If you connect an unprotected PC to the Internet, it will be attacked within 15 seconds, according to one industry estimate. While that may seem extreme, the truth is that an unprotected PC—particularly one with an always-on broadband connection—is an easy, desirable target for hackers, identity thieves, and others. After all, a compromised PC has monitary value to a hacker.
Before going online with a new PC, make sure it has, at a minimum, a PC firewall, antispyware, and antivirus software. The software should be fully installed and operational before you begin e-mailing or Web browsing.
The advice is the same if you’ve had your PC for a while: Install a firewall, antispyware, and antivirus software right away, if you haven’t done so already. These programs are designed to block most threats before they can infiltrate your computer. Once installed, perform antivirus and antispyware scans on any hard drives you use (including your computer’s internal drive as well as external backup drives). If the software finds viruses or spyware, delete or quarantine them immediately.
Make security scans a routine part of your PC maintenance. Each week, scan your hard drives for viruses, worms, spyware, and any other threats. Also, regularly back up your most important files to an external hard drive, CD, or other storage format, in case your PC’s hard drive does get infected or disabled. (See the sidebar “Backing Up Your PC” for details.)
Here, in further detail, are the essential security tools every computer should have:
• PC firewall. In architectural terms, a firewall is a fireproof wall that acts as a barrier between one part of a building and another. The firewall’s goal: to prevent a fire in one room from getting into another. Similarly, a PC firewall is software that acts as a barrier between your PC and the Internet. The PC firewall’s goal: to prevent Internet threats, particularly hackers intent on stealing your personal information or commandeering your PC, from getting into your computer.
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