Did you know…?

• 1 in 5 children who use computer chatrooms has been approached over the Internet by pedophiles.

The Internet is a wonderful tool for communications, education or leisure. It is a library with an incredible 100 million books on every topic known, easily accessible for research and study . It gives you the ability to chat in real time to anyone, anywhere across the world. Its high speed electronic mail routes link up the entire world into a true global village. Its an exciting and essential resource for all our children - as essential as learning to read, write and do Math.

But there are some risks to our children when they are using the Internet, risks which parents need to be aware of. Internet technology is a tool. A tool can be used or abused.

For a long time now the biggest concern for parents about the Internet used to be pornography. Today there is an even greater fear, live chat rooms.

The live chat rooms are the main areas of the Internet where sexual predators cruise searching for vulnerable children.

Due to the relative degree of anonymity online predators are able to deceive children. They may lie about their age or gender. Online predators often establish intimate relationships with children under the pretense of being part of the child’s peer group. Since age identification is impossible, kids need to be careful when chatting online with who they think is part of their peer group. Children are curious and trusting. Unless they are well prepared for what can happen in live chat, they may innocently believe what they are told online by strangers.

Predators target children online who appear lonely, have low self-esteem, and lack parental supervision. It is not uncommon for a pedophile to become the online "confidant" of a lonely child, and they will often teach the child how to keep the online friendship a secret from their parents. Online, just as offline, it is the child who is left alone who is most at risk.

Children who have been seduced, lured or abused online in real-time chat generally have parents who are not Internet experienced.

So whats the solution for todays parents?

Top 10 Internet Safety Tips:

• 1. You need to educate yourself in the use of the computer and the Internet. Both pre-school and school children generally have more of a working knowledge about computers and the Internet than their Parents.

2. As with any other topic, you should openly and frequently talk with your children about the usage and expectations of the computer and the Internet usages.

3. Put the computer in a common room so it and the child activities can be easily observed.

4. Get to know the Internet and any services your child uses. Are the services appropriate for your rules and your child’s age?

5. Tell your child to NEVER EVER give out identifying information such as: home address, school names, grade, age, telephone number, etc. With the information available on the Internet and a little time and effort, it is easy to locate information about a person.

6. Keep track of the amount of on-line time your child spends on-line, and what your child is doing while on the Internet.

7. Never allow your child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without your permission and supervision. If your child has a special friend, have they received gifts, computer programs, phone calls or any other favours?

8. Never respond to messages or bulletins if they are from an unknown source. Do not reply to the remove me from list or similar message. This will confirm your email is a valid one.

9. If there is a problem or suspected problem with a Chat Room report it immediately. Try to obtain:

a) What is the name of the chat channel or chat room?

b) What is the nickname or screen name or the suspect?

c) Time and dates are very important.

d) If possible, save the chat or at least print a copy of the chat log or user list.

10. Use technology to help you protect your child. Internet Monitoring Software gives you the ability to review your child’s Internet usage. Even if you don’t look at each and every email or instant message they send, you’ll have a good idea if they are making smart choices online.

By following these steps and becoming an aware and informed parent you can help keep your child safe.

Profile: SavvyApps is a privately owned software company which specialises in leading Internet Monitoring & Surveillance Software Solutions for parents who want to monitor their child’s Internet usage.

If you would like to learn more about how Internet Monitoring Software can help you or would like some more ideas please use the link below:

Internet Monitoring & Surveillance Software

So you want to know who your kids are chatting with. Or if your spouse has a blossoming e-mail romance. Or if one of your employees is leaking confidential information on the side. These tools will allow you to find out the truth and get the evidence you can present to court.

Spytech SpyAgent
http://www.deprice.com/spytechspyagent.htm

Spytech SpyAgent is a powerful and easy-to-use software utility that allows you to log all keystrokes typed and applications launched. All logs are easily viewed with the built in log viewers and can be saved to a convenient, easily viewed text format.

