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Protection from Infection

The old adage that "protection is better than cure" never rings truer than in the context of computer viruses and other malicious attacks. There are a number of things you can do to considerably reduce the the chance of your computer becoming a victim. On this page, we will briefly explore the options available to combat the various threats that are posed.

Virus Protection

The most obvious and common form of protection is the use of Anti-Virus Software. Any computer connected to the internet should have at least this level of protection. There are numerous companies who offer such software for sale, either by retail or as a download from the ineternt. At about £30, this software is relatively inexpensive, especially when you consider the cost of any potential damage a virus or trojan horse program can do. If you purchase one of these programmes, it is essential you keep the software up to date by downloading the virus updates from the relevant website on a regular basis. A list of anti-virus software companies can be found on the left, along with links to their website.

Some Inernet Service Providers (ISP's), provide online virus checking through their e-mail server. In some instances, this is a free service whilst in others a small monthly charge is made. There are advantages and disadvantages to this system. On the positive side, the ISP maintains its anti virus software on a regular basis and you can be assured that any potentially hazardous e-mail is filtered from your inbox before it even gets close to your computer. On the downside, this form of protection is only going to be effective if the only e-mail accounts you have, are routed through your ISP's mail server. If you have multiple e-mail accounts served from a number of sources, then you need to be sure that all these mail servers offer the same level of protection. If they don't, you should get some anti-virus software.

Notwithstanding the above comments, new viruses are being released every day and it is still possible for you to contract a virus even if you have the most up to date anti-virus software. This should not be viewed as a slight against the anti-virus companies or an excuse to NOT purchase any software. The anti-virus companies respond very quickly to new threats and usually release an update within a couple of days of a new virus being discovered. You do need to be aware of this possibility and what you can do to reduce the chances of your computer becoming infected.