Internet Security

Internet Security
Many of us do banking and keep personal financial records on our computers. Although it is very convenient to do most of our financial and bill paying through the internet, this useful tool can become very threatening.   New means of stealing personal information and destroying all of our computer data through the network are being developed daily and spread to the public in different forms, such as viruses, worms, fake e-mails, and spyware. Viruses and worms can create major headaches. Computer viruses are small software programs that are designed to spread from one computer to another and to interfere with computer operation.   A virus might corrupt or delete data on your computer, use your e-mail program to spread itself to other computers, or even erase everything on your hard disk.
Although nothing can guarantee the security of your computer 100 percent,   you can continue to improve your computer's security and decrease the possibility of infection by using a firewall, keeping your system up-to-date, maintaining a current antivirus software subscription, and following a few best practices. It is also important to back up critical files on a regular basis before you encounter a virus or other problems (Microsoft). Connecting to the internet without using a firewall is much the same as leaving your house unlocked when you go to work. Eventually, someone will find the unlocked door and wander in to see what kind of valuables you might have. Without a firewall, your personal information and files are open for attack or even theft. If someone hacks into your computer and gets access to your files, you could become a victim of identity theft. One of the most popular free firewall programs is Zone Alarm. It is updated regularly and does a good job of protecting your computer (Internet Security Guide).
There are several things that you should do to protect your computer from virus infections, and that is: 1- Use a high-quality anti-virus program,...