Keep Your Computer Safe!

We have all experienced purchasing a brand new computer, hooking it up and being pleasantly surprised at how well it performs, only later to see that performance decline. Why does this always seem to be the case? A computer that once was able to perform complex tasks quickly and efficiently seems bogged down by some unknown source. The perpetrator of this lagging effect is malware. Malware is simply a term which refers to software whose intent is to harm your computer. Malware can include spyware, viruses, worms, and the like. So the next question is how does my computer become infected with this malware and what can I do to defend against it? In this case, the best defense is a good offense. While your computer may have come with a free trial of McAfee or Norton, once that subscription is up, it is time to start shopping. There are a number of free as well as paid software suites which can provide adequate protection of your PC. My personal favorite is Spy Sweeper, produced by the company Webroot (www.webroot.com). I have run this software on three different computer with a variety of connections to the Internet, each system has run flawlessly once Spy Sweeper was installed. Another great feature of this software is that it comes with free tech support, is easy to install and use, and only costs 29.95 for a 1 year subscription (At the time of writing this article, Fry’s Electronics on Windward Parkway had the software on sale for $15). My favorite free software is Spyware Terminator, produced by Crawler (www.spywareterminator.com). This package provides real-time protection and many of the features of paid software for free. While this is great software for those of us on a budget, if you can muster up the cash, I highly recommend Spy Sweeper. Regardless of whether you pay for your protection or not, it is crucial that you leave no computer exposed. Remember that a computer that is connected to the Internet (whether you browse the Internet or not) can be infected within hours of being plugged in. So protect your asset and happy surfing!