Antivirus, Spyware and Firewall Protection is Essential

Safeguarding your computer data and protecting your private information should be the number one priority for everyone who uses the Internet. With over one billion users worldwide, the internet presents the largest personal security threat mankind has ever known. The growing number of broadband and wireless internet connections raises security risks even more as this type of "always on" connection leaves the door wide open for intruders and hackers. The need for antivirus software, an anti spyware product, and a firewall of some kind is absolutely essential for online security.

Today's new breed of cyber-criminal is highly skilled at programming, networking, hacking, spamming, and social engineering. He can easily plant spyware and trojan on your computer without your knowledge, or masquerade as your bank and trick you into giving up your account information. A click of a mouse or quick look at an email can instantly turn your PC into a robot that is used to send out spam or carry out network attacks.

Of the more than one billion computers on the internet today, it is thought that less than 20% are adequately protected against common security threats. This leaves around 800,000,000 opportunities for identity theft, data theft, hijacking, viruses and malicious spyware. If we assume that most people use the internet for legitimate purposes, and only .01% of users are criminals, there would be at least 100,000 intruders and thieves online looking for an unprotected victim. By using antivirus software, a spyware remover, and a personal firewall with privacy protection you can nearly eliminate the risks associated with using the internet. For those who would like to read more about the high risk of information theft on the internet, and how cyber criminals do it, here is an excellent article on the subject.

Computer systems across the world are constantly threatened by viruses and worms. These malwares are created by disgruntled or malicious programmers, who let loose their treacherous creations on unwary hosts. Oftentimes, the damage that is caused is immense. Due to the severity of the attacks a small cottage industry has grown up to protect systems from viruses and worms.

There are many excellent antivirus products on the market today, and all are reasonably priced when you consider the amount of protection provided. There are also several good free anti virus products. See our antivirus page for information on computer viruses and the security risks associated with not using a good antivirus solution. Software to consider includes Panda Antivirus + Antispyware, Norton Anti Virus, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, BitDefender Antivirus Plus, AVG Anti virus, PC Cillin antivirus, Trend Micro Internet Security 2007 , McAfee anti virus, Norton AntiVirus, Avast, eTrust EZ Antivirus, Zone Alarm Anti Virus, Nod32 and F Secure. Kaspersky Anti-Virus monitors all virus entry points leaving you with a virus-free PC.

Panda Internet Security 2007 provides you essential protection from viruses, hackers, and privacy threats.

Viruses and Worms : Your System Needs Protection

Computer systems across the world are constantly threatened by viruses and worms. These malwares are created by disgruntled or malicious programmers, who let loose their treacherous creations on unwary hosts. Oftentimes, the damage that is caused is immense. Due to the severity of the attacks a small cottage industry has grown up to protect systems from viruses and worms.

With a virus that spreads automatically, a huge number of computers can be infected through the Internet and can be very hard to control. Because of this, the virus is the greatest danger to the security of personal computers today.

Companies in the antivirus industry discover large numbers of viruses' everyday. Scores of viruses are latent or dormant and continue to be present long before they are ever noticed. There are viruses that delete files, displays pop-ups, exchange the buttons of your mouse, uninstall Internet Explorer, they can even slow down your computer's fan.

A computers efficiency is reduced tremendously due to viruses and if that wasn't enough they also corrupt files as well as stored data. For that reason, it is imperative to locate and eliminate viruses before the damage occurs.

There are many excellent antivirus products on the market today, and all are reasonably priced when you consider the amount of protection provided. There are also several good free anti virus products. See our antivirus page for information on computer viruses and the security risks associated with not using a good antivirus solution.

Software to consider includes AVG Antivirus

Learn How Internet Firewalls Work To Keep Your PC Safe

Not many of us intentionally leave our cars unlocked or the front of our homes open to strangers. But we often leave our computers wide open to anyone and everyone that may want to snoop.

To get and keep our computers safe from hackers,or anyone wanting to have a look in our computers,we need the aid and assistance of something commonly called Firewalls.

A Firewall can be hardware or software that acts as a gatekeeper to your computer. It does this by monitoring all internet traffic coming in and going out of our computers.

They not only allow the passage of this traffic but inspects all,making sure it is safe and do not contain viruses,any spyware,or other malicious software.

Firewalls control internet traffic in two methods: Packet filtering and stateful inspection. A Packet is a chunk of data and it contains the address of the computer it comes from and a destination address.

Ok,so you're wondering what on earth is an IP Address.Well, it is an identifier for your computer device.The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. If the Firewall recognizes the Packet and its IP Address,or its Internet Protocol Address,it allows the Packet to pass. The Stateful Inspection method look at the some data in the Packet and compares key chunks of data to a large area that contains known,trusted information.

To see if it is safe or if your computer is expecting the data.It also allow safe passage of data if all seems well.The Stateful Inspection method is preferred since it checks the data that have passed through your computer before. ALL ABOUT HARDWARE FIREWALLS Hardware Firewalls are devices that are designed to run software Firewalls.So why are there hardware firewalls,you ask.One big advantage of having a Hardware Firewall is that the computer don't have to do any work. The hardware running the software does all work,thereby leaving the CPU in the computer free to get on with other tasks.The CPU, or Central Processing Unit should be free as much as possible to keep the computer running at peak performance.

ALL ABOUT SOFTWARE FIREWALLS

WHAT FIREWALL PROTECT YOU FROM There are many creative ways that people use to access or abuse your computer when its not protected. Someone is able to connect to your computer and control it in some form. This can range from being able to view or access your files to actually running programs on your computer.Some of the software Firewalls protect your computer from are the following.

Email Bombs. Someone sends you the same e-mail hundreds or thousands of times until your e-mail system cannot accept any more messages. If you spend time on the internet often you will most likely experience this.

Viruses. This is no doubt the most well known threat .A Virus is a small file which reproduces itself on other computers. Viruses may be harmless to wiping your hard drive clean. Firewalls may not protect you from all viruses.It would be worth your while to invest in good anti virus software as added protection.Once you invest in a Firewall,study its owner's manual to set it up. Once the Firewall has been installed and setup complete,take a minute to be sure its working.Test the Firewall by going online and visiting a security site.Go to www.grc.com and give their free Shields Up security test a try. If the Firewall pass,you will have the comfort of knowing your PC will have that added protection from someone stealing your credit card information or any valuable information. If you have not invested in a Firewall,won't wait to give one a try. Your critical files and programs will be much safer and you will have the knowledge of being able to install Firewalls on the PC of your friends,enemies,and everyone else in between.

Software to consider : Download ZoneAlarm Pro Here , ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite

Spyware: Protect Your Privacy

What is Spyware?

I have lost count of the number of times that we have been called out to repair a personal computer and found that the system was damaged by "Spyware". Spyware is Internet jargon for Advertising Supported software (Adware).

Advertising Spyware is software that is installed alongside other software or via ActiveX controls on the internet, often without the user's knowledge, or without full disclosure that it will be used for gathering personal information and/or showing the user ads. Advertising Spyware logs information about the user, possibly including passwords, email addresses, web browsing history, online buying habits, the computer's hardware and software configuration, the name, age, sex, etc of the user.

In addition to privacy and security concerns, resource-hogging Adware and Spyware can cause system and browser instability and slowness.

Adware Removers

Adware is usually installed when downloading freeware products, and is a form of advertising that shows itself via pop ups or by redirecting your browser. Much adware is harmless, but a new breed of adware called "adware spyware" is becoming commonplace. This has more of the characteristics of spyware, and can create a security risk. Most spyware removers will kill adware.