Technology's changing quickly, more and more people are using fast internet access like cable and ADSL. By their very nature, 'always on' connections, mean more exposure to malware and hackers. On the other hand, an 'always on' connection gives you a much better chance of keeping your security up to date. With a little forethought and awareness, malware can be tamed.

1. Spam
Depending on the email solution you have chosen, different Anti-Spam? options are available. For example the web based email solution Gmail has an excellent Spam Filters that filters out unwanted email needing no manual intervention. Other web based systems are less effective. Email solutions that actually download your email onto your computer such as MS Outlook or MS Outlook Express both have Message Rules, that can be configured to handle unwanted email. Outlook has the added advantage of a dedicated spam filter which is much easier to train (2003 upwards just right click, select Junk Email and add to blocked list), though to be fair neither of the MS products spam filters are very effective. For an effective filtering, try a Bayesian spam filter. The awkwardly named but very effective Spamihilator with work with any POP3 email client and is free. The even more effective SpamBayes? has a slightly more complicated version for POP3 clients but a superb version for Outlook all on it's own. Both Spamihilator and SpamBayes? are free to the end user, Spamihilator is freeware and SpamBayes? is Open Source Software. Going one better, Thunderbird has an excellent Bayesian spam filter built in right out of the box.

Spamihilator - Freeware
SpamBayes - Open Source
Thunderbird - Open Source

2. Phishing
Phishers attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy company such as eBay, PayPal? or online banks. Generally carried out by email or instant messaging, a phising attempt will often direct a user to give their password & other sensitive details on what appears to be the company's website, although phone contact has been used as well. Since phishing is based on impersonation, preventing it depends on users having some reliable way to identify the sites they are dealing with. There are anti-phishing toolbars available to display the real domain name for the visited website. Opera, Firefox and IE 7 web browsers have phising protection built in and either warns the user or blocks the site outright. It's important to be aware of suspect emails asking you to go to web sites which ask for personal information also. A combination of awareness and browser add-ons will protect users from being scammed.

Firefox
Opera

3. Security Patches
It's very import to make sure your operating system (whether it's XP, Vista, Macintosh, or Linux) as well as your program security patches and upgrades or regularly installed and it is best to make sure that this is done automatically. Attackers are constantly looking for new ways to gain access to computers, and at the same time programers and security experts are tracking vulnerabilities to counter newly discovered security flaws, so it is important to keep your computers updated with the latest patches to maintain an acceptable level of security
July 11, 2006 brought a close to Extended Support for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Me. This means that if a computer has any of these operating systems installed it's highly recommended not to have them connected to the internet either through sharing or directly. In fact it's best to upgrade to a operating system that's still being maintained. There are many versions of Linux that are suitable for older systems and which are still maintained and kept up to date - and best of all, they are free to obtain and use.

4. Firewalls
Firewalls are probably the most misunderstood layer of protection. Firewalls can be either hardware or software, or a combination of both. A Firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorised access through open ports and software. If you're unsure whether or not your system is properly protected, you can easily test your network at Shields Up. Software firewall protection is commonly available in operating systems. MS XP and Vista have their own firewall and it's found in the control panel, make sure it is switched on if you are not behind and DSL router i.e. if you're using dialup or direct broadband connection via a modem. Most people don't understand that their ADSL Router is a very effective firewall while working in NAT mode (as most do). In addition most routers have additional firewalling functions available which build upon the existing NAT firewall principles.

Comodo - Freeware
Zone Alarm - Freeware


5. Viruses
A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. The original may modify the copies or the copies may modify themselves, as occurs in a metamorphic virus. A virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the uninfected computer, for instance by a user sending it over a network or carrying it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, USB drive or by the Internet. Viruses have been around since computers and are currently the longest standing method of malicious attack. It use to be that viruses were the only area of security users were concerned with, however, today viruses are only a portion of the overall picture in securing computers.

Avast Antivirus - free for home users
ClamWin - Open source (free) but not an on demand antivirus
Eset NOD - Not free but if Carlsberg made anti-virus software...
Trend Housecall - an free online AV, brilliant for a second opinion

6. Spyware
Spyware (or adware as it's sometimes known) is computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent.
In response to the emergence of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a widely recognized element of computer security best practices for Microsoft Windows desktop computers. A number of jurisdictions have passed anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is surreptitiously installed to control a user's computer.

LavaSoft Adaware - Free
Spybot Search and Destroy - Free
Spyware Blaster - Free