TeCh GroW

While the quality of the protection you get is the most important thing about security software, its not necessarily the only thing you should consider: there's also price, features and the number of supported devices to take into account. This year, we've been very impressed by the calibre of the security software that we've tested. When looking at the paid-for software, F-Secure Safe, Trend Micro Internet Security, Comodo Internet Security, Kaspersky Internet Security, Sophos Home Premium and Symantec Norton Security all protected against every single threat. Just below that, McAfee Internet Security and Eset Internet Security only allowed a single piece of ma ware through their defenses; Check Point ZoneAlarm did, too, although it was far less successful at outright blocking attacks. Based on this, if you currently have any of these applications, then you can consider yourself safe, and  may only want to change your package when your subscription is up for renewal. For...

Although Windows 10 has improved security dramatically, it's still important to have proper security software to block the multitude of threats that your computer is exposed to as you use the internet. Protection is doubly as important on laptops, where they can leave the safety of your home and connect to strange networks. To find out a bit more about each bit of software, we're deep-diving into the score results to find out the quality of protection for each. When you've finished reading the results, you'll know which software is best at protection and whether or not you should stick with what you've got or switch to another package. Even so, results are only part of the picture, and features, quality of product and price all have an important part to play. So, using our first-hand knowledge of each product, we've put together our chosen list of software. These are the all-rounders that have the best price, features, and protection. However, if you'...

Just because Windows 7 is no longer supported, it doesn't mean that your hardware is completely useless. When the time comes for you to move away from the operating system, you have several choices on what to do with your old computer. Here, we look at the options and what you can do.  TURN WINDOWS 7 INTO A FILE OR PRINT SERVER PROS 1. You still have your old computer if you need it. CONS 1. You use a comparatively large amount of power. 2. Printers may still not work. One of the biggest issues about moving away from windows 7 is that some of your old hardware may not have drivers available in a new operating system. For example, many older printers will not work with Windows 10.                       Rather than having to upgrade your printer to use with a new operating system and computer, you could instead turn your Windows 7 PC into a file server. TO do this, boot up your Windows 7 computer and log i...

Our homes are now full of smart devices, from TVs and speakers to security cameras. While these devices can make life easier for us, they're all effective computers running an operating system. Typically, security hasn't always been of the highest priority for manufacturers of these devices, opening up the risk that one of these devices will be compromised by cybercriminals. Having any device in your home hacked can pose big risks. Take a camera, for example. If one is hacked, it means that people can spy on you in your own home. Cameras can be everywhere: even the FBI has warned people to stick tape over their smart TV's webcams, as it believes that there's a real risk of these devices being hacked. The second danger is that a hacked device can take part in a botnet, performing attacks on other computers on the internet. We've already seen the example of Mirai, which infected 600,000 loT devices at its peak, including them in a criminal botnet. Finally, a ...

USE DIFFERENT PASSWORDS We're all guilty of using the same password time and time again. While this makes things easier to remember, it also makes it easier for hackers. If a company is attacked and cybercriminals get away with lots of usernames, email addresses, and passwords, this information is often sold online. The details can then be used to try and get access to other accounts. If you've used the same password everywhere, then this kind of attack can be very effective. To see how much you're at risk of this, you can use haveibeenpwned.com. Simply type in your email address, click the Pwned button and the site will tell you if you appear in any of the discovered lists of stolen user data . The single best way to protect your accounts is to use unique and strong passwords for every service that you use. That way, even if one account is breached, your other ones are safe because they use different passwords. You can do this manually by using long passwords f...