page last updated Friday, 30 April 2010
The essential tools needed to secure a computer are:
All information and links are provided for information only.
* It is advisable for only one 'firewall' to be installed and running at any one time to avoid program conflicts. Similarly you could also hit a problem if you have more than one anti-virus program. While, in theory, only one of any of the other programs should be necessary I have heard comments that e.g. spyware has been missed by one program, to be noticed and dealt with by another.
As you will see all the links below go to the Computer Active website, an excellent magazine for keeping up-to-date with pc security, and computing and the Internet generally.
The links and programs below are not the only useful security utilities available, and you download and use at your own risk - I accept no liability for their download or use. I also disclaim any connection to Computer Active except as a satisfied customer.
In addition you might want to visit http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/free-anti-virus-software from Money Saving Expert.com which not only covers all the above but backup programs as well.
A virus is a computer program, that often finds its way onto your computer without you being aware, possibly via an e-mail attachment or an innocent looking download (the innocent download may well do what it is supposed to, but, may also include a 'Trojan', a program designed to provide 'backdoor' access to your computer, allowing viruses or 'hackers' access without your defences becoming aware of the fact . A computer virus will try to harm your computer in one way or another, and will attempt to spread itself to as many other computers as possible. A virus may simply display irritating messages as you work, while others may delete documents, or even delete the entire contents of your computer hard drive.
The best form of protection is don't open an attachment unless you know who has sent it (and even that isn't fool proof) and don't download programs except from a reputable website. An anti-virus program will scan your computer for viruses and remove them for you. Updates are regularly available either automatically or from the vendor.
AVG (v9) antivirus, that can be obtained as a free download, will update itself once a day and will also check emails.
Avast also has a good reputation and is a free download.
A firewall prevents hackers from accessing your computer via the Internet to steal information or use your computer for illegal activities.
Windows has its own firewall (Windows Defender) which is included as standard with Windows 7 and Vista, but XP users can also download it free via Windows Defender 7
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Another well respected firewall is Zone Alarm that can be obtained as a free download and will tell you when it needs updating.
Pop-Up Stopper - If you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed as your operating system, this includes its own pop-up blocker for Internet Explorer.
These programs attempt to gain information about you and can reduce the performance of your computer.
Ad-Aware Anniversary Edition is a free utility that will scan for software that is known to be spyware and adware. Once found, Adaware will remove them. It is vital to manually update the software before running a scan (does not automatically update).
Spybot Search and Destroy will also search your computer for spyware and remove it to prevent problems. Updates are not automatic.
page last updated Friday, 30 April 2010