Maintaining your system
Once you have a secure system you should maintain your system by periodically, i.e. checking the for patches / bug fixes / updates.
This has been dramatically simplified by the operating system manufacturers providing automatic update facilities.
Regarding applications especially P2P, VOIP, Instant Messenger where your computer is communicating in the background with other systems which could be compromised it is vital that you check for an update every time you run that application. Just get into the habit of checking. Most application provide an easy check facility which is either an automatic check or a one button click check. This is typically found under the “Help” menu item for the particular application.
You should un-install applications which you no longer use. This is because if it is not installed it cannot be compromised! Thus you are reducing the “vulnerability surface” of your computer system that an attacker can exploit.
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