Harry Waldron - Corporate IT Security

Five quick tweaks to lock down any desktop
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=3&threadID=166433

The best thing about this list of five, is that they are all FREE. I'm personally using 4 of the 5 suggested items. I've been using ZA and McAfee for years to protect my home PCs. Still, AVG 7 is excellent for a free AV product.

This is why Security Awareness is important. If only folks knew they could protect their system WELL with just these FREE solutions.

I'll also add 5 more things that come to mind, beyond what the article lists:

1. Best Practices (e.g., Avoidance, "Think before you Click", and know the dangers of the Internet)

2. Ramp up your IE security

http://myitforum.techtarget.com/blog/hwaldron/archive/2004/12/29/1089.aspx

3. include AdAware SE (and/or the new MSAS beta)

4. enhance your EMAIL settings beyond just the default settings (e.g., Outlook, Thunderbird, Pegasus, etc)

5. Education - Know the risks and the latest threats (that's why I visit here daily)