Protect Your PC

[HailMaryPC]

Every computer connected to the internet is vulnerable to fraud and computer vandalism. This leaves our pockets prey to the software protection industry's heavy charges to keep us safe. Yet it's possible to get legal, professional quality anti-virus and other protective software, absolutely free.

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Threats to your computer come in different guises with various funky names. Collectively they're considered malicious software, abbreviated to 'malware' in security parlance. The main types are as follows:
Viruses. Hidden programmes which wreak havoc.

These are transmitted via websites, e-mail attachments, directly over the internet, or via any other removable media. They hide in applications or files and spread from computer to computer, generally wreaking havoc wherever they get the chance to.

Trojans. Bugs within harmless looking files.

Trojan (horses) are hidden within a file that looks harmless, like a picture of a celebrity, aiming to trick the user into installing the malicious software like spyware or adware on the computer.

Worms. Can drill in via open web connections

Worms take advantage of any open Internet connection, to try and sneak in and replicate on the computer. Once loaded, they often start to send spam email from your computer without your knowledge.


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[symbyo wave]

You Protect Your PC By:

- Keep your AntiVirus software up-to-date. AntiVirus software vendors update their virus lists on a regular basis. Make sure you visit your vendor's Web site at least once a week to download the update. Most virus software offers an auto-update feature which will grab the updates for you; make sure this feature is enabled (if available) in your software.

- Avoid running attachments (especially .EXE files) that come in your e-mail, even if they come from your friends, relatives or colleagues. The warped minds now writing e-mail viruses will do their best to lure you into running their viruses and worms by making them look like love letters, jokes or pornography. Once you or one of your friends succumbs to this temptation, the script will mail itself to everyone on that computer's address list.

- Make frequent backups of your data files, and keep some of your backups out of your computer. We like to burn CD-R backup discs on a regular schedule; CD-RW and Zip discs also work well.

[ravi]

^^^
Very useful tips. Thanks :)