Web Filters and Internet Security:

Whenever you are browsing the website use website filters to remove unwanted threats. Many web filters are available when using makes sure it filters unwanted extension files. Internet Security is more secure that website filters. It not only blocks unwanted websites but also provides more security to the data. It handles computer virus, spy ware, ad ware and website filter all in one.

Anti virus:

Anti virus can be used to remove computer virus. But using a single anti virus is not enough for the present need. A combination of one or more anti virus provides great help in handling computer viruses. In the present world computer data are more valuable every before. So it becomes extremely important to secure it with good anti virus software. When using anti virus makes sure you update it in regular intervals.

Fire wall:

Fire wall prevents computer viruses from entering into system and protects the valuable data. If you are using latest versions of windows operating system it has an in built fire wall. Many fire wall are available free of cost in the internet. Use of anyone is more advisable.

Many peoples are still confused about the difference between antivirus and fire wall. A real time example will clearly explain the difference between them. Take the case of a house building a compound wall is like fire wall. It prevents unauthenticated peoples from entering into the house. Appointing a security guard is like installing an antivirus. It protects the system from unauthenticated users. A combination of using both fire wall and antivirus insures ideal protection for our computer systems.

Your spyware program may have a popup in your taskbar asking you about a strange service. It may ask you if you would like to deny it or allow it. Well, sometimes you may not even recognize the program. Make sure you know what the program is about and the company that made it while downloading software or freeware. Sometimes programs like iTunes and QuickTime may have other services.

Too Many Services

Once I went on a website to view a video podcast. I had to upgrade my QuickTime player. I decided that I would let iTunes be a part. I don’t know what happened, but my spyware program was asking me if I would allow too many services. I just clicked on allow and it had a normal install and another kind of install. I just clicked on the other install instead of the normal one and something went wrong. Too many things were happening too fast and programs and services were starting to clash. My personal firewall was sending pop-ups in the taskbar too. I was being asked too much. I tried to stop Itunes before it could finished. There was a program from Apple Inc. in my control panel titled “Bonjour” if I’m not mistaken. I uninstalled it. Still, something was badly wrong.

Errors

Soon I discovered that I could not get on the Internet. I could not open my email. I received a message that 0x80072AFB error message could not be found. It failed to detect the Internet. Some say it is an O S problem. I needed to get to the windows help page, but I could not because I had no Internet connection. I wanted to download some better protection, and I could not because I had no Internet connection. Then I decided to create a system restore. It set the date for me to take me back to an earlier time. I wanted to set my own date as far as I could go, but I didn’t know how. So, I had a system restore with no Internet connection remaining. It took a while for my computer to reload every time I restarted it. I had to open the task manager to find out what was going on. I saw a lot of services that had stopped running.

System Recovery

My last option was the system recovery. There was nothing that I could do to get things up and running back again. I just decided to loose everything to make a new start. That is how I got back online.

Most ISP's will furnish their subscribers with a small measure of protection. This is especially true concerning email traffic. Most email routed through an ISP to a user account that is accessed by a program like Outlook Express is scanned before being forwarded on to your computer. So, in essence, your ISP is your first firewall. Do not depend on this to keep you safe. Most data is simply passed through their system to yours.

Once a hacker gets your internet address, the hacker will begin to attempt to access your computer. Frequently, this is done by feeding a software device through the internet to embed itself on your hard drive and relay information back to the hacker. Armed with you system information and maybe some of your passwords, the hacker is ready to do some damage by stealing your data or your identity or both.

You need protection close to home to stop this from happening. Your local firewall is your best hope. Most major operating systems come with firewall software already installed. If not, companies like McAfee produce some excellent firewall programs. For home use, the less expensive types of firewalls are usually more than adequate. If you own a company that deals in proprietary or secret materials, you will want to go after the big guns.

Once installed on your computer, firewalls come with settings of low, medium, and high with some grading along the way. This means that you have about 5 to 10 security levels to choose from. The manufacturer will almost always have the software preset at the level recommended for home use. If you turn it up too high, nothing will come through from the internet. You might as well disconnect it from your computer if you are that fearful.

Low settings will allow all of the awful stuff that roams the internet looking for open doors to stroll right on in. Something between the middle and high is usually a good place to start. If this is too restrictive, back it off a little at a time until you feel that your system has a comfortable balance between high and low security. When it fits the pattern that lets you have the internet access you desire, trust your other protection like anti-virus programs to do the rest.

