This post is supported by Bullguard, who supply free internet security and antivirus software.

The rise of social networks, cloud computing and mobile applications means that having a decent level of security for your business or home has never been more important – and when was the last time you checked your antivirus software was up-to-date or ran a full system scan? There’s not a lot of excuse with the amount of free internet security options around (Either as trials or full products).

It’s something many people writing about the digital world forget to mention – or even neglect to do themselves, but if you consider the rise of digital networking (e.g. 500 million people connected on Facebook), then consider how the viral effect applies to malware and malevolent programmes as much as the latest marketing campaign.

It may seem blindingly obvious considering the fact they’re called viruses, but considering I’ve seen infections transferred via USB sticks swapped between digital marketing experts, for example, it’s always good to have a timely reminder.

A report from Microsoft today revealed that the U.S, for example, leads the figures for hijacked home computers, with over 2.2. million botnets currently out there, which are then controlled by whoever has taken them over – often invisibly to the owner of the computer unless they realise that’s the reason their PC is going a little slower than normal.

And social media could even be making things more dangerous. When search was the primary way to discover websites, there was a clear hierarchy of results, which meant most common terms would have some level of filtering – indeed search engines do employ warnings for know malware sites, although this obviously doesn’t cover many of them.

But when a social networking friend recommends a link, often obscured by a url shortener, how many of us honestly check before clicking on it, or even repeating it to our own network?

And there’s also the illusion that applications, particularly for mobiles, mean that everything is safe – it assumes that every application store and every 3rd party site has examined every single line of code for every application.

If that isn’t enough, there appears to be a rise in hackers actively targeting routers, rather than PCs, meaning they’re reaching anything connecting via that hub – your mobile phone, all your computers, and anything else running software which could be compromised.

Earlier this year, my websites were all disrupted by malware which infected website hosts. The disruption was bad enough, but the thought of anyone getting an infected computer due to one of my sites has been enough for me to educate myself a lot more to minimise the chance of it happening in the future.

Many of us are issued computers by our employers, and quite often we’ll assume that the often over-worked IT department have got everything covered – but a lot of the time they’re maintaining rather than having the time to pro-actively go after the latest major threats.

But there’s no need to panic:

I’m not suggesting you should run away from the internet. It’s actually surprisingly simple to start taking control and responsibility for your own data and safety. You can start by making sure you have decent antivirus software up and running, and updated. Make sure it’s updated regularly and you’re running scans either manually or automatically on a regular basis. And most vendors allow you to try their software for free for a limited time, so there’s really no excuse for not trying it.

Change your router username and password from the default – if you’re still logging in with ‘admin’ and ‘password’ you’re liable for anyone using your wifi to access any website, as well as vulnerable to malicious software.

Store sensitive passwords away from the computers and change them regularly – especially any banking passwords. I use a variety of ways to secure my passwords for most things, but I never store any financial passwords on any computer, or write them and store them anywhere near any of the computers I use. The social element of hacking is best summed up by someone writing their password on a Post-It note stuck to their monitor, and it also applies to someone having an illicit wander through the files on your computer.

And lastly, don’t be afraid to read up, ask stupid questions, and find out about securing your computers. I’m definitely not an expert, and there are plenty of great resources available online to find out what you should do to prevent problems – and to help after they’ve happened. It’s all about taking responsibility for all of the equipment in your care, and all of the things which are precious to you, and at the end of the day, it should become as much a part of your routine as locking the door when you leave the house, and not walking around with a bag of cash sticking out of your pockets… You’ve never be completely safe, but by taking the essential steps you’ll have made your computer and mobile less attractive then the one next to it!