SpyAgent can be run on Windows startup in active monitoring mode with an optional splash warning screen. This allows you to have the option to let others using your workstation that they are being monitored (or not). A built in stealth mode is available to keep users from task-ending or knowing about SpyAgent. SpyAgent gives you the power to log all websites visited, windows viewed, applications ran, internet connections made, passwords entered, documents printed, AIM/AOL/ICQ/Yahoo/MSN conversations made, documents opened, emails sent/received, and even capture screenshots of the user’s activities.

iSpyNow
http://www.deprice.com/ispynow2.htm

SpyNOW is the critically acclaimed, award winning remotely deployable computer monitoring software used by hundreds of thousands of people across the globe. Make no mistake about it, iSpyNOW is first of its kind. iSpyNOW offers it’s users the ability to remotely monitor a machine via a web interface, without ever having physical access to the PC! Unlike competing products, iSpyNOW offers a totally seamless online-based control panel system, backed by intuitive wizards and powerful log viewing capabilities - no external client modules are necessary to download.

IamBigBrother
http://www.deprice.com/iambigbrotherspy.htm

Do you need to view the captured activity from work or another computer at home?IamBigBrother records all of the internet activity for many programs including America Online, MSN, Outlook Express and more. And it logs all keystrokes typed in EVERY program along with screen shots. So basically IamBigBrother monitors EVERYTHING on your computer.

ActMon Home Edition
http://www.deprice.com/actmonhome.htm

The Home Edition records EVERYTHING (including Web sites, Chat, Email and AOL). It is the best choice for parents who wish to monitor what their children are doing online. It is an excellent alternative to standard filtering and blocking software. To avoid tampering of the software, it features a unique file protection that makes the ActMon files truly invisible to every user and every windows software.

SpyBuddy
http://www.deprice.com/spybuddy.htm

SpyBuddy comes equipped with the functionality to record all e-mail’s sent and received, all AOL/ICQ/MSN/AIM/Yahoo/Trillian chat conversations (including MSN Messenger 6.0 and up), all web sites visited, all windows opened and interacted with, every application executed, every document printed, every file or folder renamed and/or modified, all text and images sent to the clipboard, every keystroke pressed, every password typed, and more.

SpyMyPC Pro
http://www.deprice.com/spymypcpro.htm

SpyMyPC PRO is a highly flexible, all-round desktop security monitoring solution written for the Windows operating system. SpyMyPC PRO allows you to secretly record ALL keystrokes typed on your PC without the user ever knowing! SpyMyPC PRO also includes advanced stealth mode features to prevent users and/or programs from detecting and disabling it, an e-mail delivery feature for remote monitoring, and much more.

John Deprice has tested a variety of internet/chat monitors, spying software and keyloggers. For results, visit http://www.deprice.com/utilities.htm

Afraid that someone is monitoring your PC or installed a keylogger to record every single keystroke? Find out which tools you need to get to make sure you are protected.

X-Cleaner Deluxe
http://www.deprice.com/xcleanerdeluxe.htm

X-Cleaner is a top ranked privacy software solution from Xblock, one of the most trusted names in anti-spyware technology. X-Cleaner not only deletes browser and system usage tracks, shreds pictures and generates secure passwords it also features unique anti-spy and anti-adware technology and inoculation features that help prevent infections.

GhostSurf 2005 Platinum
http://www.deprice.com/ghostsurfstandard.htm

GhostSurf Standard is a suite of Internet privacy tools. GhostSurf stops the prying eyes of hackers, Web sites, your Internet Service Provider and even your boss by ensuring an anonymous, untraceable Internet connection. GhostSurf lets you customize your privacy level in real-time to suit your surfing needs. A variety of privacy options enable you to block personal information, mask your IP address, route your data through anonymous hubs and even encrypt your Internet connection. GhostSurf’s TracksCleaner component protects your privacy by erasing your Web history, files, cache, clipboard, cookies and more to Department of Defense standards, and it prevents undelete tools and aggressive hardware recovery systems from retrieving your deleted files.

