PC Security - Do It Now!
How's your PC Security? Viruses, Worms, Trojans, Spyware...What are you talking about?
- "Viruses" are software programs that are created to get inside of your computer in order to damage or delete data.
- "Worms" are sophisticated viruses that can make copies of themselves and send the copies to other computers (usually from your e-mail contacts or address list) without you knowing it.
- "Trojans" are named for the fabled Trojan horse. Trojan viruses cloak themselves within otherwise harmless programs while destroying data, damaging your PC, and possibly stealing your personal information.
- "Spyware" tracks your online activity. It's a major cause of pop-up advertising and can copy personal information. It can also change the settings on your computer without your consent. Has your Internet Explorer homepage ever changed to a different, ad-based website? That's spyware.
It's not just your photos and documents at risk with an unprotected computer. Theft of personal information such as bank account numbers and identity theft are very real possibilities.When you go on the internet without protection, you are literally exposed to the world, or at least the cyber-world. It's no different than being in shark-infested ocean waters without a shark cage. Dinner is served! Hackers and virus creators are constantly coming up with new ways to infect your computer. Fake websites and spam e-mail are commonly used to spread viruses. Make no mistake, not having a PC security plan is just plain foolish. Quite often someone will bring me their home computer for a diagnosis. One of the first questions I ask them is "Do you have antivirus software on this machine?" Most of the time they say "No". Unbelievable! The internet can be a wonderful and powerful resource tool. But it can also, unfortunately, be very risky if you're not protected.
So what should you do to boost your PC security? - First of all, get some antivirus software on your PC and keep it updated.
- Second, backup your data!
- Third, if you are running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, you have a built-in firewall. Turn it on!
- Fourth, use a more secure browser by switching from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox.
If you'd like to keep using Internet Explorer, then at least check out the latest version, Internet Explorer 9, BUT only if you are a Windows Vista or Windows 7 user. Internet Explorer 9 is not available for Windows XP users. If you are using Windows XP, then stick with Internet Explorer 8. - Fifth, keep your operating system safer by installing any Microsoft security updates, either automatically or manually from "Windows Updates". Or, click the START button, then All Programs, and then click "Windows Update" for Windows Vista and Windows 7.
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