Computer Safety

Computer Security

Most people have heard about viruses but do you know about scams, phishing and what a firewall is? If you use a computer then you need to know and you need to take some steps to protect yourself.

Virus - A computer virus is very similar to a biological virus such as the common cold. The computer virus is a small computer program that infects your PC and replicates itself. The program can multiply and spread via your e-mails, documents you share with other people and across your network. Some viruses are just annoying, some can stop your PC working and others can steal your personal information such as on-line banking details. Please do not underestimate computer viruses they can be very dangerous. I recently cleaned a friends PC, it had been connected to the Internet for a short period of time and was now very slow. It had 75 different viruses on the hard drive. It took a lot of work to clean it and it would have been very expensive had I not been available to do the work. Its very simple to remove the threat - install some anti-virus software and update it regularly. You can purchase the well known products or even download some very good free versions of anti virus software.

Spyware - This is code which sits on your PC watching what you do and reporting back to the author. Many spyware packages watch your internet use so that adverts can be targeted at you based on your internet use. This may be harmless but you might not want people spying on your web usage. Get some spyware software to remove the risk.

Phishing - If you have an e-mail account there is a good chance that you have seen a phishing e-mail. These tend to be e-mails that look as if they have come from a reputable body such as a Bank, building society, on-line shop or auction site. They tempt you to update your user details on line and then pinch your account details. It is very difficult to protect computer users from this type of attack. The best protection is the user who must make sure they work safely. Do not follow a link from an e-mail, enter the site from the URL you know.

Firewall - A firewall is a tool to help you keep your PC safe. There are people who scan machines connected to the internet to find a way in. They want access to your hard drive for malicious purposes. A firewall stops people from getting unauthorised access to your machine. Shop around and find a package that suits your needs, once again use the internet and you should be able to find a free firewall.

If you use a computer you need to be aware of all of these issues and take the appropriate protection. If you have a problem let us know and we will advise you of the steps you need to take.