How To Protect My Computer From Viruses?

In short, if you want to guarantee protection, don't use email or the Internet. However, for most people that is not an option and with a few basic precautions you should be able to enjoy relatively safe surfing.

Why so many people enjoy hacking is one of the great mysteries of the web. The majority of hackers are not financially motivated; they do it for 'fun' or to make life difficult for corporations they perceive as enemies, like Microsoft.

In fact Microsoft's predominance of the market has led to it being targeted on many occasions and so when attacks are made on Microsoft they tend to be the kind of viruses that affect home computers which use Microsoft operating systems.

Visits Visiting to the Microsoft website will keep you updated, and the company regularly post 'patches' which repair known security weaknesses and help keep machines safe. See www.microsoft.com/uk/security/protect/alert.mspx for more information.

However, there is also a great deal of unpleasant behaviour from adult pornography distributors and organised crime has got in on the act with attacks on bank accounts.

The problem is that as the Internet connects so many millions of users, it can literally take a few minutes to spread a virus across tens of thousands of machines. At worst, they can strip vital financial data from your computer or even destroy the machine, and even at best they pollute your drives and strip email address books so that they can self-proliferate.

A virus is a computer program that can copy itself over and over again and so spread from one user to the next. They mainly spread through emails, but a lot of viruses spread via adult websites, (so tip number one: Don't visit them). And as for emails, there is one essential you should know. Viruses DON'T get passed by text-only emails. They usually have some type of attachment enclosed - and it is the attachment that contains the virus program.

If you receive an email that contains an attachment, make sure you know who has sent it. And because many viruses are spread through the mailboxes of infected machines - if you didn't expect an email (with an attachment) from a friend or colleague, then check with them first before opening it. It may seem a bore, but if their pc was infected, the email may have been generated without their knowledge. It won't affect you, as long as you don't open it.

Should I use special software?

In short, yes. Although most viruses don't do too much damage, the bad ones can and it is not worth taking the risk of losing everything you ever had on your PC.

Antivirus software gives protection for known viruses. If it recognises a virus hidden on your computer it will disable it or quarantine it and prevent any harm being done.

The major anti-virus software companies are constantly striving to keep pace with the latest attacks, and whenever their update their software, you too can update your own protection. By regularly updating your anti-virus 'definitions' (by an automated process, or by visiting their website) you can keep the most harmful viruses at bay.

There are free anti-virus programs (e.g.Kaspersky Anti-Virus Pro) and often they are given free with computing magazines.

The biggest names in professional virus protection software are Norton AntiVirus (www.symantec.com/index.htm) or McAfee VirusScan (www.mcafee.com) These can be purchased from their websites for a fee (try an evaluation pack if offered). You can also buy them at most computer dealerships.

Most are very simple to install and all you have to do is to decide when you want the updates to be delivered straight to your computer.

The benefits of the paid-for services is that their business depends on being up-to-date and protecting their customers. Many are also used in corporate environments, so you are getting the best brains on the job who are most likely to be aware of the newest and most sophisticated attacks.