| There is nothing wrong with taking less than adequate | | | | "phoning home" from your PC, endangering your |
| measures to prevent a bigger damage to anything you | | | | sensitive information such as passwords, credit card |
| treasure if you have financial or other constraints, as | | | | numbers and other sensitive information. These |
| long as this is done temporarily over a short time. | | | | programs also use lots of your critical computer |
| Similar reasoning applies when it comes to computer | | | | resources. That's why your computer is slow and |
| security threats. | | | | crashing lately! |
| Unfortunately some (if not most) computer users tend | | | | 3. Anti-virus Software - These can either completely |
| to forget this. They search on the internet for free | | | | wipe out your critical data or render it or your |
| computer security software which they dump into their | | | | computer useless. The most dangerous thing is that |
| computers and hope for the best. Most of the free | | | | you may end up (unaware!) being a source of the |
| software developers consistently forget to inform the | | | | virus (e.g. through email or infected website pages). |
| downloaders of the inadequacies of their software - | | | | Here are common-sense measures you can take to |
| and they are many and significant! | | | | protect your PC: |
| A simple search for free anti-spyware programs on | | | | |
| any search engine yields significant results. If we | | | | 1. E-mail - Avoid replying to chain letters. Also be very |
| exclude genuine beta-software from these results, | | | | careful of image attachment. Hackers attach malicious |
| almost all of these anti-spyware programs operate on | | | | JavaScript program on these. |
| the principle - "Get infected first, then call us". In other | | | | 2. Regularly update your anti-virus definitions by running |
| words these programs are reactive. They scan and | | | | the update function of your security software. |
| destroy spyware as it's found in the user's computer. | | | | 3. Before buying a computer security software or |
| The real downside of these programs is that they | | | | package make sure that it offers regular updates to |
| offer no real-time protection. Are you surprised? | | | | keep up with new viruses, adware, spyware and other |
| Maybe you've forgotten that "there's no such thing as | | | | computer security threats. |
| a free lunch"! | | | | I want to repeat what I said at the beginning of this |
| The big computer security software developers spend | | | | article: There is nothing wrong in taking temporary |
| millions of dollars every year developing products that | | | | security measures as far as your computer security is |
| can quickly detect and destroy new computer security | | | | concerned (i.e. using free software/downloads. What is |
| threats like spyware, adware, viruses, hacking | | | | wrong is forgetting that the measure was supposed to |
| techniques, Trojans, worms keyloggers etc | | | | be over a temporary period in the first place. |
| Do you think the developers of free computer security | | | | About Msingathi ("Msi") Mnyengeza |
| software inject millions of dollars in order to bring users | | | | Msingathi is the owner of the Computer Security |
| of their software regular software updates? I think not! | | | | Resources website. The website is targeted at the |
| Computer security software is such a critical purchase | | | | computer user who wants the best computer security |
| that I think one should actually buy the software | | | | software to protect against spyware, adware, viruses |
| before bringing home a new PC! | | | | and to improve computer performance using registry |
| The most critical software that should you have in you | | | | cleaners. Visit Msi's websites at and at |
| PC is: | | | | Copyright: 1st Analyst Information Services 2006, All |
| | | | rights reserved. |
| 1. Firewall - To protect your PC from hackers and | | | | Website owners can use this article on their websites |
| internal malware that maybe trying to "phone home". | | | | and ezines, as long as no part of this article is changes |
| 2. Spyware/Adware - To detect the "ETs" that are | | | | amended. |