With greater numbers spending increasing time online, as well as the many benefits, one of the regrettable consequences has been the continuous spreading of malicious software. The misfortunate of falling victim to any one of a number of these threats can cause serious problems on your machine. With so many threats and things to look out for brought to our attention, along with apparently greater use of technical verbiage, the whole business can very easily feel a bit overbearing. This article aims to explain and clarify in a non-technical way some of the main computer threats that are good to be informed about today.
Although computer security has numerous aspects, they can be broadly categorized in to web browsing security and email security. High quality computer security software can avert the risk from both these sources.
As we become more familiar and comfortable with processing financial transactions online, it is important to be aware of what is often referred to as “phishing”. This term refers to the use of fraudulent websites that are setup to steal your personal information. In practical terms, users are often misdirected to spurious websites which proceed to download troublesome code onto your machine which then attempts to procure sensitive information such as financial details.
Spyware is another big problem online. This type of software is designed to track your behavior on your computer. If you begin to notice a number of unwanted advertisements repeatedly being displayed on your machine, this may be caused by spyware. Of course, if someone is able to track your behavior whilst you are on your machine, this puts your privacy at serious risk. Spyware can get installed on your machine simply by visiting particular harmful web pages or downloading uncertified “free” software onto your machine.
In general, weaknesses in your web browser (applications such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc) will compromise your desktop security by causing your computer to become vulnerable to insidious code being downloaded from websites.
The other aspect of desktop security to be vigilant about is the use of email. As with general web browsing, there are a number of means by which your computer can be put at risk.
“Malware” is a phrase used to refer to any type of malicious software that is specifically designed with the intention of infiltrating a computer system without the informed consent of the computer owner. Softwares such as spyware, viruses, rootkits, trojans amongst others fall under the rubric of “malware”. With emails, malware can become installed machine onto your machine simply through opening an attachment. Although the deleterious effects of this may not be noticed immediately, your machine may begin to show unusual behavior over time.
Spam is another means by which malware can become infected onto your computer. A spam warning should be raised by the absence of a mail to address in a message, the content of such messages can also be offensive.
Phishing can also occur through email. Messages that request confidential inf ormation to be sent via email can be a type of phishing, and fear tactics may sometimes be used to take this from recipients.
Installing good quality computer security software onto your machines can dramatically increase your ability to prevent the risks described in this article, and give you the peace of mind to surf the web and use email in the knowledge that your security and privacy are likely to be preserved.
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Tags: Computer Securty, Desktop Security, Desktop Security Software