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Internet Security
Computer
Worms:
How To Keep Your PC Critter-Free
Unfortunately, the Internet upon which many
of us are so reliant is a vast sea full of critters wishing
to do our computer systems harm. There are viruses, Trojan
Horses, and yes even worms that you have to look out for. Each
is looking for a computer to infect that is connected to the
internet and thus vulnerable.
Worms
can be especially nasty because of the way they behave
once your PC is infected. The worms that are out there today
are not limited to just the emails you send out to spread it
self. It can go in to your address book and look for addresses
through which it can automatically infect the computers of
your friends and acquaintances. This makes worms and critters
nasty little creatures from which you need to steer clear.
Obviously, then, it is important for you to protect yourself.
There are a number of things you can do. Four actions
will help to keep your computer critter free. Each has its own way
of keeping these viruses, worms, and Trojan Horses off of your
system.
The first thing you can do is to install
an operating system that is more secure than the one you
are using currently. Take
a look at your system and see how new it is. Is it new enough
that it is secure against the newer worms and viruses? Remember
that the programmers of these critters are constantly improving
and finding new ways to infect your computer, so it is up to
you to be vigilant in making sure that your system is updated
to where it can protect against their latest and greatest.
While you are in there looking at your system, turn off your
windows scripting. There are a lot of applications that use
the language, but unfortunately for you, worms love it as well.
Disabling scripting will go a long way in protecting your system.
The second thing you can do to keep unsavory critters from
hitting your hard drive is to basically pay attention. Be very
careful about opening any attachment that you may receive via
email. A majority of the worms out there on the Internet hide
behind false file types like JPG, GIF, and ZIP files. You may
receive them in an email, with a subject that makes sense,
from someone you trust. However, it can still be a worm; the
programmers are pretty sharp when it comes to the design of
these little viruses. Luckily, if you are savvy or talk to
your local computer expert, windows can be modified to better
control file types like the ones worms might hide behind. You
can also configure many email programs to help you handle these
problems. Check your email program to make sure all of the
security settings are on and working to keep your computer
safe.
Third, you should also make sure you protect
your Microsoft office programs. Many of the macros in Microsoft programs like
word and excel are popular ways hackers use to enter and destroy
your PC. Like your email programs, Microsoft office programs
are equipped with security; make sure you have it turned on.
Fourth, in addition to switching on the security in those
programs, make sure you have a firewall set up so the worms
cannot get there in the first place. The firewall will give
you a first line of defense against any attack for which your
computer may otherwise be in store. If the operating system
you currently use does not have a built in firewall, you should
buy a third party firewall program to use. Firewalls are as
good a way to keep hackers, viruses, worms, and other damaging
Internet inhabitants from entering your computer.
Your computer was likely a big investment either for you or
for your business. Therefore, you want to protect it as a financial
and as a business investment. Your ideas, your files, your
documents, and the computer itself are under constant attack
from worms and viruses out on the Internet. Believe it or not,
they are everywhere, and you need to protect yourself. There
are ways to keep your computer safe, or at least safer. You
should make sure you have a safe operating system, be aware
of what you are downloading, make sure email and software protections
are enabled, and make sure you have a firewall. It may seem
complicated, but in reality most of these things are actions
you will only have to perform one time and then just keep them
up and running. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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