Outpost Firewall Pro
http://www.deprice.com/outpostfirewallpro.htm

The firewall provides Security, Control, Privacy and Ease of Use. Outpost Firewall starts protecting as soon as it is installed. The program detects and blocks hacker attacks, guards the privacy of data stored on your computer, monitors network activity of your system and applications, provides secure web surfing, and prevents Internet worms from activating from your inbox. Outpost can place your computer into stealth mode, making it invisible to hackers. In addition, the program can remove annoying pop-ups and ads and increase connection speed. To ensure your protection against new threats, Outpost updates information frequently through a custom utility.

CyberScrub Professional
http://www.deprice.com/cyberscrubprofessional.htm

CyberScrub’s Internet clean up erases all evidence of your on-line activity to ensure your valued privacy. Most people are shocked to learn files have been placed on their computer (without their knowledge or permission) that create user profiles and document their Internet activity. Sensitive data can easily fall into the wrong hands. And because Windows is not capable of deleting information beyond recovery, you are at risk. CyberScrub allows you to purge, wipe and erase data with methods that far exceed US Department of Defense standards for file deletion (DOD 5220.22).

CleverCrypt Enhanced
http://www.deprice.com/clevercryptenhanced.htm

CleverCrypt Enhanced represents the latest generation of security products from Quantum Digital Security. Create impenetrable encrypted virtual hard drives to store all of your confidential files in. CleverCrypt Enhanced provides more protection than ever before, with up to 1280 bit military grade encryption. Simply create a secure hard drive and drag & drop your files for ultimate protection. Even if your whole computer (or laptop) is stolen nobody will be able to access information inside your CleverCrypt drive without knowing your passwords.

John Deprice shares his tools and ideas for protecting your identity at http://www.deprice.com

Yes, I’m wearing my encryption hat again. Why you may ask? Well I just finished reading about the newest security hole in Microsoft’s latest server product. Then couple that with all the recent hacker activity, new reports from the GAO (that’s the Government Accounting Office) that the government can’t protect it’s own computers and data much less the data WE send them, reports that computer theft is on the rise and news that the FBI is now developing a new computer "worm" (read virus) to spy on citizens, I decided to sing the encryption song again. This time I’ll sing a verse about personal data encryption.

So what do I mean by personal data encryption? I mean ANY data on ANY storage medium that relates to you, your family or your business. Encryption is the process of scrambling electronic data in such a way that it’s unreadable to all but the owner.

For the purposes of this article I’ll cover two different ways to encrypt data and the pros and cons of each.

The first way is file/folder encryption. This is the process by which someone identifies what data they want to protect on a file by file or folder basis and then encodes each file or folder using some kind of software encryption tool.

What are the pros of this style of encryption? First, each file or folder can be assigned its own "encryption key". Then, even if one key gets "cracked" open, all the other files or folders will still be safe. Next, only those files and folders you identify and select will be encrypted. This allows for a "gnat’s behind" level of detail that some folks need to feel secure.

What are the cons of file or folder level encryption? Well, at this level of detail, tracking of all the different encryption keys and file locations would be an administrative nightmare! So, unless you have days to spend identifying files and folders and encrypting them or if you are really, really into details, file level encryption just isn’t practical for most people.

The second way to protect personal data is drive encryption. Unlike file encryption, drive level encryption allows a user to create a reserved area on the hard drive called a container. Once created, this container can be "mounted" or set to act like another fully functional hard drive on a computer. It will appear in the file manager just like any other drive.

What are the pros for drive encryption? This space can be "mounted" using a single encryption key and the key only needs to be entered once. After it’s mounted, this virtual drive can contain any data and / or program, just like any regular drive. But when it’s dismounted, the virtual drive is no longer visible and the container looks like any other file, the contents of which are completely inaccessible without the encryption key.

What’s the down side to drive encryption? If you forget your key, all the data and / or program information in the container is lost. Also, all the information is only protected by a single key. So if your key is compromised, all your information is available to prying eyes.

