Have you ever been annoyed by those adverts popping up on your screen whilst you're trying to work? Have you ever experienced a computer that just gets slower and slower as you use it? Has your computer ever done something you didn't ask it to do?

If you've answered "yes!" to any of those questions, it's almost inevitable that you have a) Adware, b) Spyware, or c) a Virus.

If you've answered "no!" to all of the above, is your computer secure enough to handle today's Internet Society?

The most recent virus to hit the news is the Sasser Worm. It wasn't globally noticed because of how many computers it hits (like most Worms), no, it was noticed because the user sitting at the computer only has to go onto the Internet to get infected.

If you have been using the Internet for some time, you will know that when a window pops up telling you that you've won a £10,000,000 prize, that the chances are you haven't. This is the exact same idea when other windows pop up telling you that you need to install the latest computer security software, or pop-up remover. You don't. Follow these guidelines below and you will be better protected from the bad side of the Internet.

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Virus Protection

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This is one of the easiest to prevent, but fixing it is an entirely different ball court! If you don't already have one, get yourself some sort of Virus Scanner. Norton, Macafee, Trend, Panda, and Sophos, are just a few of the widely available antivirus software solutions currently on today's market.

Once you have your virus scanner installed, all you need to do is keep it up to date with the latest virus definitions. After all, if your virus scanner doesn't know about the virus, how can it stop it affecting your computer?

Secondly, once you've come to terms with having antivirus software installed on your computer, self-diligence is perhaps the key to avoiding viruses. If you receive an e-mail from someone you don't know, and it contains an attachment, don't go opening it to see what it is. Nine times out of ten it's a virus. On top of this, the person that sent it probably didn't even know about it.

With that in mind, you should now be prepared for fighting viruses on your computer.

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Hacker Protection

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This is another easy one to avoid! Although we can't always guarantee that a hacker will not get onto your computer, there are many ways to try and prevent it.

The easiest way is to lock up your computer in a tight box, keep it away from the Internet, and don't let anyone go near it. Yes, that is rather unpractical. Instead, you should consider simply downloading some sort of Firewall software. You've probably heard of the terminology Firewall, but do you know what it actually means? With Firewall software, it configures and monitors the connections your computer makes to the internet. These connections are referred to as "ports". Each port is used for a different reason. One port is used for checking your e-mail, whereas another port is used for only browsing websites. If you use any instant messaging software, such as MSN (http://messenger.msn.com) then that too uses yet another port.

Hackers attempt to control your computer by getting their data through one of these open ports. The Firewall software closes unused ports, and monitors closely all of the open ports for anyone trying to do something they shouldn't. Again, like antivirus software, there are a lot of different kits out on the market. Zone Labs, Norton, Sygate, and BlackIce. Windows XP users will probably experience difficulty in installing a Firewall. This is due to the fact XP already has its own Firewall software pre-enabled when you go onto the internet. For help disabling this software, right click on your internet connection and look at the Advanced tab in the Properties section.

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Spyware, Adware, Etc.

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The software I personally use to remove any Spyware or Adware from my computer is written by a reputable company called LavaSoft USA. They produce a piece of FREE software for the home (personal) user. To download this software visit http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ . AdAware is one of the top products to allow the computer user to easily remove any spyware or adware on a computer system. Again however, the best way to keep your system clean of these things is to be vigilant. Don't install software if you're not 100% entirely sure that the people who made it are a reputable company. The majority of spyware and adware come along in smaller programs like ScreenSavers, so be extra careful when installing them.

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The Current BIG Scandal

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If you are on Telewest Blueyonder CABLE Broadband, you need not worry. Everyone else who connects to the internet via a Modem and Telephone Line, or BT Broadband (which also uses a telephone line) READ ON!

There are currently a minority of websites online at present that pop up a dialog box asking you to push "YES" to install software. If you read this dialog box properly you will see that the software utilises your Telephone line when you are not on the internet. The software makes your modem call a PREMIUM rate number (0906), and idle whilst on the phone to that number. This simply creates a large phone bill for you every month (at an estimated £80 a month extra).

If you didn't read the dialog, and pressed YES, and are now experiencing large phone bills, download Ad-Aware and remove this software from your computer.

If you did read it, well done! You are already showing signs of being vigilant against some of the creeps out there. I would like to call them criminals, however, because the computer user actually clicks the "yes" button instead of the "no", that is deemed as them giving permission for the company to use their telephone line in this way, and as such, is not actually illegal.

I hope that this article has not frightened you, and that it has allowed you to gather more knowledge when it comes to being safe on the Internet.

Feel free to e-mail me with any questions you have regarding this article or the points expressed within. Unfortunately, I make any guarantees about the accuracy of this article, nor the time it will take me to respond to your comments.

If you are in dire need of Computer Support Technicians, take a look through your local Yellow pages and book an appointment. Expect to pay no more than £50 to have your computer checked out and fixed, if you do, you've been done again!

Thanks for reading,

Stuart Gilbertson

Director

Tempest2 Limited