Yesterday was National Computer Security Day, and while you've surely heard the oft-repeated lines about how important it is to take the necessary precautions toward ensuring your computer is safe, we’re hoping you take those lines seriously. In 2011, about 403 million unique variants of malware were exposed and 55,294 malicious Web domains were active, according to Symantec’s annual review. A report from Secunia also showed that most vulnerabilities are resilient and that despite the fact that their numbers are decreasing, none of the top 20 producers of software—commercial or open source—managed to do quite enough to help keep that number negligible.

In 2011, the company identified “…more than 800 end-point vulnerabilities, of which more than 50% were rated as highly or extremely critical and 78% of all vulnerabilities affected non-Microsoft programs,” said Morten R. Stengaard, Director of Product Management and Quality Assurance at Secunia, in an e-mail to Ars. The most targeted data is personal information and business-centric data, which has also been found to be the least protected, and the hardest to secure and defend.

So, taking that extra step to make sure your computer is protected is worth it, and as the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Here are a few quick tips for getting your computer security squared away this weekend.

Keep your computer consistently updated

For both Windows and OS X machines, be sure to update them regularly to get the latest patches and fixes for your operating system of choice. As a blog post on Secunia's site notes, “Software programs that aren't updated are one of the most commonly used methods by criminals to take control of private PCs. It is incredibly important to keep the programs updated.” You can set your computer to perform automatic updates so that you don’t have to worry about doing them regularly. In OS X,  head to System Preferences and select Software Update and ensure that your Mac is automatically checking for updates.

For Windows users, go into the Control Panel and navigate to the System and Security tab. Click on Action center, and make sure Windows Update is set to “On.” If it’s not, you can change it under the “Change Action Center Settings” option in the left-hand sidebar. While you’re here, ensure that Virus protection, and everything else under that, is also ticked.

In a phone call with Ars, Randy Abrams, Research Director at NSS Labs, Inc., suggested that users actually go out and manually validate that their operating system is up to date. On the Mac, you can do so by selecting Software Update from the Apple Menu in the upper left-hand side of the screen. For Windows users, you can select Windows Update from the Start menu or from the Control Panel. "One of the things malware does is it’ll get in and disable automatic update,” cautioned Abrams. “If you don’t manually validate it you’re not going to know that you've got the problem.”

Consider a third-party virus scanner or security app

If Microsoft Security Essentials feels like it won't be enough for you, consider applications from vendors like Sophos and Eset. Mac users, you can also check out those vendors, or take a gander at Intego. Abrams also recommends looking at reports from companies like his own NSS Labs, as well as AV-Comparative and Virus Bulletin, which all which all publish a variety of reading material on malware, security, and phishing scams, as well as white papers on anti-virus software. He suggests that users get a feel for what some of the major security products are, what they like, and what they’re comfortable using.

Also, be sure to have a backup plan in case something does go awry. In OS X, a Time Machine backup should do the trick. It will restore your system in case of emergency, and you can encrypt it with FileVault. Mac users should also consider creating a backup Admin account in case they don’t have access to their primary one, which they can do so from the Accounts menu under System Preferences.

Windows users can access the Backup option in the Control Panel under System and Security.

Know when you're being phished

Abrams offers two simple rules to follow that will help eliminate a good chunk of phishing attacks. First, he suggested that if you get an email or instant message asking for your password, do not respond. Second, if you click on a link and it asks you log in, it's better to close that URL immediately. If you get an email from Facebook alerting you that a friend left a comment, navigate to Facebook.com yourself and log in from there to find the notification, rather than clicking through.

Use a password management tool

Abrams highly recommended using a password management program like LastPass or 1Password to ensure that the master password is extremely good. That means it needs to be long and contain a few numbers or symbols. “The length is actually more important than the characters,” he added. Abrams also mentioned that choosing common sentences and Bible verses will probably get “hashed” or figured out. As a rule of thumb, you should also avoid using names, words, or anything found in book that could be easily guessed.  As for security challenge answers, he suggested that users make them up, rather than give the actual answer to the question. Just make sure to write it down somewhere.

Keep your laptop tied down

Computer security also means ensuring that your hardware stays within arm's reach. If your laptop model supports it, you can invest in a laptop lock that snaps on to the hardware and loops around a table leg or any other piece of furniture that is immovable. Laptop locks work for any sort of public environment, including cubicles, libraries, coffee shops, or dorm rooms.