Every time you connect to the email, you're taking a risk. Viruses, trojans, malware, spyware, worms, spam they're all nasty stuff designed specifically to pillage personal information or cause general mayhem on your computer as it innocently communicates with others.
The internet is insecure
As the internet is very insecure by nature -ie anyone can load anything on it - you need to take cautionary steps to protect yourself. Even harmlessly browsing through sites may get your computer affected with a virus or spyware without you even knowing it. Internet security is your protection against such intrusions and works by limiting your computer's exposure to online threats.
Measures to take
Basic measures involve protection by carefully selected passwords, file permissions and data backups. Unfortunately it doesn't end there. In the age of enterprising cyber criminals, installing anti-virus software, a personal firewall, anti-adware and anti-spyware as well as browsing software is essential. Such software can be bundled into a suite for you to buy to take the stress out of finding them separately. Some security tasks are automatically performed by your operating system; others must be managed and monitored by the user to be effective.
The first line of defense is a firewall. It works by allowing your computer to only connect to trusted sources - kind of like a hardware or software device that acts like a fence around your computer. Both hardware and software firewalls use a number of different techniques to keep your PC and network safe with all data (incoming and outgoing) inspected to see if it is coming from and going to trusted ports and possibly even trusted IP addresses. You can usually tailor your firewall to suit your needs by allowing exceptions and adding programs and websites.
Virus and spyware protection software, meanwhile, help you keep your files safe. Hackers insert viruses and spyware in website HTML, text files and software programs. Once downloaded and activated, these programs can destroy files, copy passwords and banking details and damage software programs. A general anti-virus program scans for such viruses and spyware either deletes or quarantines them for you.
What is your responsibility?
Users must also pay particular attention to common email security threats. Do not open email file attachments from unknown sources because this tends to be a major source of viruses. Clicking on active links in emails can redirect your browser to sites full of spyware, adware or worse. Phishing - or fake emails from trusted sources that ask for personal and financial information - can lead to identity theft. In general, your bank or credit card will never email a request for you to update your details. Common sense prevails here.
Warning
Also be warned that new internet threats appear daily. Keeping your security software updated is essential to your security plan. Review the default internet security settings and update settings for your operating system, browser, email program and all installed security software often. Schedule a daily or weekly time for your virus and spyware software to run and report your security status. If you are frequently finding that your computer has been invaded by spyware or viruses, upgrade your software or select stronger protection options.
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