Using a computer, particularly the Internet, is one task that even a ten year old can do at this particular period in time.
With the growing increase of popularity and reliance on computers, as well as the demand for it, security risks have also gone up, which is a reality that cannot be ignored. With the billions of information bits being spread across the World Wide Web, hackers and computer intruders (criminals) see the value in focusing their attention to computers and the Internet. The information they would retrieve here is (more often than not) more useful than when doing it the old-fashioned way.
As such, these intruders have devised some methods into getting information out of computer users, with or without these people knowing that they've been hacked into. As is the case in real life, there are some computer programs that are disguised to be innocent, but actually act as spies, providing information to the intruders. These malicious programs which are security threats are called computer viruses.
Computer viruses should not be taken lightly. They work in many different ways; one of them may be to provide data to the one who planted the virus. Other viruses can simply be annoying - slowing down your computer, building unwanted files, etc. ; while some can be very disruptive, such as deleting your hard drive, compromising your operating system, etc.
As such, there are different types of viruses which normally differ in how they function and how they are spread. Examples of these include Trojan horses, worms, email viruses, and logic bombs. It would be important for you to know these kinds of viruses in order to better protect you from them, as well as to have the proper programs to get rid of them.
Trojan horses are simply computer program that cannot reproduce themselves, but can do damage anywhere from minimal to extremely dangerous. It usually disguises itself as a common file (maybe an .mp3 music file or a .jpeg picture file) but does the damage when the computer user opens it. This is why you should take extra care when opening a suspicious looking file : it could very well be a Trojan horse.
Worms are self reproducing programs that mainly use security holes in order to spread itself throughout the network. If your computer is infected with a worm and is able to replicate itself a number of times, this usually causes your computer to slow down noticeably since it uses your computer resources and memory to do so. They often use security flaws in operating systems (such as Windows) in order to self reproduce.
Email viruses are self explanatory : they spread via email. Once a user opens the infected email, what it usually does is send itself to other computer users via the email addresses found in the user's address book. Because it uses email and a lot of people open emails without really checking or being careful, it spreads very quickly across the entire world and can cause chaos within just a few days.
Logic bombs are viruses that target specific computer applications, causing them to crash (for example, Windows). This can also be spread via email attachments or by innocently downloading it off the Internet. It can cause a great deal of harm (particularly if it infects Windows and the like), or just a small amount (small program).
Fortunately for computer users, there are anti-virus programs available anywhere, whether in the Internet or at the computer shop. These programs specifically target over thousands of viruses and wipe them clean from your system (if infected) or protect you from incoming attacks (if not yet infected).
Anti-virus programs are constantly updated (normally everyday) since there are always new virus definitions each day, and you can get infected by these new viruses. These software developers are always researching about the newest viruses to ensure you, the user, are protected from these viruses as much as possible. Your PC security and safety are always being considered.
Scan Pc For Viruses
Understanding what hackers are looking for, what doors they use to gain entry into your computer and which programs are available to help you protect your PC against any illegal entry will give you greater peace of mind and protect your valuable data.
There are three types of threats to your computer that you need to be concerned about. The first are viruses. The definition of a computer virus is a piece of code or a program that is that is loaded onto and run on your computer without your knowledge. They can attach themselves to other programs on your computer. For more details www.greateducationonline.com Some Virus? can reproduce at a great rate and in turn use up a lot of your computer memory. This eventually can cause your computer to crash. You get Viruses most commonly via email or downloading programs and files. One way is in form of .exe files. If you receive an .exe file you should never open it unless it has been checked and approved as safe by your virus protection program.
Viruses can come into your computer in many other forms. You have to be careful with flash files, movies, mp3 and even .jpeg files. This is a good reason to have virus protection software installed on your computer. Companies like Norton, McAfee (McAfee.com), Trend Micro who makes PC-cilliin (trendmicro.com) and Grisoft (grisoft.com) among others make excellent virus protection products. Grisoft makes AVG Pro which is competent virus protection software. They have a personal edition which is free to use and is very good.
The next piece of software that is needed to protect your PC computer is a firewall. A firewall is used to block illegal access to your computer or network. It will block suspicious data from flowing into your PC and block unapproved programs outside your computer from taking data from your PC.
Think of a firewall as a doorman whose job it is to open a large locked door. When the doorman knows who is knocking at the door either by an announcement or because he recognizes the person he will let them in. For more details www.greatindustrialguide.com With your firewall the firewall is unlocked only on your authorization allowing data to be passed on or received. It learns after awhile who is trusted and who is not.
A firewall comes standard with Microsoft Windows XP (Microsoft.com). But in order for it to protect, you must turn it on. Other solutions are Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall which you can buy by itself or bundled in the Norton Security Suite (symantec.com). McAfee (McAfee.com) also has a good firewall as well as the free version of Zone Labs firewall called Zone Alarm (zonelabs.com).
And, finally you should have good spyware software to protect against hackers or companies from snooping to find information about you through your internet connection. It is commonly used by companies for marketing purposes. Free spyware software that is widely used is Spybot's Search & Destroy (safer-networking.org) or Lavasoft's (lavasoft.com) free version of their Ad-aware spyware application. Spy Sweeper from Webroot (webroot.com) is an excellent choice and does not cost very much. Spy Sweeper has received many top reviews from the computer magazines.
If you install a virus protection software, Firewall and spyware software your computer will be well protected and you will have peace of mind. And, you needn't spend a lot. In each category you can find a free version that is very good and will help keep your computer problem free.
Both James Yee & Puneet1 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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