What’s my recommendation? Drive encryption. Drive encryption is far more efficient than file encryption especially if you need to access your data frequently. Drive encryption also allows for the complete encryption of programs, something virtually impossible to do with file level encryption. (Well not impossible but certainly problematic and time consuming!) And by creating an encryption key of sufficient size and complexity, the single key issue becomes almost moot.

One site I visited recently stated that it would take one million computers performing one million operations per second approximately 11 trillion years to crack a 128 bit encryption key! So, by using an encryption key of about 64 random characters, a hacker would need multiple life times to crack open your files.

There are several programs available online for both file and drive encryption. All these programs differ in functionality, price, encryption algorithms and interfaces. The best way to proceed is to do a search from your favorite search engine on encryption tools and read about the options available.

Don’t wait! The day will come when your system gets compromised by some hacker or thief or FBI agent and then you’ll wish you had protected your data.

Privacy is your right! Exercise it!

Michael Ameye has been developing web sites since 1995. He started writing about online privacy issues to answer questions from family, friends and co-workers. Visit http://www.canyourspam.com to see his latest work.

He is also the chief editor of PSS Online, A Privacy, Safety and Security eZine dedicated to bringing important information to people in order to foster a safer more secure environment - online and off. Visit http://www.pssonline.info to subscribe.

Be careful of sites that promise to send you “instant pins”. These companies usually have lax credit card security and can afford customer charge backs from fraudulent transactions. Instant gratification, so coveted by our lifestyles, is something to be very wary of in the realm of online business.

Sites that approve your credit card use only simple information that can be easily stolen from you via statement or computer hacking constitute the vast majority of online business. From the point of view of the consumer, this kind service is best and most convenient. However, the small business owner can acquire a potential nightmare if the outmost care is not taken when approving transactions.

The best method of fighting this kind of credit card fraud is too costly and time consuming for huge companies that deal with thousands of transaction per day. For these companies, a couple of stolen identities present only a minor problem as chargeback’s take time and effort; while many fraudulent credit card transactions are never reported.

For prepaid telecom a company, the way to fight this kind of fraud is to makes sure that every single order is verified by phone. Sometimes it is a nuisance to have to wait for a pin to arrive and to wonder where it is. On the other hand the consumer should be grateful that the company is taking such steps to protect itself and the consumer from possible fraud.

Every customer has the right to know that their credit information is safe and that the merchant takes great care to make sure that fraud is perpetrated neither against the company nor against the consumer.

Gene Leshinsky EnkiTel Communications http://www.enkitel.com

EnkiTel Communications is a telecom marketing company specializing in prepaid dial around international phone plans. We are committed to the safe records of all of our customers and have excellent systems in place to prevent fraud.

Today the internet is a mine field of malicious code looking to harm your computer. Hackers want to have access to your PC for both fun and profit. You must be diligent in your ability to detect and then protect your important computer data.

Understanding what hackers are looking for, what doors they use to gain entry into your computer and which programs are available to help you protect your PC against any illegal entry will give you greater peace of mind and protect your valuable data.

There are three types of threats to your computer that you need to be concerned about. The first are viruses. The definition of a computer virus is a piece of code or a program that is that is loaded onto and run on your computer without your knowledge. They can attach themselves to other programs on your computer. Some Virus’ can reproduce at a great rate and in turn use up a lot of your computer memory. This eventually can cause your computer to crash. You get Viruses most commonly via email or downloading programs and files. One way is in form of .exe files. If you receive an .exe file you should never open it unless it has been checked and approved as safe by your virus protection program.

Viruses can come into your computer in many other forms. You have to be careful with flash files, movies, mp3 and even .jpeg files. This is a good reason to have virus protection software installed on your computer. Companies like Norton, McAfee (McAfee.com), Trend Micro who makes PC-cilliin (trendmicro.com) and Grisoft (grisoft.com) among others make excellent virus protection products. Grisoft makes AVG Pro which is competent virus protection software. They have a personal edition which is free to use and is very good.