Most routers come with a measure of hardware based firewall protection. They are not perfect because often the have little ability to be customized to fit the users needs. So, they knock out the big pieces to take some of the pressure off of your software. If you use a cable modem or DSL, you will want to get a router to add the extra measure of security because you are always on an open line to the internet.

If you've been a PC user for a while, you may have heard the term "firewall" before. This is taken from the construction term which referred to a physical wall that would contain a fire in a building. In the computing world, it now means a specific device or devices that serve to filter out traffic with the goal of protecting and/or hiding your internal network of computers (say, your home computers).

All firewalls are essentially machines that operate on sets of rules, and their basic function is to filter some of the passing traffic based on these rules. Most basic firewalls are made for very specific scenarios, such as that in the home, and require very little configuration.

These rudamentary firewalls (such as the one built into Windows XP) typically block all but known-good traffic (such as that for Windows Updates), and deny all other traffic until the user on the network side of the firewall initiates communication to the outside of the network. Then, that inbound traffic is allowed (until that connection is terminated) to permit a connection. This allows basic protection for the unpatched PC, which can still be subverted, but makes it more difficult for an attacker.

Network Address Translation

A firewall will appear to the internet with a public IP address (obtained from your ISP, most likely), while maintaining a connection on the private network with another IP address. All modern firewalls are capable of this feature.

The original reasoning for this feature was preserve the usage of public IP addresses on the rapidly-diminishing IPv4 addressing scheme, allowing your entire network to be contacted via a single address on the internet. However, because it hides the actual addresses of the computers communicating to the internet, it introduces an additional security benefit to the network. All communications go from the internet, to the firewall, then to the individual PC (or in reverse).

The Different Types of Firewalls

There are several different types of firewalls available. Many feature sets fall squarely into these boundaries, while other devices will tend to blur the lines a bit more. They are as follows:

- Packet Inspection Firewalls

Packets are the fundamental "units" of communication on the internet, the smallest usable parts. This type of firewall is the cheapest, and often fastest-performing unit as the more complex types of firewalling require more built-in processing power and memory. This unit functions by examining the packet being transmitted. If this packet is allowed by the set of rules, it will be allowed onto the network to its destination. If not, it can either be dropped, which is a silent discarding of the packet, or rejected, which returns an error to the sending computer. This firewall operates at the network layer of communications.

- Stateful Firewalls

The main weakness of a packet inspection firewall is that it does not examine the state of that packet. Many packets make up a whole transmission together. Stateful firewalls maintain a record of the connections being passed through it. This type of firewall can then understand if the packet in question is a start of a new connection, from the middle of a connection, or if it is invalid altogether.

This type of firewall also operates with a set of rules. These rules can also be configured based on the state of packets. This firewall operates at the network layer, as well.

- Application-layer Firewalls

This type of firewall operates at the highest layer of network communication, the application-layer. In addition to the capabilities of the other firewall types, this device is able to understand traffic from certain applications and protocols. Thus, it should know for the large part on what type of traffic is expected through those ports, and what it can anticipate from particular protocols. 

In addition, application-layer firewalls will watch to see if a protocol is being attempted on a non-standard port, or if abuse of a protocol is being attempted.

From software-based solutions built into your operating system to extensive server room equipment dedicated to the filtering of thousands of computers daily, firewall technology is found all across the internet and serves to keep you safe at home and at work often as the first line of defense against whatever new virus or worm has been written. I hope that this article has helped you in understanding the different features and types of firewalls available today.

Beware though; there are many dangers on the internet. Some of these dangers include: Viruses, hackers, pedophiles and scams. Many innocent people fall victim to these dangers on a daily basis. So before you connect make sure you are prepared.

Virus Protection

Before ever even stepping foot onto the web, you need to make sure your computer is safe from viruses. Viruses and harm your computer or cause them to not work at all. Computers are not cheap so the last thing you want to do is have to replace one because of a virus. Most computers these days come with trial version antivirus software preinstalled. For the safety of your computer it's highly recommended that you buy a license for the software. Before you buy the software make sure you like how it works and that you are comfortable with the interface. If you do not like it, you can find a lot of trial version antivirus software for download on the internet. Try them out until you find one you like. One last tip for virus protection: Never open emails or files from people that you do not know. I speak from personal experience when I say this, it will lead to nothing but a headache.

Firewall

Most, if not all, computers have a firewall. The firewall on any windows computer can be found in the control panel under security. A fire wall is designed to inspect network traffic passing through it. The firewall either denies or permits based on a set of rules. Firewalls are simple to use and add extra security to your computer. If a firewall block a program or site that you personally know is safe you can stop it from being blocked by going to your firewall settings.

