Anti-Virus Software Is Not Really Optional

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Almost everyone today uses a computer regularly. At the least, most people will use a computer to do some basic word processing tasks, send and receive their emails and browse on the Internet.

Unfortunately with this popularity has come an increasing risk from hackers and other people of malicious intent. It seems that not a day goes by without a news item about some new computer virus, trojan or worm intent on wreaking havoc with your computer’s hard drive.

The danger presented by computer viruses should not be underestimated. They come in many different forms depending on what the hackers have intended them to do. This could be feeding back to criminal groups some vital information held on your computer; slowing it down and making it unreliable, or even eliminating files from it.

Computer virus programmers will usually disguise their wares to look like the type of common file that you’re used to using everyday e.g. an mp3 music file, or they’ll send an executable program file as an email attachment that gets activated as soon as you open the email.

You can protect yourself from these nasty pieces of virus code with just a little commonsense. You should not open an email if you don’t know and trust the person who sent it. You should ensure the security settings on your internet browser are set to ‘high’. Wise users will avoid the ‘darker’ areas of the Internet, such as peer-to-peer file-sharing programs.

Make sure that you have up-to-date versions of the two must-have pieces of software on your computer and that they are activated at all times. What are the essential pieces of software that everyone should have installed on their computer? An Antivirus program and a Firewall.

There was a time when you could probably have gotten away with just an Antivirus program but, especially with the advent of always-on Internet connections in this era of high-speed Internet access, this is no longer enough. You really must invest in a good Firewall program as well.

Innovative new computer viruses are being introduced often, and need new countermeasures. Your Antivirus program needs to be updated regularly, and should look for updates automatically every time you connect to the Internet. Most of the leading Antivirus programs will do this as a matter of routine.

Remember, this is definitely one area where prevention is much better than cure. Don’t leave your computer vulnerable to attack. If you don’t already have a reputable Antivirus program and Firewall installed on your PC, make yourself a promise to sort out that omission today - the potential consequences of not doing so don’t bear thinking about.