Firewalls
Imagine you are going to work in the morning.
You could lock the door to your house to stop thieves from getting in.
Instead:
You unlock all your windows,
You prop open the front door,
You leave your valuables in plan sight, with helpful signs pointing to them. (Just in case the burglar didn't notice.)
You leave out your bank details and credit cards.
Now you put a BIG dayglo sign on your wall with a recorded announcement (helpfully telling anyone who wants to listen) that you have gone for the day and you really don't mind if your house gets ransacked.
Sounds silly?
If you are browsing the web without a firewall, then you have just done this. What's more, your computer is announcing it's presence to anyone who wants to listen.
Not only have you got a big sign on your PC, but you have a full orchestra (with wind section) and a red carpet laid out for any hacker who wants to come in.
A decent firewall is the computer equivalent of locking all your doors and windows and getting a big burly security guard to protect it for you.
A good free firewall is Zonealarm . It is pretty basic but does the job.
Antivirus software
Everyone will get at least one computer virus in their lifetime.
They are written by people for various reasons and cause differing levels of damage.
Some are fairly innocent and are just annoying.
Others can trash your hard drives.
Others can use your computer to launch an attack on somone else.
You CAN protect yourself.
A good free example of antivirus software is Grisoft AntiVirusGuard.
If you already have a virus and need to clear it, then have a look at Stinger.
This is available from Network Associates. It is a free download and can usually fit on a floppy disk.
Please note, Stinger cannot protect you from a virus, it can only try to clean your PC and repair damaged files.
IT IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR ANTIVIRUS PROTECTION!!
Please note. Qualitydotcom is not affiliated with these companies.
Be aware, there are other good firewall and antivirus packages out there.