Internet Security in an Insecure World

Keeping Things up to Date!

The first place to look for safety are updates. The Windows operating system is the most used on the planet at this point. Because of this, crackers and other criminals target it. With this in mind, keeping Windows up to date is an absolute requirement of staying safe.

Firewalls are Key.

A good firewall will give you that extra layer of protection against many threats and is a key component in Internet Security. A firewall will stop port scans and many other types of scans and attacks that are used by the bad guys to find the holes in your Internet security.

There are two major types of firewalls; software and hardware. A software firewall is a piece of software that you install on your computer that will put up a virtual wall between you and the Internet. A hardware firewall is an actual appliance or computer that physically sits between your computer and the internet. The appliance is dedicated to only performing firewall-related functions. Hardware firewalls are generally used for business purposes, but have made a small entry into the home user market as well over the last few years. Most home users will be safe enough with a software firewall.

How do you choose the right firewall for your needs? The first step is to do some research. Our Internet Security Suites site and Personal Firewalls site is a good start. You will want to read over reviews and research articles. Most of the time, you will notice that there are certain players in the market such as BitDefender or ZoneAlarm that continue to be at the top of the pack. The reason behind this is their ease of configuration, their ability to block scans from both outside and within your computer and the ability to filter bad data before it hits your computer.

AntiVirus or Bust...

AntiVirus is easily the most important part of your Internet security plan. If there is a chance that something might get through your firewall to reach your PC, you will need to detect and clean any infection that may result. There are several components that should be present within any antivirus program you use.

Standard Virus Scanner - Provides protection from regular viruses that infect your computer through downloaded or installed programs.

Trojan Horse Scanner - A trojan horse is a type of virus that allows an intruder to gain access to your computer remotely. They are also used to set up spam bots or denial of service bots along with a slew of other uses.

Rootkit Scanner - A rootkit is a type of program that may or may not be part of a virus. It allows a cracker to gain "root" or administrator access to your computer. This will allow the cracker full access to your system to install any types of programs they may deem useful.

Any antivirus scanner worth its weight will scan for all three of these options.

Spyware? Not in this Computer...

Popups. What could be more annoying when you are hammering out that 5,000 word thesis for school than a popup that causes your computer to restart or become nothing more than a paperweight until you reboot? Spyware scanners come in many shapes and sizes. Most of them include the ability to scan for trojan horses as well as tracking cookies and other types of spyware. They should be part of any Internet security suite you use.

What About the Other Stuff?

What else should you look for when trying to secure you computer? Parental controls are a good start. Data backup utilities are another thing to look for when looking to complete your Internet security plan. There are two types of backup that you will want to look for. Remote backup and local backup. Remote backup generally requires a monthly or yearly subscription for space. Local backup just backs up to an optical drive or another portion of your local hard drive.