The next piece of software that is needed to protect your PC computer is a firewall. A firewall is used to block illegal access to your computer or network. It will block suspicious data from flowing into your PC and block unapproved programs outside your computer from taking data from your PC.

Think of a firewall as a doorman whose job it is to open a large locked door. When the doorman knows who is knocking at the door either by an announcement or because he recognizes the person he will let them in. With your firewall the firewall is unlocked only on your authorization allowing data to be passed on or received. It learns after awhile who is trusted and who is not.

A firewall comes standard with Microsoft Windows XP (Microsoft.com). But in order for it to protect, you must turn it on. Other solutions are Symantec’s Norton Personal Firewall which you can buy by itself or bundled in the Norton Security Suite (symantec.com). McAfee (McAfee.com) also has a good firewall as well as the free version of Zone Labs firewall called Zone Alarm (zonelabs.com).

And, finally you should have good spyware software to protect against hackers or companies from snooping to find information about you through your internet connection. It is commonly used by companies for marketing purposes. Free spyware software that is widely used is Spybot’s Search & Destroy (safer-networking.org) or Lavasoft’s (lavasoft.com) free version of their Ad-aware spyware application. Spy Sweeper from Webroot (webroot.com) is an excellent choice and does not cost very much. Spy Sweeper has received many top reviews from the computer magazines.

If you install a virus protection software, Firewall and spyware software your computer will be well protected and you will have peace of mind. And, you needn’t spend a lot. In each category you can find a free version that is very good and will help keep your computer problem free.

Ken Katz runs a Dating site:Web4Love.com. He has written this article for his viewers to help inform them on easy and mostly free software to help protect their computers.

Phishing: (fish’ing) (n.)

This is when someone sends you an email falsely claiming to be a legitimate business - like your bank or credit card company - in an attempt to scam you into giving them your personal, private information that they can use to access your accounts.

Phishing, also referred to as brand spoofing or carding, is a variation on “fishing”, the idea being that bait is thrown out with the hopes that while most will ignore the bait, some will be tempted into biting.

It’s an online form of Identity Theft. The email then directs you to visit a fraudulent website where you are asked to provide maintenance or update your personal information, such as:

Phishing is so dangerous because the average email user does not know how to identify a fraudulent email.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Legitimate businesses do not ask you for your personal information by email.

   Sometimes it may be necessary to update your information, but most businesses will alert you to this when you sign in to your account through the business’s website. So - just as you wouldn’t provide personal information to telemarketers and people you don’t know - you shouldn’t provide it to anyone asking you for that in any email.

2. Fake email messages are often not personalized.

   When your bank, credit card company, loan company, etc. sends you an email it is usually personalized. It’s only common courtesy to use your name. So this would also be an indication that the email is a spoof.

3. A link in the email is masked.

   This is the part that confuses most people. "Masking" a link is simply asking you to click on a link that directs you somewhere else than what you thought you were clicking on.

   A simple way you can catch this is by moving your cursor over the link and looking at the bottom of your browser on the status bar. This will show you the actual website the link is going to take you to.

4. The "lock" in the status bar is not engaged.

   You need to make sure that the lock in the status bar is locked. This ensures you that the page you are on is secure. If it doesn’t have the lock, then any personal information that you put on there could be compromised.

Here Are Three Things To Keep In Mind

1. Never reply to email messages that request your personal info.
2. Never click on suspicious links. Move your cursor over the link to see where it is directing you.
3. Make sure the site is secure. Check the lock on the status bar.

Article taken from http://Identity-Theft-Prevention-Guide.com

Article Provided By: Identity Theft Prevention Guide
10 Million Victims in the last 5 years. Don’t Be The Next ONE.
Minimize Your Exposure…Learn How.
Visit: http://Identity-Theft-Prevention-Guide.com

When we think of adware, what comes to mind are those annoying and pesky ads that pop up out of nowhere whenever we are surfing the net. Anybody who has surfed through the net has encountered those irritating pop-up adwares advertising everything from computer software down to Viagra. Adwares are some of the most derided objects in the web alongside viruses, spyware and other malicious softwares and programs. Although adwares are alleged to be the most benign form of spyware, most web users hate the blatant and bothersome way of advertising. Most are often tricked into clicking on such adwares and end up unintentionally downloading something far more serious.

