Be Cautious of Social Networks

• Social networking scams are some of the fastest growing Internet scams to date. These scams reproduce themselves virally via interesting-looking messages that appear to be posted by friends. They ask you for temporary access to your social networking account, then spread their message and ask you for personal information such as a cell number, email address or other information that can be used to send expensive text messages or spam. Be selective about what apps you install through Facebook and other programs, and never give out your real personal information.
  
  

Never Give Out Your Passwords

• Reputable companies will never ask you for your password through an email or other form of insecure communication. They may ask you for your password on their own website. However, some email scams may direct you to log in to a scammer's website instead of the official site, so don't follow those links; start at the known homepage of the company and log in from there.
  
  

Only Download Certified Software

• Always download software from the official website of the company that releases it. Go to the official website rather than clicking on a link from email or an instant message. You can usually trust a well-known search engine to find the official website. Executable files, or files with the extension "exe" are most dangerous, but even PDF files can contain dangerous scripts.
  
  

Install and Use Malware Protection

• Free malware scanners such Avast!, Spybot and Malwarebytes can protect you from dangerous malware. Each scanner has its own strengths; virus protection programs like Avast! tend to catch damaging malware, while Spybot targets spyware -- a special class of malware that collects personal data without permission or redirects your Internet activity to unknown places. Script-blocking software such as Noscript prevents malware-laden advertisements and other dubious scripts from running without your explicit permission.
  
  

Pay Attention to Warnings

• Don't just click past security warnings; try to find out what they mean and why you are getting them. If Windows asks you for installation confirmation when you didn't try to install anything, be suspicious -- it may mean a potentially malicious program is trying to install itself.