If there is anything we have learned from the Internet, it is that our computers can get sick, betray us, and become minions at the hands of evildoers. Viruses, worms, and spyware have grown to overlap in their divisiveness. Today, these programs can take‐over a computer and use it to (to name a few):
• Send spam
• Resend viruses
• Make illegal transactions from the infected computer
• Hide stolen data on the system
• Install a key‐logger (records your keystrokes)
• Access all the data on your computer
• Steal your Identity
Moreover, if you are able to cleanup an infected computer, there may still be backdoors and other vulnerabilities left behind. Gone are the days when teenagers were the offending malware programmers. These days, malware is serious business, preying on the average computer user. Just perform an Internet search on "the cost of malware" (with and without the quotation marks). The best way to approach this problem is through prevention. Don’t get infected in the first place. “Best practices” will be a follow‐up Helpdesk tip. For now, we want to give you the ability to protect yourself, your family, your friends and your workplace. The following is a list of free programs to assist you in the information war.
AVG Anti‐Virus Free Edition: Great product; does a wonderful job at keeping you aware of potential threats. The only bother is that it sometimes starts scanning at inopportune times (but remember, it’s free) http://free.avg.com/
Avast Home Edition: Also great; works behind the scenes. You won’t know it’s there. Just don’t be too startled when you hear voices though. If you have your volume up, when Avast finishes its updates (I think it does it daily), it lest you know in a man’s voice. http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html
Avira AntiVir Personal: I don’t know too much about this one, but I hear it is very good. http://www.free-av.com/
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