It i? n?t easy to secure ?our computer when ?ou ?re surrounded by prying eyes ?f hackers, crackers or marketing companies tr?ing t? gather ??ur personal data f?r th?ir variou? purposes. Security software programs h?ve been fighting a long battle t? protect ?our computer fr?m viruses, spyware, adware, worms, key-loggers and ?ll sort of ?ther malicious programs for long. However, ?ust relying ?n software is not enough. You have t? b? vigilant ?bout PC security threats th?t exist online.

The f?llow?ng 5 tips will ensure that ??ur computer stays safe online and ?t i? b?tt?r secure from internet ?nd PC security threats.

1. Keep good quality security software installed ?n ?our computer ?ll th? time. Since security tools serve d?fferent purposes, it is actu?lly wiser t? h?v? ? couple of th?m installed. Also, it is ? good practice t? install security software r?ght after purchasing ? new PC or building ? new machine.

2. Keep y?ur operating system updated ?f all th? critical patches. If ??u use a Windows based computer, ??u c?n kee? automatic update checked ?o it regularly checks and downloads security patches and critical updates that Microsoft releases at regular intervals. Windows automatic update w?ll ev?n install updates for ??u sparing y?u from all th? hassles and manual download ?nd update. If ??u u?e Linux, mo?t of th? Linux distributions popularly called distros h?v? an update manager installed b? default wh??h regularly fetches updates ?f installed programs fr?m repositories. It is ? good practice to update y?ur software packages ?nce ?r twi?e a month.

3. Make ?ure y?ur antivirus and oth?r security tools update regularly. Most ?f th? antivirus tools ke?p a database of virus signatures. If th?y do n?t find a p?rticular virus signature in th?ir database, the? w?ll n?t b? abl? t? effectively deal w?th it. Many ?f the security software programs operate l?k? thi? and ?re ?nl? as good ?s their latest update. Keep th?m updated m?r? often.

4. Keep ? watch on downloads. You d?n't h?v? t? download ?a?h ?nd ?very program, tool, game, utility or app t? your computer. Many ?f the software programs installed on machines are rarely us?d an? way. Download ?nl? what y?u find necess?ry f?r y?u and check ?ver? download with antivirus scanner. Make a habit of downloading your stuff ?nl? from trusted sources.

5. Install software carefully. Many programs disguised a? freeware come bundled w?th extra software ?r adware component with them. Just becaus? a p?rti?ul?r game appears to be availabl? for free download, d?esn't me?n ?t i? free. Free stuff ?nd games are ?n? of th? main ??uses ?f PC viral infections. Children specially fall f?r ?u?h tricks. They end u? downloading free games ?nd install carelessly. Do not let children download and install programs. There ar? high chances th?t the games the? download or play online hav? been infecting ??ur computer.