Must Haves
The other day I was asked to troubleshoot a friend's computer.
Upon inspection, the computer really did have some issues - but chief among them was that it had absolutely no protection from viruses and malware.
I was a bit astounded to discover that there were still folks out there who hadn't heard that these two forms of protection, along with some sort of firewall, are absolutely necessary for anyone who will be on the Internet - even for a few moments at a time.
Viruses and malware are taken so seriously that some developers have even created freeware versions of protection software, just so that people will protect their computers even if they feel they can't afford to purchase protection. Why? Because unprotected computers get infected; infected computers spread viruses; viruses are a danger at worst, an annoyance at best to all of us.
What's a virus? Says PC Magazine: "A computer virus is very specifically a program that "infects" other programs with its own code. When an unsuspecting user launches an infected program, the virus looks for more programs to infect. A worm is like a virus, but it can spread without requiring a user to launch it."
Malware, on the other hand, is a term used to collectively describe adware, spyware, and trojan horses. Adware are programs designed to display ads on your computer. Spyware programs want to spy on you - logging keys that you type, or gathering personal information and sending it back out to program originators. Trojan horses, among the most nasty of malware programs, come riding in on a supposedly innocent and/or useful program, like a game, screen saver, or utility. Once on your computer, the trojan horse will live a life of its own, doing things like hijacking your browser.
What to do?
There are three primary steps that every computer user should take, as noted above: install or activate a software firewall, and/or add a hardware firewall to your computer. Buy and run a virus protection program. Install and run a anti-spyware software.
Most computers will come with a demo (trial) version of anti-virus software installed. It's easy enough to purchase a full version of this software if you don't want to be bothered with finding, buying, and installing another option. And these days, computers will come equipped with a software firewall, which should be enabled unless you opt for a hardware firewall, such as you will find in a Linksys router.
To learn more about your options for purchasable as well as freeware/shareware virus and spyware protection software, visit MajorGeeks.
Upon inspection, the computer really did have some issues - but chief among them was that it had absolutely no protection from viruses and malware.
I was a bit astounded to discover that there were still folks out there who hadn't heard that these two forms of protection, along with some sort of firewall, are absolutely necessary for anyone who will be on the Internet - even for a few moments at a time.
Viruses and malware are taken so seriously that some developers have even created freeware versions of protection software, just so that people will protect their computers even if they feel they can't afford to purchase protection. Why? Because unprotected computers get infected; infected computers spread viruses; viruses are a danger at worst, an annoyance at best to all of us.
What's a virus? Says PC Magazine: "A computer virus is very specifically a program that "infects" other programs with its own code. When an unsuspecting user launches an infected program, the virus looks for more programs to infect. A worm is like a virus, but it can spread without requiring a user to launch it."
Malware, on the other hand, is a term used to collectively describe adware, spyware, and trojan horses. Adware are programs designed to display ads on your computer. Spyware programs want to spy on you - logging keys that you type, or gathering personal information and sending it back out to program originators. Trojan horses, among the most nasty of malware programs, come riding in on a supposedly innocent and/or useful program, like a game, screen saver, or utility. Once on your computer, the trojan horse will live a life of its own, doing things like hijacking your browser.
What to do?
There are three primary steps that every computer user should take, as noted above: install or activate a software firewall, and/or add a hardware firewall to your computer. Buy and run a virus protection program. Install and run a anti-spyware software.
Most computers will come with a demo (trial) version of anti-virus software installed. It's easy enough to purchase a full version of this software if you don't want to be bothered with finding, buying, and installing another option. And these days, computers will come equipped with a software firewall, which should be enabled unless you opt for a hardware firewall, such as you will find in a Linksys router.
To learn more about your options for purchasable as well as freeware/shareware virus and spyware protection software, visit MajorGeeks.
Comments