My Windows® 8.1

6. Securing Your Computer

This chapter shows you how to keep your PC safe by focusing on the following tasks:

→ Customizing your login

→ Working with the Action Center

→ Using Windows Defender

→ Turning on your Windows Firewall

→ Working with user accounts

→ Maintaining your privacy

As a natural part of software evolution, Windows should be getting safer and more secure with each new release. Chris Hallum, senior product manager at Microsoft, says this is so, adding that “Windows 7 is 6 times more likely to get infected than Windows 8, and Windows XP is 21 times more likely to be exploited.” (See www.techradar.com/us/news/software/operating-systems/windows-8-1-security-what-s-been-improved-1156705 ...