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HOW
TO GET STARTED...
First,
commit to getting good software... there is no other way!
Second,
understand what you
are trying to stop.. Is it Spam (harmless for the most part);
Viruses (destructive to your computer); or, "browser
hijackers" and scumware (Internet advertising nuisances):
Spam is typically associated with all the un-solicited emails that end up in your email application mailbox.
It's more a nuisance and time waster than anything else. Have you ever wondered how spammers get your email address
in the first place? Email addresses are typically garnered one of the following three ways:
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#1...
YOU furnished to them! That's right... on some site, somewhere, they asked for your email address and you gave it to them!
The easiest cure and smartest thing for you to do about this is get a free email account at places like Yahoo or
HotMail and give that address out to those you do not trust wholeheartedly. For more details, see
Stopping Spam.
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#2...
A company you do business with (one that has your email address) has sold their contact list -- email addresses and all!
Or, they have been hacked and had their client list stolen.
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#3..
A program called a "bot" (short for robot) while crawling the web located your email address on some website.
The scummiest of solicitors turn these bots loose for the sole purpose of crawling the web and gathering email addresses
to use in their email marketing campaigns. For more details, see Hiding website email addresses.
Viruses
(including worms, scripts and other malware) are most always harmful in one way or another and most typically get to your computer via email attachments,
although more and more they are showing up embedded in emails and website scripts where they can infect your computer without
you having to take any action such as opening an attachment. First, NEVER open email attachments from people you do not
recognize -- but that's not near enough to protect yourself. Viruses can be too harmful and too costly, so manually
trying to protect yourself is NOT GOOD ENOUGH. You MUST have good software -- good anti-virus software.
For more details on protecting your computer from viruses, see Anti-Virus Software Protection.
And then there is the Trojan Horse?
A Trojan horse, like a virus, is another malicious program. However,
technically, Trojans are not viruses since they do not replicate
themselves -- Like a virus, Trojan horse programs can be VERY destructive. |
Browser Hijackers (and scumware) represent a new
wave of underhanded Internet marketing, but generally don't do harm to your
computer. The creators of these scumware programs want your computer to continue working just fine -- so they can
display ads on your computer while you browse the web. If you notice popup ads at unusual times you may have had your
browser hijacked. If you notice anything unusual about the appearance of your search results from Google or any
other search engines, you may have been hijacked. These applications are sneaky, sophisticated, cleverly hidden and HARD TO REMOVE.
If you want details on detecting and eliminating this new form of scumware, see
Remove Scumware,
Browser Hijackers & Trojans. (Sorry but page
is not quite ready)
WHAT
IS GOOD ANTI-VIRUS AND ANTI-SPAM SOFTWARE?
Understand this... It takes more than one type of protective software application to protect against the three major forms
of infection we covered above.
There
are many to choose from, but in general, you are looking for
applications with support -- free (or really cheap) tools may work for a
while, but without support they are destined to fail at providing even a
decent level of protection.
For
a quick review of some of the better applications, see or
page on
Anti-Virus & Other Application Reviews
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