Probably the most important defense mechanism on a computer is a very strong last line of defense, file encryption.

Keep in mind encryption and encoding are not the same thing. Encoding merely uses a specific algorithm to switch the characters in your file around, meaning anyone that knows the algorithm can easily decode your file.

Encryption uses an algorithm and keys. How it works in short is the encryption program asks you for a private key which you should apply the same rules as you do a password. It should be long (at least 12 characters, but should probably be around 20), and it should be straight off the top of your head using a good mixture of letters/numbers/special characters. Then you make a public key that you give out to friends/family to decrypt Emails and/or downloads you send them using the same method. After this is done, and you encrypt a file the program applies your keys to the algorithm and there you have it an encrypted file.

Now some countries encryption is illegal, because a lot of it can take hundreds of computers years to crack, so governments tend not to care for it. Here in the US there is a law that you can be ordered to give up your keys to whatever government agency might be investigating your computer, but the people who made the law didn't state there was any punishment if you forgot your key, so you can imagine how much good that law does to help the FBI get into our boxes.

This stuff is great for keeping people out of your stuff.It doesn't matter if it's a remote attacker, keeping little Joey out of your porn stash, or stopping a government agent who lifted your computer from finding anything he can convict you with, but remember that the encryption is only as strong as your key, and if half the world has your key it won't do you any good.

Here's some sites with encryption/encoding freeware...
http://www.webattack.com/freeware/security...fwencrypt.shtml
http://www.greatfreeware.com/Utilities/Fil...tion_Utilities/
http://www.filetransit.com/category.php?id=174