Viruses, Hackers and Spyware

Computer viruses have been well publicised over the past few years. Many new viruses are released each year, varying from in seriousness. Numerous developers dedicate their resources to designing software to protect against viruses, hackers (who use the internet to get into computers and alter or steal content) and spyware (programs which may exist on a computer sending information about the owner to a third party).

A lot of money can easily be spend on a range of software to avoid these menances. However, if they are not continually up-dated, they become ineffective as newer viruses etc are developed. Cost is often the cause of failure to up-date safety measures.

Viruses can be kept at bay with a range of free software. Computer magazines often carry cover-disks with such programs. One we have found successful is AVG. This useful program indicates when it should be up-dated. The download which are also free take a few minutes every fortnight or so.

Hackers can be kept at bay with a 'Firewall'. Firewall software allows the user to decide whether or not to allow existing programs on their computer to send or receive information to another computer. Free firewall software is also to be found on magazine cover-disks. ZoneAlarm can also be up-dated with free downloads.

With the increasing popularity of the Internet, many software packages now have the ability to gather information about the user and send it back to the publisher. This can be avoided with suitable software including another free package AdAware. This can identify 'spyware' already on a computer and allow the user to 'quarantine' it before deciding whether it is safe to remove altogether.

There are other free applications available to guard against internet 'nasties' and it is always important to ensure that whatever you use is compatible with your operating system (eg Windows, Mac, Lynux etc).
 
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