Recently there has been a dramatic change in the type of virus that is set to invade your computer. An increase in the so called 'worms' has meant that even relatively well protected computer systems are still sometimes vulnerable. Microsoft advises that there are 3 steps that you need to take to make your computer safe if you are connecting to the internet.

•  Make sure that you windows upgrades are up to date.

•  Make sure that your virus protection is up to date

•  Implement a firewall.

From what I have seen in recently, I agree. Virus protection alone is not enough. You need to keep your windows up to date. This is particularly true for Windows XP. It seems that Microsoft left a lot of holes for hackers to exploit and gain access to your computer. The good news is that there are useful enhanced security features in Windows Service Pack 2 (more on this in my next newsletter).

We all use antivirus software don't we? But we must keep the antivirus database up to date. This becomes more of a problem for people who only access the internet occasionally. Before they are on for very long, a new virus has established itself. Regular updates of the virus database are better than intermittent updates. If you have not been on the net for a while, download the latest database as soon as possible and then do a full system scan.

There is a whole host of annoyances (e.g. ad ware) that are not strictly virus's. They are not malicious, but are aimed at directing your attention to a product or service. An example is a web page that you visit that automatically sets your home default home page to their advertising page. There are yet more products to counter act these! I wonder where it will all end? Slowly the internet is becoming a wild place. But the net is still a very useful tool. Many of us rely on it for email, banking, and information research.

There is no doubt that you need to take some measures for security if you are connected to the internet, and that these measures will need to evolve as the internet threats evolve.

What you need:

•  Antivirus software

•  Windows SP2

•  Anti Spyware software

•  Advice on measures to counter new treats

•  Good Backup of crucial data

What I have:

•  Free antivirus software

•  SP2 in disk

•  Free anti spyware software

•  Backup systems

•  Monthly or quarterly security reviews

Keep safe..