Very simple list of things to do for stupid end users who talk out of there /\ss.
Disable WAN ping on your router if you have, if you are plugged directly in to your modem i hope you have a good firewall and not the one in windows. Get a router and stay behind NAT and a firewall.
If you are on a MAC you are even more open to attack then a windows box. The windows viruses won't work on a Mac but they have some nasty security holes. There a UNIX system so any one fluent with the shell can do what they want once they are in.
if you are on ipv6 and it does not start with the fe80::/10 prefix you have a public address not a private address which means you are open to attack and most firewalls do not protect IPv6 right now or no one turns them on.
Have some form of active antivirus, it should catch anything when it trys to run not after.
Learn to make bootable backups of your OS drive and have all your data backed up, preferably off site and a hard backup that you keep at a friend's house or in a safety deposit box.
Never hurts to encrypt your data and your wifi. For wifi use WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK with TKIP or WPA2 with AES. It's free and usually built in to your wireless router or access point. For your laptop or desktop use true crypt it's free and will keep your data safe if your computer is stolen.
Use pass phrases instead of passwords or use passwords that are 10+ characters in length or longer with upper case, lower case, numbers and special characters. if you want to have secure login's for your websites use last pass they have an amazing setup that makes great passwords and keeps you safe, read up on it before using it. Also use a different password for every site.
any login info you enter on a page that says http:// is sent in clear text and any one can read it, any login info sent over https:// should be safe unless man in the middle attacks are taking place or you are singing in to a cloned or faked site.
Never give info to anyone or anything asking for your login info that is not a trusted source and even then you are taking a risk of having that data relayed if the site has been compromised.
Don't do anything important on public wifi without using a VPN or SSH. You can also use TOR I suggest using the Firefox add on for TOR its pretty idiot proof.
I can see you must work in the IT world as do I, good advice.
I'll add one:
If you want to do something that might have the potential to damage your pc, for example going on p0rn sites, hacking sites, looking for software cracks, etc, set up a virtual machine. Most modern systems running vista or Win7 with a Core2 or better cpu can run a WinXP VM fine. Install and set up xp on the vm, then make a copy of the VM. Then if something happens to it you just delete that copy and make another one. Free VM software I use is Sun/oracle Virtualbox. Have someone with IT knowledge set this up and then show the user how to use it.
you caught me red handed MS, thanks for adding i will add it to the list and thank you for adding. i will add a couple more.
or you can be lazy and once every thing is set the way you want take a snap shot and you can return to a fresh install that is setup the way you want.
also for got that they say something like "8 of 10 viruses are acquired over thumb drives / removable media."
also watch what you are doing on your android / apple / windows / RIM "black berry" , they are still new OS's and have some nasty security holes. note the ones in IOS (iPhone OS) that lets jail break it from the web browser, i mean changing the OS just by swiping your finger? really? and thats only because the jail break guys are nice other wise it could happen just by going to a site. and if you think your safe on apples devices as they gain in popularity you are going to start seeing more and more attacks on the devices.
mp3.exe or one that asks to install codecs are also bad if it cant play in the VLC player or with the cccp codec pack or the klite pack just get red of it. and if you are pirating software be safe and run it in virtual box first, its free take advantage of it.
do not leave blue tooth on on your phone if you are not using it, there are attacks that can take place over it, and again same thing stands for leaving your wifi on.
of coarse standard rules apply for email, email attachments or links in email can be viruses or links to a comprised site. if you don't know where the email came from don't open it.
turn auto run off, it will reduce the chance of getting a virus from removable media or having a attack that can be done through thumb drives happen to you.
"You on the other hand have a lot to learn if you think running linux makes you immune to security threats"
I know I am not immune however the threats are fewer and linux is far safer compared to a windows box... Not impenetrable but a safe box. One should always use precaution and know what the risks are, I am no fool but there are far many more exploits out there for windows, that is all I am saying... nothing more, nothing less... And if wine is installed you can be more vulnerable...
Linux is a deviation of UNIX and apples OSX is a deviation of UNIX and look how many security holes are in there. every OS has holes and having Linux as your OS does not mean your safe.
there are 100's of variations of Linux and each has its own security holes and its own oddity's. there is no one answer to being secure, being an educated user is the only thing thats going to save your /\ss.
its all how you use your box, i have less issues windows then Linux. i use Linux and windows, i am a fan boy of nether but i do have my personal preference depending on what i am using a box for though.