In these days of "Always on" broadband internet connections, security has become of paramount importance for all computer users.

But the loss of your holiday photos on your home pc pales into insignificance next to the potential loss to your business if a virus were to get into your system and delete all your customer records.

So, do you know your Firewall from an Anti-spyware application?

No?

Well, hopefully we can give you some clues to help you stay secure.

First things first - Viruses.

You MUST NEVER connect your computer system to the internet without a fully functioning Anti-virus program installed and running.

There are many reputable Anti-virus software manufacturers.
The best known (in no particular order) are:

• Grisoft (AVG)
• Mcafee
• Symantec (Norton)
• Sophos
• Kaspersky

Don't think that you can just install your chosen anti-virus program and be protected forever, though.

New viruses are constantly being written and as they are discovered the Anti-virus software manufacturers add them to their products "Threat Database", which must be regularly transmitted to the AV program on your pc in order for it to recognise any threats that attack your pc. This is usually done automatically while you are online, but make sure this feature is turned on, if your AV program will not update itself automatically, make sure that you manually update the program at least once a week.

Most AV programs can also be set up to scan all incoming emails. This is vital, as you will no doubt remember from the "I Love You" virus, viruses can be spread via emails. For added security from these threats be very careful when opening email attachments, do not open attachments unless you totally trust the sender AND you are expecting to get an attachment.

If your AV program allows you to schedule scans then set it to scan your system every day when you first boot it up. This may make your system run a little slower than usual while the scan is in progress, but if it ever finds a single virus then it could have saved you the complete loss of all your data.

So, you've gone to Grisoft.com and downloaded and installed their excellent AVG anti-virus program, you've set it up to automatically update itself, scan your emails and to scan your computer everyday at first boot.

Your now totally safe from viruses, yes?

Sadly, No you're not.

You see, all this protection will be pointless unless you take an active role in protecting your system.

I see computer after computer with Norton AV installed and running, fully updated, but crippled with viruses.

The cause of these infections is, invariably, opening files that you've downloaded from the internet without scanning them first.

Viruses can be hidden in any file and called any filename, virus writers are devilishly inventive in coming up with new ways of spreading their destructive creations.

They have even been known to hijack legitimate downloads on respectable websites.

So, whatever you download from the internet, make a note of where on your harddrive you saved it to, find it in windows explorer, then right click on the downloaded file and select "Scan with AVG" or your AV program's equivalent.

And, finally.
If you want to be really safe... Stay away from File-sharing and free Porn websites.

Next up - Spyware

So what the hell is Spyware?
As the name suggests, Spyware is software that snoops on your computing habits.

As a rule the creators of this software (or Malware) are trying to take information about your internet browsing habits from your pc in order to sell or use this information for their own gain.

Even some of the very biggest names in the computer world have been caught using spyware (that's right, The Very Biggest).

It can also be used to intercept your credit card or bank details when you use them on the internet.

Spyware should not be treated lightly, and removing it can be a massive headache.

Beware! It is reliably reported that 8 out of 10 anti-spyware programs actually put spyware onto your computer.

As you browse the internet, you will at some point come across a window that pops up and tells you that
"Your Computer is Infected with Spyware"
Be warned, if you click on this window as it tells you to, you will almost certainly be installing spyware on your pc.

In my years in dealing with computers and the internet, I have only found one anti-spyware program which I trust - Ad-aware from Lavasoft. Note the spelling and makers name, many bogus anti-spyware program makers try to fool you into installing their program instead of the real thing.
Ad-aware have a free version of their superb program which you can download from here, unfortunately you cannot set the free version to automatically scan your pc so you will need to run it manually, at least once a week, or buy the full version.
When it finds malware on your computer, let the program automatically delete it, occasionally it may delete a harmless program from your computer which portrays signs of being spyware, like search toolbars, but this is a small price to pay for security from malevolent spyware.

So, what's a Firewall?

In simple terms, a firewall is like a doorman at a posh party.
He's got a list of names and if your name's not on the list, your not coming in.

How does this work with a firewall then?

Well, the firewall sits between your pc and the internet like a big strong doorman. It will not let anything pass through it, unless it's told to do so.
You let the firewall know what traffic to let through by allowing "Exceptions", these are trusted programs (such as Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, etc.).
These programs connect your computer to the internet through virtual "Ports", when a program tries to connect to your pc from the internet it uses a Port number, i.e. if you are running a web server on your pc that you want to let internet users access, you would open port 80 for incoming traffic. Only programs that asked for a connection on port 80 would be allowed through the firewall.
This works in both directions, if a bad program on your computer, like a Trojan, tries to connect to it's target server on the internet, unless it has managed to open a port in your firewall, the firewall will block the program.

Their are basically two types of firewall, hardware and software. As the names suggest, they differ in that one is a real piece of computer equipment which attaches to you computer (hardware) and the other is a program which runs on your pc (software). Service pack 2 for Windows XP comes with a firewall built-in, if you haven't updated your Windows XP machine to Service Pack 2, then you should do it now.

Most network routers come with a built-in hardware firewall.
This is a much more secure method as the electronic components in a hardware firewall are much harder to fool than the software versions.

So, if you have a broadband connection, get a firewall.

In conclusion, Viruses, Trojans, Internet-worms and other malware WILL get into your computer system if you don't take appropriate action.

Don't think this will only happen to other people, it will happen to you if you have a broadband connection and you don't treat security seriously.