Air Force Master Sgt. Jeff Hoopes is the security manager for the Defense Information Systems Center here. He has a number of common sense precautions people should take to safeguard their computers. While his suggestions are aimed at home users, they can also be applied at the office. Hoopes said people should avoid suspicious e-mail with attachments from anyone.
Passwords are the first line of defense for computer users.
He said reversing a word or name can still be easily cracked. Don't tape your password up next to your machine, Hoopes said. And avoid using the same password for every site. He advised users to install anti-virus software and apply vendor updates as they become available. Have your system scanned for viruses regularly.