Section 11.4. PC Maintenance: Internet Security

11.4. PC Maintenance: Internet Security

If it weren't for that darned Internet, personal computing would be a lot of fun. After all, it's the Internet that lets all those socially stunted hackers enter our machines, unleashing their viruses, setting up remote hacking tools, feeding us spyware, and otherwise making our lives an endless troubleshooting session. It sure would be nice if they'd cultivate some other hobbies.

This section covers Internet security for Windows. The main idea is that everyone should install and maintain three pieces of software for protection:

• A firewall , which is a hardware or software shield that protects your PC from unsolicited Internet traffic.

• Antivirus software , which is frequently updated to protect you against emerging viruses as they're written.

• Anti-spyware software , which helps you clean out your PC once some Web page has installed spyware without your knowledge (see the box on Section 11.5.1).

It's impossible to overstate the importance of installing and maintaining these three sorts of protection software and keeping them up to date (after all, the hackers aren't resting either). An anti-spam program is a good idea, too.

Unfortunately, all of this means that owning a Windows PC now requires a lot more fiddling, maintenance, and administrative work.

In these regards, the software terrorists have scored a victory. Even so, you really have no choice; maintaining these programs is the only way to be relatively confident that your PC won't be attackedan event that could be far more disruptive than the preventive efforts described on the following pages.