Computer security is a hot topic these days – with good reason. There are about 10,000 new viruses created every year, and they do everything from cause computer crashes and errors, to hardware damage, to stealing your personal information. However, educating yourself on how to prevent viruses, spyware and other malware goes a long way toward keeping your computer and your information safe.

The terminology can be confusing, so let’s start by examining the difference between viruses, spyware and malware. Malware is a general term to refer to all malicious or unwanted programs. Malware can refer to viruses, worms, spyware or any other nasty program. Computer viruses infect programs and data, working much like a biological virus, spreading from computer to computer, looking for more programs or hard drives to infect. However, a virus requires user interaction to spread. This is what happens when you open an email attachment or document that contains a malicious program. A subcategory of the virus is the worm. A worm works like a virus, but they can spread across networks and the internet without user interaction. Spyware is exactly that. It is software that is mean to spy on the user, without their knowledge, and gather information. The main source of spyware comes from free games, screensavers, utilities and sometimes even anti-malware software that are downloaded for free from the internet. These programs can actually be anything from key loggers, which record your keystrokes in order to steal your passwords, to monitoring your web browsing in order to learn more about the websites you visit. They can also bring your computer to a slow crawl, create a myriad of pop-ups, or create false virus and spyware infections to sell you a remedy you don’t really need. There is some great free software out there. Just be sure you fully understand what you are downloading and from whom you are downloading. Please see the approved list of free downloads at the end of this article.

To protect yourself effectively, you need three things: a firewall, an anti-virus program, and at least two anti-spyware programs. A firewall secures a network or computer from unauthorized access. Firewalls can be hardware or software firewalls, or a combination of the two. Most of today’s consumer routers have a hardware firewall built in, and if you have a broadband internet connection like DSL or cable, you need one. The great thing about a hardware firewall is that they provide strong protection from outside attacks for your entire network with relatively little configuration. Software firewalls do pretty much the same thing, and are completely configurable to specific programs. For example, a software firewall can be set to allow your email program to send and receive emails across the internet but block data from being sent or received by another program. Any program without specific permission to allow data in or out will be blocked. The downside to software firewalls is that they are only good on a computer where they are installed. I always recommend using both a hardware and software firewall. In a pinch, Windows Firewall will work okay, but I recommend using ZoneAlarm, which is available as a free download.

Anti-virus programs scan your computer for viruses and alert you when one is found. Most anti-virus programs will even automatically remove viruses. They usually do this during a scheduled scan of the entire computer, when you open a document, and when you check your email. Some even scan continually, looking for anything suspicious. There’s some debate about which anti-virus programs are best. Clearly Norton and McAfee are the most common, but there are free anti-virus programs that are just as good if not better. My preference is for AVG Anti-virus, but Avast and Anti-Vir are great programs, too. In my opinion, these programs tend to be less bloated and cause less performance loss than Norton or McAfee, which can really slow down older computers. Whichever program you choose, anti-virus programs are only as good as their updates. Anti-virus programs require regular updates in order to detect viruses. If you are not updating at least weekly, you are opening yourself up to disaster.

Anti-spyware programs work similarly to anti-virus programs, scanning programs, files and computer processes, but specifically look for spyware. They do not scan for viruses. Spyware is becoming more pervasive every year, and because of that, not all anti-spyware programs will catch all spyware. That is why I recommend using at least two different anti-spyware programs in conjunction with each other. I actually use three myself: SpyBot Search & Destroy, Ad-Aware and Windows Defender. SpyBot is very good at detecting spyware, but it can be complicated to use and I don’t recommend it for the squeamish. However, Ad-Aware and Windows Defender are very user friendly. SpyBot is available for free download, and Ad-Aware has a free version with limited features. A full featured version is available for download or purchase from retailers. Windows Defender is a free Microsoft product which is included with Windows Vista and available for download for Windows XP.

Even with all this protection, it can all be undone with the few clicks of the mouse. Even the best firewall will not protect you from a malicious program masquerading as a card game, video file, or e-card, that you downloaded yourself. That is why I have put together these tips for safe computing habits.

1. Avoid unexpected email attachments. A primary way that viruses spread is by taking over an email program and mailing itself to everyone in the contact list as an innocent looking file. So if you receive an email from someone you were not expecting, a good rule of thumb is this – If the attachment appears to be picture files of your sister’s new baby, it is probably okay. If the attachment is a Word or Excel file from Bob in accounting, and has the subject line of “Check this out”, it is better to leave it alone.
2. Don’t be baited by phishing. Phishing is a technique criminals use to trick you into downloading malware or giving away your passwords. They use a web link in a seemingly legitimate email that appears to be from your bank, PayPal, EBay, etc. These emails often say that there is a problem with your account that needs to be cleared up. However, when you click the link, it takes you to a website that may appear to be a legitimate, but is not. When you input your login and password, they’ve got you. Another scenario is that when you click the link, your computer automatically downloads malware that will gather your information and send it to the crook later. One thing that I find extremely humorous is that criminals tend to be poor spellers. Watch for misspelled words and grammatical errors in these emails. They are a dead giveaway that something isn’t right. Any time you receive an email claiming there is a problem with an account, go to your web browser and type in the address yourself. Once you log in, you will be notified if there is a real problem.
3. Download responsibly. Easy, fast and reliable data transfer is what makes the internet great, but downloading can get you into trouble. Illegal music sharing programs and warez (cracked commercial software) sites are an easy way for criminals to load malware onto your computer. You just download it yourself! Stay away from these. They’re full of malware and it’s stealing. Free porn preview sites are also riddled with malware. View at your own risk. There is some great free software out there. Just be sure you know what you’re downloading and from whom you are downloading it. See our approved download list.
4. Too good to be true. Everyone gets junk email or sees websites full of offers that are too good to be true. A free computer/iPhone/Xbox! – Yeah right. If it seems too good to be true, trust me, it is. Someone is looking to get something from you, and I guarantee that you won’t like it.
5. Careful who you give your address to. Junk email gets worse all the time, and by giving out your email address, you set yourself up to get tons of it. Be careful where you type your email address. By signing up for newsletters or free email offers, your email address often goes on a list. These lists get sold to companies who market their products, legitimate and otherwise, via email, and send unwanted emails. Plus, all these junk emails make you more susceptible to phishing schemes. A good rule of thumb is to only give out your email address to reputable companies and people you know.
6. Be careful out there. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, “The price of the internet is eternal vigilance.” If you use the internet, always remember that it is like walking through a big city. There is a lot to see and do, but one wrong turn can land you in a bad neighborhood. Make no mistake – there are bad people out there, and they want what you have. If you’re not careful, they will take it from you. Always watch over your shoulder.

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