Is Your Computer Protected?

For a lot of students and parents, the start of a new school year means that you are going to use the computer more and more. Students are using the internet to help with homework, perform research and communicate with others. Now is especially a good time to make sure that your computer is adequately protected from viruses, spyware and other malicious programs that can infect your computer and diminish its performance. A couple of tips:

• Make sure your anti-virus software is up to date and is set to automatically download updates.
• Make sure you have a firewall running while connected to the internet.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team has posted Cyber Security tips online to help describe and offer advice about common security issues. For example, there is a section on Understanding Anti-Virus Software as well as a section on Understanding Firewalls.

There are a lot of anti-virus programs out there to choose from and it important to make an informed decision about which software is best for you. CNET.com has a section on reviewing anti-virus software, giving a description of each piece of software it tests and a rating. PC Magazine also has a review section on security software.

Remember, no security software is 100% successful at blocking attacks or detecting viruses, but keeping updated security software running on your computer will go a long way to keeping it safe!