Security

As discussed earlier security can be very important when using a broadband system, in this article Viruses, Hackers and Spyware will be discussed. All these things can have a great effect on the way the system performs and how your computer also performs.

Viruses

Viruses are common in the internet today as some of you will already know; they can damage your computer in a number of different ways. They can infect and delete data on your machine, corrupt data or even stop your machine from functioning all together. Viruses can also spread without the user actually knowing about it, they can spread via CDs, DVDs, e-mails etc. The user might not even know they have a virus on their machine.
You’re probably wondering how you can prevent these from getting on your machine. To help prevent these from infecting your machine you need a piece of software called an Anti-Virus program. There are many on the market, and like everything some are better than others. You don't have to spend any money to get anti-virus software on your computer as there are free ones that are available to download from the internet.
Anti-Virus programs basically stop viruses from infecting files within your computer, they tell you if you have one already, and will try to get rid of it. They are updated as and when new viruses are written. It's best to check for updates for the software at least once a week to prevent viruses infecting your machine.
Now you will be thinking, where can I get an anti-virus program? Well I would recommend obtaining a copy of AVG anti-virus, this piece of software is the best free anti-virus that you can install. More information can be found on their official website which can be found here:

http://www.grisoft.com

This will provide you with more information about the product; the site also has more information about Viruses.

Hackers

Hackers are another common factor of the internet today, you may have heard about people hacking into something via the internet. The type of hacker that you should be concerned about is the type that would want to get into your system without your permission. This can be deadly as once they are into your system they could do a lot of things, they can delete important files and/or find out information about you and people that you know.
By now you will be thinking, ok so how can I stop these people from getting into my machine? Well what you need is a piece of software called a Firewall. This stops the hackers dead in their tracks before they even get into your machine. Running a firewall along with an anti-virus will keep most of the bad things about the internet from your computer and we highly recommend running these pieces of software on your computers at home.
Getting and installing a firewall is just as easy as getting an anti-virus, again some are better than others and some are free. We recommend that you download a firewall called Sygate Personal Firewall, this piece of software is one of the best free firewalls available to home user. To find out more about this piece of software and to obtain a copy please visit there official website here:

http://www.sygate.com/

Spyware

Spyware is now a common thing when using the internet. Spyware is something that collects information about you and your system without the user knowing about it, it collects it through the users internet connection, the information is normally collected for advertisement purposes. Spyware is normally installed without the user knowing about it. It is normally bundled within Freeware and Shareware programs that are downloaded using the internet. Please note that most Freeware and Shareware programs don’t carry Spyware, but some do. When the user installs the piece of software which contains Spyware it monitors the user’s actions on the internet and then sends them back to another person, this is all done in the background without the user knowing about it.

Spyware can also be worse than that; it can collect information about your e-mail addresses, passwords and even your credit card details.
To prevent Spyware being put on your system you need to download and use programs that stop it. The best and the most well known is Ad-Aware, this is a very popular program and it stops much of today’s Spyware from getting onto your computer, we highly recommend that you install and run this piece of software at least once a week to prevent Spyware infecting your system.
More information about this software can be found here:

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

Another way to prevent Spyware is to use an alternative browser called Mozilla Firefox. Most of you will be quite familiar to using the standard browser that comes with windows, Internet Explorer. Firefox is a more secure browser which incorporates tabbed browsing and a popup blocker. Tabbed browsing means that you only have one window open and you just click on the individual tabs to view the websites. Firefox doesn't allow websites to install things behind your back, unlike Internet Explorer.
To get more information about Mozilla Firefox please visit:

http://www.mozilla.org

If you require anymore information about security when using the internet then have a read through the following guide. It has a bit more information about the topics that have been raised in this article.

If you have any questions then please email me.

Also please read our Health and Safety guide.