear about it!

More ways to protect yourself, your PC and more can be found on our Protect Yourself page.