What are adwares, anyway? Adware or advertising-supported software is defined as any computer program or software package in which advertising and other marketing material are included with or automatically loaded by the software. Adwares are usually played back after installation. Some malicious adwares upload information about the computer or its user’s activities even without the consent of its user. Adwares most often take the form of banner ads that appear on pop up windows or anywhere on the computer screen.

Software applications display these advertising banners whenever a program is opened or through some other triggering mechanism. Most adwares are integrated into a free application. This is a way for the developers to recover the costs of creating such software. A prominent example of this is the Opera browser software, which is a free application but comes with a banner ad. The adware can only be removed once the user purchases and registers his copy of the software. It is also a revenue-generating mechanism. A company can sponsor adwares to capture more visitors and potential customers. Adware as a marketing strategy is just one of the many techniques used by websites to attract more traffic.

However, some adwares are more than just pesky and garish ads. In many cases, adwares accompany a more malicious program, which uploads information about the user collected without permission. The users surfing habits are then tracked; in some cases, the browser home page is altered or redirected to the adware company’s sponsoring site. These types of adwares are dangerous since they may jeopardize the computer system’s health. Aside from installing malicious software, they may also become an avenue for viruses to invade the system.

Adwares have come under fire not only because of their annoying presence in the form of pop ups and banners but also in the way they invade the privacy of the user. Trackware and Spyware are just two of the "evil" forms that adware can take. That is why most computer users make an effort to get rid of these adwares. Because of the annoying nature of pop-up adware, most browsers now employ an adware blocking system through the form of a pop-up blocker or adware blocker. Browsers such as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox all use pop-up blockers, which instantly block or close any window that is triggered by adware in the sites that the user visits. These steps have significantly reduced the number of irritating adware that pop up every time a site is opened.

Most antivirus programs and utilities now feature an adware search and removal system. These programs indexes known adwares and spywares in the internet universe and searches for it in the user’s computers system then subsequently quarantines or deletes the malicious files. Nevertheless, despite the numerous efforts against adwares, they continue to plague web surfers with their showy ads and banners as well as the nasty programs they introduce into the computer system. As the sage of the annoying adware continues, web surfers are also equipped with the best tools and utilities to combat them.

Monty Cordello is the owner of the famous adware secrets website http://adwarefound.com

It’s been with us since 1993, it’s gotten more intrusive, more complicated.

It’s created a whole ecosystem, so to speak.

A person sits somewhere, writing a new virus, a new application of Spyware. It is put onto the Internet and Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware vendors begin to develop definitions to combat it, maybe even to stop it permanently. These fixes are incorporated into the new versions of the software they sell, or distribute as freeware.

Existing companies, businesses, and users struggle to keep up with what to use, overwhelmed, their lifeline to the Internet depends on it. In this portion of the ecosystem you have;

The end user. YOU!

Your Internet Provider, Hosting Service, ect.

The businesses on the Internet, all of em.

The existing companies and vendors providing the Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware Programs.

Adding to this ecosystem, new companies start up to get into the rapidly exploding business, marketing their own software.

More additions occur as new businesses start up to sell the software the companies have produced.

New and old online users buy upgraded and new software to try and protect their personal information from being stolen. Interlaced into all the above is the knowledge required to know how to protect ourselves with the basics. A hardware or software Firewall, Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware.

Whew! Ok, rest.

Point to ponder while resting….recent eWeek.com tests reveal that some Vendors are failing to provide solutions when it comes to finding and permanently destroying Viruses and Spyware.

Rested? Then let’s look at it from another angle shall we?

Without the person somewhere in the world writing the virus or Spyware, there would be no need for the person that is writing the program to combat it. There would be no need for the company that employs the person writing the programs to combat the virus or Spyware. No need for the Businesses that sell the programs the company markets.

