| Once you hook up your computer to a network - be it | | | | That is why you should supplement your antivirus |
| at home or at the office - you are vulnerable to | | | | program with a good anti-spyware program. Both do |
| attacks from the internet. It is therefore essential to | | | | an excellent job at what there are meant for. Most |
| have some kind of network security software installed. | | | | antivirus software offers some malware protection, |
| Sure, your PC might not get compromised without this | | | | but nothing as good as a standalone anti-spyware |
| software just like somebody riding a motorbike without | | | | program. This also doubles your defense if you care |
| a helmet is not necessarily going to die in crash | | | | about computer network security. |
| because they didn't wear a helmet. You get the | | | | Does it end there? Network security is a never ending |
| picture. | | | | process, depending on how secure you want your |
| The first thing that comes to mind when talking about | | | | computer to be. For the home user there is another |
| security software is of course an antivirus program | | | | very important factor which often gets overlooked. |
| with the latest virus definitions installed. This is not only | | | | Most of you have heard about a firewall which is |
| for your own safety, but also for other people's safety. | | | | standard in an internet security suite. Few of you will |
| An infected computer can be manipulated by the | | | | understand the workings of a firewall. What does it |
| cyber-criminal to infect other computers, all the | | | | mean if your firewall software asks you "program x |
| contacts stored on your computer for example. | | | | wants to access the internet, allow once, allow always, |
| The "good old days" of only virus attacks are long | | | | deny?" |
| gone now. Attackers have access to highly | | | | Just press "deny" once for the wrong program and |
| sophisticated spyware programs - some of them | | | | you will have disabled your internet access. Much |
| readily available for download on the net- which keep | | | | better to get a hardware firewall which is standard |
| on getting better every day. The biggest pest | | | | and already configured in a SOHO router and |
| nowadays are Trojans. These are malicous programs | | | | consequently will not nag you with those |
| which often contain a variety of malware. So if you | | | | incomprehensible questions. |
| get one Trojan on your PC, you can be pretty sure it | | | | As a home user do not hook up your PC directly to |
| can contain a combination of worms other trojans or | | | | the network, get a router to tunnel and control the |
| even worse, rootkits. | | | | traffic between your PC and the internet. |