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by John Timperio, Cambridge
Computer Medic
People who use Microsoft Windows©
computers need to be aware of four essential points in order to keep
their computers safe from internet threats like viruses, spyware and
hackers. These four are:
1. Critical Updates to the Windows©
Operating System.
2. Antivirus Software
3. Anti-Spyware Software
4. A Firewall
It may sometimes
seem that more time is spent protecting your computer than actually
using it, especially for the occasional surfer/email user. Unfortunately
it is a fact that on average an unprotected computer will be compromised
in about 20 minutes, so like it or not these four areas need to be
understood and attended to if you are to avoid problems.
1.
Critical Updates
First and foremost is keeping the operating system up to date with the
latest "critical updates" from Microsoft. Without these, even if you are
vigilant in the other three areas, you are still vulnerable to threats.
These updates are freely available from the Microsoft website where you
can find full instructions on downloading and installation. The updates
come out frequently, so you should check the site at least once a week.
The Windows operating system has a facility called "Automatic Updates"
which can simplify the process, but this is problematic unless you have broadband internet connections. A Dial-up connection can take a
long time to download the updates, but you really need to keep your
Operating System patched or you are asking for
trouble.
2.
Antivirus Software
Viruses are the threat that has been around the longest and most
internet users probably have an anti-virus application already. But many
people mistakenly think that this is the only protection they need.
These applications on their own will not protect you from "spyware" or
"hackers". Also, many people fail to keep their software up to date with
the latest updates. New viruses are created all the time and the only
way your software can protect you is for it to have the latest "virus
definitions" from the software's website. As with the operating system
updates, these should be downloaded on a weekly basis.
3. Anti-spyware/Malware
Software
Another plague to the internet, spyware and mal-ware are programs
that usually come from websites you visit, but can come from email
messages as well. Once in your computer they can do things like record
your activity on the internet for demographic advertising data, or, more
dangerously, record keystrokes looking for credit card numbers,
passwords etc. Some try to hijack your homepage while others
bombard you with pop-up windows or make it possible for someone to
"hack" into your computer.. Some spyware even masquerades as
anti-spyware or anti-virus applications,
trying to trick you into installing them! Once that happens it can be
very difficult to remove. There are several reputable
free programs which I mention below. These also require updates, and
again once a week at least.
4. Firewalls
The final piece of the internet security jigsaw is having a
firewall. A firewall hides your computer from "hackers", people who want
to take control of your computer over the internet. There are hardware
firewalls; most routers have built in firewalls that provide this
protection. Then there are software firewalls. Windows operating systems
from XP onwards come with their own integrated firewall, but for other
versions you will need either a hardware or software firewall. Again
there are some very reliable free firewalls which are mentioned below.
Software firewalls don't have weekly updates, but periodically a new
version is released which fixes a bug or closes a loophole, so you need
to keep an eye out for notifications from the manufacturer.
It isn't
necessary to know the technical details of how all these programs work.
You only need to know that you need to address each of these four areas
to keep your computer safe. You will have to learn how to install the
software and use it, and if your are using an older Operating System
like Windows 2000, you may need to invest some time into learning
how to configure a firewall. It is possible to buy products that
integrate all three functions of anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall;
most of the big companies (i.e. Symantec©,
McAffee©,
Sophos©
et.al) meet this need. However these can really affect your computer's performance,
and personally I have chosen to protect myself by using freely available programs
found on the internet
that cover all of these areas. You need to be prepared to install them
separately and learn how they work, but my experience is that they
provide the necessary security and do not impact performance as much as
some of the big boy's offerings. Please view my Recommended Software
page to get them for yourself.
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