Still with me? Good. And finally, No need for the user, you, to protect yourself. I hope this lil exercise has proved informative.

Take Care.

About the Author:
Doug Woodall has a website at http://www.spywarebiz.com where he provides free information and recommended products to combat Spyware. He is a member of the IWA (International Webmasters Association). Doug can be reached at spywarebiz@comcast.net

Article edited for proper content by Wendy McCallum

Permission to copy ok as long as about author info remains with article.

Copyright 2005 SpywareBiz

History and Background

The virus was one of the first ever threats to computer security. It brought a whole new fear upon computer users. Bugs and glitches could cause damage unintentionally, but a virus created havoc intentionally, and therefore often caused much more damage then just glitches in software. Technically a virus must be in a host file and spread manually by people, versus a worm which spreads by an automated process and doesn’t require a host file, but we will include worms as part of the term virus. Therefore, the threat of viruses quickly multiplied expotentially. One computer infected by a virus is manageable, but a virus spreading uncontrollably and automatically can cause damage to sometimes entire populations. And with the introduction of the Internet, billions of computers worldwide could be accessed with a click of a button. These abilities are what made the virus probably the greatest security to personal computers in the 21st Century.

What kind of damage will it inflict?

Since up to 100 new viruses are discovered every minute by anti-virus industries worldwide, the damage they inflict varies considerably. Some will display an annoying popup. Some will swap your mouse buttons. Some will uninstall Internet Explorer. Some will delete all your personal files. And some, though rare, will slow down your computer fan to the point that your computer processor starts smoking. All have 1 thing in common - they reduce your productivity in some way and they inhibit you from comfortably using your PC. Therefore you must take several precautions to insure you do not to become infected with viruses. With just a few simple security measures, the chances of getting infected with a virus can be cut down by over 90%.

Security Measures

The most important step - Be careful of everything you do on the Internet! It is extremely rare for a computer to get infected by a virus if you only download and browse trustworthy sites and emails. If an email has an attachment and looks suspicious it is very likey to be a virus. If a site is providing illegal or inappropiate content, it should be considered a risk. These are basic rules of safe browsing of the Internet and unfortunately, most people only learn these rules after a disaster. Don’t learn from experience! Don’t let it happen in the first place. Keep your system up-to-date. Nearly every major virus threat to operating systems are patched soon after discovery. Visit your operating system update website often, which is www.windowsupdate.com for Windows users. Get a reliable antivirus solution. The most common is Norton Antivirus, but I personally do not like its unreliability and incompatibility with many PCs. On the otherhand, it is probably the most user friendly antivirus solution on the market, and is probably best for PC beginners. If you’re looking for a free yet extremely reliable and easy-to-use antivirus solution, Avast may be your answer. I am currently running Avast and am very happy with it. I previously tried Norton Antivirus, Norton Client Security, NOD32 Antivirus and McAfee Antivirus, but each had their own individual problems and so I had to constantly change antivirus software until I finally reached Avast.

Some people go overboard and install many other security measures but I don’t recommend this. These measures only hog resources, confuse users and cause conflicts with other software. Some of this software includes firewalls, memory explorers and file protection. References

www.wikipedia.org

us.mafee.com

www.netmom.com

www.pcworld.com

Links

Avast Antivirus - www.avast.com

Soroush King is a certified programmer, adept in VB, C++, Delphi, as well as web developer and scripter, having considerable knowledge of both PHP and Perl. He also owns and manages several professional websites.

This article was originally published at http://www.articlesandtools.com/adware.php For more information on computer security visit http://www.articlesandtools.com.

If you would like to use this article anywhere else, please just notify me by sending an email to kingofkings@gmail.com (you don’t have to wait for a response, as this is just a notification, not permission). Please refer on the page that the author of the article was I, Soroush King, and also please note that the article was originally published at http://www.articlesandtools.com/adware.php by providing a link.