Children and Teens

Other than adults, children and teens love using the internet. They like to chat, meet new people and go onto social networks like Myspace and Facebook. Children and teens can be naive and believe almost anything they are told, making them the main target of online predators and pedophiles. If your child or teen goes onto sites like Myspace and Facebook, set their accounts to private. With the private setting anyone they don't know and that isn't on their friends list. Parents should take use of Parental Controls, which is located in the control panel under security. You can view your children's activity on the web, allow and disallow programs and websites, even hours that they spend online.

Scams

They are everywhere on the internet. The most important rule is to not believe everything you read, no matter how good it looks. People most commonly come across scams while sifting through email and while looking for work online. If you go through your email and you see mails like "Make hundreds of dollars instantly" click the delete button. There is no such thing as making hundreds of dollars instantly. If someone you meet online gives you a business opportunity make sure you get proper credentials on that person, do a little research. If you ever receive emails asking for your SSN, bank account information and/ or credit card numbers delete it immediately.

Thousands of people search daily on the internet for legitimate ways to make money. The majority of these people end up losing money by attempting these online jobs. If you ever come across a job online that makes you pay money to make money, it is not legitimate. No real employer will ever make you pay an upfront fee to work for them. As a person who has searched for work online most of what you will come across are scams.

Happy surfing!

Now that you have been given a rundown of the various dangers on the internet and ways to prevent them you are now ready to safely surf the web.

This is a complete free security guide which gives you instructions and links to some of the best free security programs. After you have followed all the instructions your computer will be a lot safer surfing the internet and from online hackers/virus and other malicious software.

Ok first you need an antispyware program and the best from research is AVG Free. Please click the following link download and install the program.

Next you need to download a firewall to keep hackers and virus from accessing your computer and all of its connections. Download this firewall and install it. note (This is a 30day free trail after its over it becomes the free version with less features) Sunbelt personal firewall

After you have download and installed that need to download an antispyware program. Note you need to click on free version when installing this program: Ad-aware

Final program you need is CCLeaner which cleans up old files and fixes registry errors on your pc 

After read and followed all the instructions in my guide please run a virus scan with AVG Free and a Spyware scan with Adware. Once you have ran the both scans you can run CC cleaner to clean up your pc. The best way to run scans is using your systems built in safe mode. To use safe mode you have to reboot your computer right on the first sign of boot up tab F8 until the option “run safe mode” shows up. In safe mode your system will scan a lot more accurately and faster as there aren't any programs to slow it down.

Thank you, and good luck!

1. A firewall (blocks dangerous applications that could harm your computer)
2. A pop-up blocker (blocks advertisements that pop up when you click on a website. This means that any hidden viruses are blocked and you don't have a load of annoying adverts flying at you)
3. Email filter
4. An Anti-virus

So my last thing was an anti-virus. I am using the free edition of AVG Antivirus and it is great! They recently brought out the new edition called AVG Antivirus 8.0 (can get free by searching in a search engine and clicking on the Grisoft version [free.grisoft.com]) so you download it and then you follow the instructions to set it up. Once you have done all that you will now have AVG 8.0 Free Edition. With this you can start checking your computer for any viruses that you don't have. With this edition you are also checking your computer for spy-ware. When your computer finds any viruses or spy-ware it automatically sends it to the virus vault which you can check through and delete the files with the help from the program.

Also included with this product is a link scanner which when you search anything on a search engine it will automatically check the website to see if there are any viruses on it and if it goes green with a tick then it is to continue. The great thing about this program is that Grisoft are continuously updating and fighting the new viruses which come out every day so to make sure your AVG keeps up to date whenever you connect online you will be notified that an update is ready, so take a few minutes updating it and viola your system is ready to fight the latest viruses and the current and old ones if they choose to arrive. When you download any files you will always be at risk that the file has a virus in it so with AVG you can decide to scan it for viruses and if there is it will notify it. AVG is available for Windows and MAC computers and laptops.

So my third thing was to have an Email Filter. Now then AVG automatically scans all your emails when you receive them to combat viruses but that doesn't stop all the unwanted “junk” that comes your way so I have found a great little product called MailWasher. What it does is collect all your emails into the program then it waits for you to open the program and you then check through your emails and bouncing any spam that you don't want. Once you have figured out the spam from the genuine you can then set the program up so that it remembers the spam so that when you next receive it you get a little box saying “Blacklisted” and then you have others saying “Possible”. You now just bounce these emails and filter through your proper emails to read. Bouncing the emails basically means to send the same email back to the place where it was sent from so that this deters them to send any more to you. Mailwasher is free but if you want you can donate to it, search it in any search engine to download.

