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How to Keep your Computer Secure and Virus Free
These simple tips will help you stay
virus and spyware free, even if you're connected to
the internet 24 hours a day.
1. Protect yourself
Good protection on the Internet these
days consists of 3 components: anti-virus software,
anti-spyware software and a firewall.
Good virus protection doesn't need to
cost you a fortune. You can get excellent free anti-virus
software at www.grisoft.com. Even the professional version
of their software is very affordable.
For spyware protection, go to www.lavasoft.de
and download Ad-Aware SE Personal, also free. This will
zap the most common spyware and adware found on the
Internet.
As for a firewall, Windows XP ships
with a decent enough firewall. Just make sure it is
always enabled. Alternatively you can visit a site like
www.download.com and search for Zone Alarm, which has
an excellent free version.
The most important thing to keep in
mind is that you need to keep your anti-virus software
up to date. An anti-virus program that uses definitions
that are months old is just about useless.
Update your anti-virus and anti-spyware
software at least once a week.
2. Stop opening every attachment
you receive.
Most of the devastating worms and viruses
of recent times were distributed via email. These viruses
feed on the curiosity and also the ignorance of a huge
number of email users. People will get an email from
fakename@weirdsuspiciousdomain and they'll just open
whatever file is attached to it.
If you don't know the sender, don't
open the attachment - just delete it. It doesn't matter
if the subject promises you'll see Britney Spears dancing
nude on the kitchen table, just delete it.
If the email is from someone you know,
always scan any attachments first before downloading
or opening them.
If every email user in the world followed
these simple guidelines the distribution of viruses
via email will grind to a halt.
3. Stay clear of pornographic and
illegal software sites
If you want to pick up viruses and spyware
quickly, visit some pornographic web sites. One wrong
click on a subtle little pop-up or security warning
window (which you'll run into often on these type of
sites) and you'll have infested yourself with trojan
horses, spyware, dialers and other unfavorable software
that could leave your computer wide open to further
attacks.
The same goes for web sites distributing
software, serial codes and cracks illegally (warez).
Simply put - keep out of the dark side
of the web and the odds of keeping your computer clean
shifts decidedly in your favor.
4. Watch out what you download
Spyware is embedded in a lot of software
on the Internet - especially those related to ripping,
converting and playing music and videos. That free MP3
player or DVD Ripper you just downloaded may have installed
a bunch of harmful spyware without you even knowing
about it.
5. Keep yourself informed
Major anti-virus software developers
like Symantec and Grisoft updates their sites regularly
with the latest virus alerts. Visit these sites frequently
to keep yourself aware of what threats are doing the
rounds and how to avoid them.
Using these simple and software I have
kept my computer virus-free for the past 3 years. It's
not rocket science. Just stay alert, use some common
sense and you too can stay bug free while still enjoying
your Internet experience.
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