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Antivirus, Firewall and Spyware Resources
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Computer Security Threats Many people don't realize the danger they are putting themselves in just by turning on their PC and connecting to the internet. Once a computer is connected to a network it becomes an open door for prying eyes, hackers, hijackers, cyber thieves and destructive code that can corrupt files or totally kill the machine. The unfortunate thing is that in most cases, bad things are happening without your knowledge. If your computer is not properly protected from all these internet security threats, you may not find out what's happening behind the scenes until it's too late. If you're lucky, you may just lose insignificant data or have to reinstall your operating system due to corruption. If you're unlucky, you could lose your personal information and become a victim of identity theft. Internet Security Threats - are you in danger?There are so many types of computer security threats that a good way to understand them is by looking at where the threat comes from, or the type of computing activity that "opens the door" to the problem. Although all computer security threats can be dangerous, the risk is not the same for everyone. The type of websites frequented, software used, activities performed online, emailing habits, and PC maintenance habits all influence one's personal risk factor. The type of internet connection used also influences the security risk, as does the protection you already have in place. Most computer security threats can be minimized or possibly eliminated by taking certain protective measures. Firewalls, antivirus software, anti spyware products, and regular system updates create a "blanket of protection" that provides security as well as peace of mind. Personal computing habits also have a lot to do with your risk of becoming the victim of a security threat, particularly for computers connected to the internet. For some tips on what you can do to help prevent security problems, have a look at this computer security checklist. Physical Computer Security ThreatsMany people don't realize that deleting files (even deleting them from the recycle bin) doesn't really delete them at all. Windows simply makes deleted files inaccessible and hidden from you. Deleted files can easily be recovered with freely available software. This presents a problem when you donate or sell your old PC, because all your personal information can be easily accessed by anyone with intermediate computer skills. Laptop users need to be especially careful about physical computer security threats, because of the portability factor. Notebook computers are easily stolen, along with your personal information, browsing history, and sensitive data. The best way to protect your data and ensure your deleted files are unrecoverable is to use a privacy program like CyberScrub. This type of software allows you to shred deleted files beyond recovery and protects your data files in a highly encrypted folder. In addition, it erases all evidence of your whereabouts on the internet, including chat room history, photos you've looked at, Peer to Peer file sharing tools, and more. CyberScrub products are used by many government agencies and corporations. CyberScrub Privacy Suite is designed for home computer users and is the best product you can get for total privacy protection and anonymity. E Mail ThreatsSpyware, adware and computer viruses can easily be transmitted via email. Spyware and adware usually arrive in the form of an advertisement that included hyperlinks and/or graphic pictures with embedded (hidden) hyperlinks. Simply opening these emails is all it takes to transmit your personal information to the sender, as the hidden hyperlinks in the pictures can activate when the graphic is loaded. Clicking on an inline hyperlink can take you to an unscrupulous website where spyware is instantly installed on your PC. Computer viruses are normally embedded in attachments. Upon opening the attachment, the virus is activated and quickly does it's thing. An email virus can instantly replicate itself by sending copies to everyone in your address book. The email your friends receive will be from you, and when they open the trusted attachment, they too can be infected. Phishing scams are done via email too, appearing as an innocent looking email from a trusted source such as a bank or credit card company you do business with. Most people don't realize the email is a fake until they have clicked on a link, entered their account information, and a few days later realize their account has been compromised. Phishing is an extremely dangerous threat that can cause you to lose your identity or your life's savings in an instant. There are several ways to protect yourself against email threats, and getting a spam blocker like BitDefender SpamDeny, McAfee SpamKiller, or SpamStopsHere is definitely a must. This issue is so serious that we have created a new page on email security. Please see the email security information section of this site for details on email security threats and what you can do to protect yourself. Browsing ThreatsBrowsing the internet has become a way of life for over one billion internet users worldwide. After all, that's what the internet is for - sharing information. Unfortunately there are far too many unsavory or unscrupulous websites out there, just waiting for the next internet surfer to come along. It's pretty obvious that websites that contain lewd, immoral or illegal content should be avoided, as sometimes just one quick view is all it takes to have spyware secretly loaded onto your PC. The sites that you really need to watch out for are the ones that appear to be innocent, helpful websites offering free downloads, graphics, music and video files. In many cases, downloading seemingly innocent freeware will install adware or spyware on your system. Clicking on links in many of these sites will often install spyware. With many bad websites there is really no good way to tell if the owner is really peddling spyware in disguise. A good rule of thumb is to avoid downloading anything unless it is from a well known and trustworthy source, and to avoid clicking on links that take you to sites with thousands of ads and a lot of misspellings and tacky graphics. Professional, reputable websites are usually either created by webmasters who take a lot of pride in offering quality information or by reputable companies who hire professional site designers. Fly-by-night cyber-thieves and scam artists quickly put up websites until they are caught, then the site is taken down. They then repeat this cycle over and over. They are trying to make as much money with their website as they can in the shortest amount of time, and don't usually care what the site looks like. Many internet browsers have security flaws that allow malicious code to run. Download the latest update to your favorite browser to make sure you have the most secure version available. The most common internet browser in the world is Internet Explorer, and this is the browser that the majority of malicious software makers and unscrupulous webmasters target. You are not tied to Windows Explorer just because your computer runs Windows. There are many good, safer internet browser alternatives out there - and some are free. We recommend the open source browser Mozilla Firefox for it's enhanced security features and automatic updates. As far as internet security is concerned, Firefox is one of the safest browsers available at this time. Antivirus, Firewall and Spyware ProtectionAside from the things you can do to increase the use of caution on the internet, we recommend using a good anti virus product, spyware remover and software firewall for the best possible protection. Together these security tools will provide a good blanket of protection for your computer and help protect you from identity theft, information theft and destructive software. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protect Your Family and Your Identity. Get McAfee Privacy Service.
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