I also use a firewall which is run by Agnitum Outpost Firewall. This is the firewall which you decide what you want to block from being able to run without permission and what can run without permission from you.

I can't stress this enough. A computer without Anti-Virus Protection is just plain insane. Not only do you have to install it, but you must keep it updated and scan regularly.

Paid Programs:

I use Zone Alarm Anti-Virus (ZoneAlarm) and I am very pleased with its performance. It, like many other anti-virus programs, checks every new file, if it from the internet, from a USB Drive, or from any other source. This is called "Real-Time Scanning", and it is very useful. Especially if you're lazy like me and don't have much time to scan!

Also, for a more "lightweight" program, try ESET NOD32 Anti-Virus (Eset) This is also a very good program, which updates itself whenever you turn your PC on.

Free Programs:

Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus (Grisoft). A good free alternative that I used before I got Zone Alarm. It is efficient, if you don't use the internet heavily. Otherwise, use a paid alternative.

Best in Test:

ZoneAlarm Anti-Virus. This program meets all expectations, and found all of the viruses that I tested it with. As the saying goes, You get what you pay for. www.ZoneAlarm.com

Install A Firewall

Why you need a Firewall:

Connecting to the Internet is like opening a door to your computer. If hackers see that door, they can easily gain access to your PC. Once inside, hackers can steal your valuable personal data, such as bank account details and passwords to many different things. Your PC can be used without your knowledge to launch attacks on other computers, even on entire networks. A hacker can even completely "kill" your computer! But, you can stop this all with a decent firewall. It is necessary to install a good firewall, keep it on, and only disable it if it is absolutely required.

Paid Programs:

ZoneAlarm Firewall: (ZoneAlarm). This program is one of the best out there. It "learns" your Internet Habits, and makes them secure. There is also a "free version" of this.

Comodo Firewall Pro Plus: (Comodo). I found this program to be quite restrictive. It didn't give you as much detail about the program the need access to certain things, and therefore I blocked a few things that were needed.

Free Programs:

ZoneAlarm Basic Firewall (ZoneAlarm). This is the "free" alternative of the other version. This is very good if you don't want to pay.

Best in Test:

ZoneAlarm Firewall. As with the Anti-Virus, ZoneAlarm takes it out. www.ZoneAlarm.com

Regularly run Anti-Adware/Anti-Spyware/Anti-Malware

Every time you visit a website, you may, without even knowing, have downloaded content onto your machine. This content includes key loggers, dialers, spying programs, advertising material, spam bots and much, much more.

Paid Programs:

SpyFerret (here). Paid programs don't give you much more than free programs when it comes to Anti-Spyware. I would recommend that you don't get paid programs, but it is YOUR choice when it comes to security.

Free Programs:

Ad-Aware 2007. (Lavasoft USA). This program performs a "deep search". This means that it checks each and every file, and "quarantines" them.

Spybot Search & Destroy (Safer-Networking). This program checks your computer for all these "nasties" and easily removes them.

Best in Test:

"Ad-Aware 2007" & "Spybot Search & Destroy". (Lavasoft USA & Safer-Networking) I give these products both the award, as they in conjunction with each other, keep your computer clean. I recommend that you run Spybot S&D after every internet session, and Ad-Aware once a week.

Have Spam & Email protection

Don't open unknown emails, don't open unknown attachments. Even if you know who it is from, do not open them if you are not expecting them.

Paid Programs:

Kaspersky Anti-Spam (Kaspersky). This program was as good as the MailWasher, but the interface was a bit harder to get around. If you would rather use a paid program, use this, or go for a free alternative.

Free Programs:

MailWasher (MailWasher). Before you download your email into Thunderbird, Outlook, Outlook Express, etc, you run this tool, and choose all the emails that are of spam. Then, you open up your email client and download your emails. The emails that you "marked" as spam in MailWasher, are now "blacklisted" from your account.

Best in Test:

MailWasher is an excellent program, that I found got rid of my spam problem after a few weeks. I recommend this to anyone who wants to get rid of the spam in their email accounts. 

5) Popup Protection:

Some pop-up's can download virus's and spyware to your machine. Get protection from them, and you won't have to deal with the consequences.

