 | Bodie Engel
has been an Information Technology professional since 1992. He holds 19 certifications, including Microsoft Certified Professional, Citrix Certified Administrator, Cisco Certified Network Associate and Certified Technical Trainer. Bodie received his first certification from Microsoft University in 1993. He owns Bengel.computers.com and is the founding member of AmerIIT L.L.C., (American Independent Information Technicians), located at 532 S. Market, Ste. 205, in Wichita. You can reach Bodie through AmerIIT at (316) 264-5599 or visit their website @ www.ameriit.com |
Internet Software, Hardware, and Computers
2004-09-01 11:07:00
Spyware? Spam? Viruses?
: What are the biggest threats to my computer?
ANSWER: Technology you either love it or you hate it. More and more people are starting to hate the computer age. Between viruses, spam, and spy ware it is getting harder to get work done or have fun on a computer. It is very important to protect yourself from these threats on the internet and there are many programs on the market that can protect you. Something to keep in mind when choosing a solution is that although there are free packages, they do not keep as up to date those created by companies that get paid to do so. Also keep in mind that there is no 100% protection from these threats. The first threat is assault from a virus. Once one is created and released on the internet no one but the person who created it knows how to stop it, or what all it does. The first users that get infected have to alert the anti-virus programmers who then test and find out how it is infecting the computer and how to clean it. Once the programmers have it laid out and know they can protect you from it, they release a new virus definition file. These files are usually automatically downloaded to your computer by your anti-virus software. Keep in mind this can take several hours if not days. Some viruses go behind your anti-virus package and disable it, hindering its ability to find the virus or update the virus patterns and allowing it to play free on your system. It is best practice to check the date on your virus definition daily. Each good anti-virus program has real time virus protection that you can look at to make sure it is up to date and working. The second threat is spam. This is the onslaught of advertisers sending email to any address they can find. It is a very inexpensive way to advertise: create an ad and blast it out to everyone you can. You are bound to get someone to read and respond to your ad. All emails like this are required by law to have a way to remove you from their list. The problem lies in the fact that when you click to get off their lists some spammers turn around and sell your email address to 10 other spammers as a good email address. The best thing to do with spam is just to delete it as you get it. There are also software packages that help with spam and can either move it to another location or even delete it. Keep in mind the software can also move or delete emails you want to receive. The third threat is probably the worst: spy ware or ad ware. These can bring the fastest computers down to a crawl. Before downloading any internet programs or clicking any message box that pops up on your screen, read it very carefully. The way they word some of the questions can be confusing. There are some programs that first ask if you want them to install their handy program with the yes as the default and you click no. Then they ask you if you wish they not install at this time with the yes as default so if you are not reading it closely you would expect that no would be the best answer. They want you to say yes. Then they install their program. There are also websites that install software without even asking. These programs are what cause the pop-ups that everyone complains about the most. There are software packages available to help protect and clean this spy ware.Sometimes these threats can make a system un-repairable. The only thing that can be done is to reformat and start over. This can be a large task and it is best to have the assistance of someone with experience in cleaning up computers. If you are on the internet it is best to have the best defense that you can have. Have a consultant help you select the best tools: a Firewall (hardware is best), Anti-virus, Anti-Spam, and ad ware programs. Always keep your critical updates current on your computer.
