With technologies being so prevalent in our daily lives today, especially with the advent of the Internet, do you really know how to protect yourself from the dangers that you are surrounding yourself with every single day?
With technologies being so prevalent in our daily lives today, especially with the advent of the Internet, do you really know how to protect yourself from the dangers that you are surrounding yourself with every single day?
According to Symantec (Symantec.com), a brand new computer, un-patched and unprotected, can be attacked once connected to the Internet within 20 minutes. Some other reliable sources have suggested that it takes only about 10 minutes for a brand new, unsecured system to be compromised!
During this short interval of time, your computer could well be turned into a zombie by hackers and criminals. Zombies are machines that have been secretly taken over and manipulated by hackers/criminals to achieve their own aims such as sending spam or attacking web sites. Some criminals will attempt to steal passwords, financial information such as credit card numbers and other sensitive data from your computer. Such compromised computers can be found everywhere, for examples, your home and office.
Luckily, there are ways to protect yourself to minimise or eliminate such threats by installing FREE security software on your computers. We have listed some of the most popular and useful security software that you can use to secure your computers today. Please feel free to download and install them for use because they are free from viruses, spyware or any other forms of malware.
1. AVG Anti Virus protects your PC with a FREE version of their popular Anti-Virus software. AVG Free Edition is now available for all single home users worldwide! (More detailed information can be found in the AVG Free Edition License Agreement.) You can get your free copy of the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, trusted by millions worldwide, and be able to use it without any limitations for the life of the product. You can also download free updates to get the latest program virus databases from their web site. Download, install and use AVG Free Edition at: http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2
Also, please note that installing an anti virus solution (regardless of the brand of anti virus software) on your computer is not enough, you will need to update it at least once every week because new viruses and worms emerged on the wild every few days.
Failure to do so will mean that you will not be protected from the latest threats. Hence, after installing AVG Free on your computer, please remember to perform the latest anti-virus definitions update for AVG. If you are unsure of how to do it, please check the software documentation.
Important Note: AVG Free Edition is not allowed for use in a business or commercial environment.
2. ZoneAlarm has been selected by millions of users all over the world as their basic Internet security solution. The award-winning personal firewall blocks dangerous Internet threats, guarding your PC from many of the tactics used by hackers and data thieves. A FREE version of the ZoneAlarm software is available on their web site at http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp. The free version also allows you to try out a 15-day trial, only if you opt to install it.
3. SpywareBlaster prevents the installation of spyware and other potentially unwanted software on your machines! And it is freeware. SpywareBlaster can help to keep your system spyware-free and secure, without interfering with the "good side" of the web. As you know, spyware, adware, browser hijackers, and dialers are some of the fastest-growing threats on the Internet today. By simply browsing to a web page, you could find your computer to be the brand-new host of one of these unwanted fiends! The most important step you can take is to secure your system now. And SpywareBlaster is the most powerful protection program available. Unlike other programs, SpywareBlaster does not have to remain running in the background and it helps to protect you in the following:
* Prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software.
* Block spyware/tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox.
* Restrict the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer.
Download SpywareBlaster at http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
Note: SpywareBlaster is freeware for personal and educational use. For more information, please visit http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
4. Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove a multitude of adware files and modules from your computer. Spybot also can clean program and Web-usage tracks from your system, which is especially useful if you share your computer. Modules chosen for removal can be sent directly to the included file shredder, ensuring complete elimination from your system.
For advanced users, it allows you to fix Registry inconsistencies related to adware and to malicious program installations. The handy online-update feature ensures that Spybot always has the most current and complete listings of adware, dialers, and other uninvited system residents. Please refer to the software documentation for all the advanced features available on Spybot.
Spybot can work hand-in-hand with SpywareBlaster to provide you with maximum protections against spyware! Get a free copy of Spybot at: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
Note: The license for Spybot allows for both home/personal use as well as in a business/commercial environment.
5. Microsoft Windows Update keeps your Windows system updated. It allows you to update your Windows based computers, such as those running on Windows XP. It is a well known fact that Windows is not a 100% secured piece of operating system and is often subjected to security vulnerabilities which may compromise your computers. Hence it is of paramount importance that you often perform a Windows Update to protect your system from such security vulnerabilities.
Even if your computer has Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2) already installed, you still need to update Windows. Although SP2 contains a list of critical, security updates, many more updates have become available since its first release.
You can update Windows by clicking onto Start > All Programs > Windows Update. You may have to restart your computer after installing some updates and you will need to keep going to Microsoft Update until there are no more updates to be installed from the Microsoft Update web site.
Conclusion You may not want to know this but this is the undeniable fact: In order to protect yourself from the dangers that technologies and the Internet is bringing you via your computer, the above listed software titles is a must to protect yourself. Please do take the time and effort to secure your computers before you become a victim of technology. If you find that it is a hassle to do the above with so many pieces of software (although they are all free for use) to download, install and configure, you can also purchase commercial security software to secure your computer.