Paid Programs:

Winguard Popup Remover. (here). This program, along with many other paid programs, doesn't give you much more protection from Pop-up's than the free ones. But, if you would rather buy a program, then go for it.

Free Programs:

Firefox Browser (Mozilla). The award winning browser, Firefox, has a built in pop-up blocker. I highly recommend you give Firefox a try. It speeds up your internet browsing, and is overall safer than Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which by default, is installed with all Windows Computers.

Google Toolbar (Google). This is a great toolbar for your browser. It not only has a pop-up blocker, but it can be incorporated into Gmail (Google's answer to Free Email), and of course a Google Search Box, right at your fingertips.

Best in Test:

Firefox with Google Toolbar. Firefox comes with a Pop-Up blocker already built in, and with the added extension of Google Toolbar, you have twice the power of blocking these annoyances. 

Patch

It is important to keep your computer patched and up-to-date. This protects your computer from new vulnerabilities, which may allow hackers to gain access to your computer. Your firewall should stop this, but if it is new, it might not. So be on the safe side, Patch regularly. If you have limited allowance on your internet, don't subscribe to “Automatic Updates” Change this to “Notify me if there are any updates, but don't download or install them”. Then, go to Microsoft Update and download the “Critical Updates”.

Backup

Unfortunately, there is no 100% way to keep your computer secure. Therefore, you should back-up all your important data, and keep it stored on a DVD or CD in a safe place. I backup at least once a month. And I keep all my information in a case, stored away securely.

Watch out for scams

“You have just won $1,000,000! Give us your bank details!”

“You are the 999,999 person to view this site, click here to claim your prize.”

“I have a large amount of money, and I need you to help me transfer it……”

You may have seen these types of messages before. But, as you may already be aware, these are scams. Don't click these ads, or open any emails with this content, as it may install spyware, virus's or other "nasties". “If it sounds too good to be true, then it is most likely that it is.” Remember to trust your Instinct. If it seems a bit weird, delete that email or close that site and run Anti-Spyware & Anti-Virus ASAP.

These are 8 ways to keep your PC secure. I take no responsibility for any problems that may occur with these products. They shouldn't cause any problems, but if they do, it is not my fault!

6. Download The Operative System's Actualizations

It is substantial, to get your protection to the maximum against eventual virus attacks, to download this actualizations; because what most worm Trojans seek are commonly found “security holes” in most Microsoft products. For these, the company constantly offers “critical” actualizations which we can download, and for those who are a bit lazy to look for them in the internet, Windows has an option for them to download automatically.

7. Be Careful With The Files You Receive In Your e-Mail

When we receive a new mail, it is highly recommended to virus scan it, even if you know the remittent. Most users do not even know that their computers are infected, and may be sending you a corrupted file by accident.

8. Another Entrance Gateway, Chat

In most chat rooms it's really common to send any kind of files, via a DDC system. If you get one you never requested, or from an unknown source, NEVER accept it, even if it seems really interesting.

9. Other Tips

Pay special attention to archives which may grow in size without any apparent reason. Or if you get strange Windows notes. Try not to download stuff from web pages you may consider unsafe.

10. And Of Course, Update Your Antivirus

Nowadays there are quite good either free or paid antivirus. In both cases they update automatically, so we all have the parches for the dangerous Mydoom y mentioned in the first part of the article.

If you haven't read the first part, brush up on tips one to five.

And publish 10 obvious but really important tips that everyone with a computer must follow. So if you haven't been infected yet, you should read the next:

1. Be Careful With VBS Archives

   Do not open files with the extension VBS (Visual Basic Script, a language which permits to execute routines in the PC) unless you are completely sure that that mail comes from a trustable person, who doesn't want to harm your computer.

2. Do Not Hide Program Extensions

   All Windows operative systems hide commonly known program extensions in windows explorer. This characteristic can be used by virus designers and hakers to hide a program as if it were one with a different extension.

3. Change Windows Explorer Security Form “Minimum” to “Medium”

   To change this you must go to “Tools”, “Internet Options”, and “Security”. After that you may choose the one you like. I recommend using the option to personalize and set it to mid or high, depending on the risk to which you consider you may stand up to.

4. Install a Good Firewall

   This is really important. You may download a free one from the internet, or just configure the one from your operative system (better if you have windows XP).

5. Make Security Copies

   A way is to upload most important archives to internet. There are web pages such as Rapidshare, Megaupload, or File Factory to which you may upload important stuff. In this way you may clear your hard disk without loosing info. Of course there are other ways, such as making backup copies in CDs, DVDs, ZIP drives or pen drives.