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Viruses and Antivirus Software
There are many different types of Internet threats, but the most common
problem is viruses. In brief, viruses are programs that run on your
computer without your permission. Depending on the virus, there may be
no effect at all, or the virus could cause damage to your computer,
which may even be severe enough to require the re-installation of its
operating system. These days, most viruses spread via e-mail. If you
open an infected attachment, then you activate the virus.
To protect a computer from viruses, use antivirus software. If the
software detects a virus, it will take action to protect your computer.
Viruses are constantly created, so it is important to update your
software's virus definition file on a regular basis. Kept current, your
software will then be able to recognize and remove the viruses that come
your way.
Unauthorized Access and Firewall Technology
Other Internet problems are less common. For example, there are hackers
that try to access computers without permission. Depending on their
intentions, the damage can vary from mild pranks to theft of financial
data. The odds of a hacker wasting his or her time on your personal
network are slim, but it can happen.
To protect against unauthorized access, use firewall technology. The
term firewall is a blanket term describing security measures that
protect a network and are implemented in hardware or software. The
hardware firewall in a firewall router protects an entire network.
Software firewalls implemented on individual computers protect the
computers themselves. If you have both a firewall router and firewalls
installed on your computers, the different firewalls will work at the
same time; they won't interfere with each other. (Note: Firewall
software may slow down a computer's performance, depending on the
individual computer's tasks and processing capabilities.) |
