Computers and Technology

The moment your computer connects to the Internet, you're leaving your computer to be exploited by viruses, hackers, and all sorts of malware, even if the computer is unattended! For any computer connected to the Internet, security is a must to defend against online threats.

A good first step is protecting your surfing experience by upgrading or switching your web browser. Always check to see if your web browser has a new version available. A newer version of a browser usually protects fixes the security flaws of a previous version and can add new functionality to increase your web experience. Sometimes, switching to another web browser can offer a better return in security than upgrading it. Switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox is an example. Internet explorer is an extremely popular web browser: over 80% of computer users run this software to browse the Internet. Internet Explorer's popularity is what makes the browser an also popular target for malicious websites and programs to exploit. What makes Internet Explorer and Firefox so different if both just browse the net? Their differences lie all "under the hood" of how the software runs and how tight the code is from flaws and bugs. This is why a security hole can apply in one browser but not in another. Download Firefox free at firefox.com and secure you web surfing. Firefox will take minute or two to download depending on your connection and setting it up is a breeze!

A web browser is a makes up the first level of defense when you're online browsing but what about when you're not browsing? Windows has hundreds of communication ports that deal with internet traffic. You're web browser only deals with a few when its in use. Whats watching over the other ports? Hopefully, you have a firewall because an unprotected port is vulnerable to outside attacks. The reality of this happening to you is very high: a person, without much hacking know-how, can easily sweep a small country for unprotected computers in a few days using special programs and steal and corrupt you data. A firewall closes communication ports not in use; and, for all other open ports, the firewall uses logic to reject traffic from a questionable source. Windows XP comes with its own built-in firewall to protect you from inbound attacks but not from outbound from inside your computer if its already compromised by malware. Luckily you can prevent the latter by simply avoiding websites and downloads known for packing malware. You can complement or even replace your Windows firewall with another dedicated commercial firewall that can protect you from both inbound and outbound attacks.You can research a bit on what each firewall provides and their licenses they give to the end-user to see what appeals to you. With a computer protected by a secure web browser, a powerful firewall, and a careful user, the need for an anti-virus is optional. Just remember a firewall can prevent online attacks, but can't stop infections.

After a web browser and a firewall, an anti-virus program can make up your third layer of defense in fighting an online threat before it can infect your computer. Modern anti-virus programs come with real-time scanning engines to delete a virus once it enters your computer's memory. If you've been using a computer for a while and never ran an anti-virus scan, you may be infected and don't even know it. Some commercial anti-virus companies offer a free diagnoses of your computer through their website and remedies. Its important to know if you're computer is "clean" before trying any computer-safety practices mentioned in this article, or what ever you do won't go as planned. If your computer comes out clean, just have a firewall on and be careful on how you surf the web; you don't have to have a anti-virus and save on computer resources unless you want to! If you're computer is always exposed to questionable files or used by people who aren't as security-savvy as you, then an anti-virus is another must. Take for example if a person is ferrying their work with a flash drive from your computer to a computer at school and back again. School computers are notorious for being virus-ridden because of the many students that recklessly use the computer. If you have people sharing the computer, you should put up an anti-virus to protect the computer from the possibly unsafe surfing habits.Remember though that no anti-virus software can possible catch every virus created. Hundreds are made every month and anti-virus programs can only catch the most common ones. In last ditch efforts in dealing with a virus not detected by an anti-virus, you'll need to back up and scan your important files, reformat your hard drive, and reinstall your operating system. This fact about viruses doesn't put you in immediate danger yet; your computer's chances of catching a rare or a brand-new virus is proportionally small. Follow safe computer practices!

Finally, your last defense is your operating system. Generally, it is the weakest and pretty much the target of hackers and malware but it does give some protection that is well complemented with firewall and anti-virus protection. For example, Windows XP prevents important system files from being changed or deleted to an extent and can disable permissions of regular accounts to edit system settings. Such features can only be found in new versions of Windows. Older versions such as Windows 98 and Windows ME don't benefit from the same security features as Windows 2000, XP, and Vista. Upgrading to a new stable version of Windows is a good thing.

All of the recommendations mentioned lead to a protected and productive computer.