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6.2 Remaining Safe and Secure Online

You can protect yourself from most malware/spyware by making sure you have a firewall on
your network router that protects your computer from others trying to get in and by install-
ing a comprehensive security program on your computer. Some popular security software
packages are programs such as Norton Security, McAfee Internet Security, and Kaspersky
Total Security. These packages often include protection against multiple threats to your com-
puter, including various types of malware/spyware and computer viruses discussed in the
next section. Once you have installed this software, make sure to set the program to automati-
cally install updates at least weekly, and perform a full computer system scan every month
to make sure you continue to be protected. You can learn more about malware/spyware and
how to protect your computer from the Microsoft Safety & Security Center at https://www
.microsoft.com/en-us/safety/pc-security/spyware-whatis.aspx.

Computer Virus

We all know what a human virus is, which is why we cringe when someone sneezes too close
to us. A computer virus can be equally damaging, and you should take precautions to protect
your computer. Hundreds of thousands of viruses exist, and your computer can become
infected when you download software, open e-mail, or copy an infected file to your computer.
A computer virus can corrupt or delete data on your computer, use your e-mail program to
send messages containing a virus to people on your e-mail contact list, or even erase all the
files on your computer hard drive. You can often recognize you have a computer virus when
your computer does not operate normally and performs strange, unwanted actions such as
typing rows of the same letter or opening web pages or programs on its own.

Computer viruses are often spread
through attachments or links in e-mail
messages or through instant messag-
ing. Never open an attachment on an
e-mail from someone you do not know
or an attachment you do not expect,
and do not click on a message or a
link in an e-mail from someone who
is unfamiliar to you. Viruses can also
be disguised as funny images, greet-
ing cards, or audio and video files and
can be hidden in free software or other
files you download from the Internet.
Ullstein bild/Getty Images
Computer viruses can spread through links or
If you accidentally open a file or a link
attachments in e-mail or instant messages, so do
containing a virus, you will usually
not click on anything that looks unfamiliar or that is
be protected if you have up-to-date
received from someone you don’t know.
antivirus software installed on your
computer. McAfee, Kaspersky, Avira,
Norton, Bitdefender, Webroot, and ESET are some highly regarded antivirus software pro-
grams that are available for both the Mac OS X and the Windows computer operating systems.
They may also be bundled together with malware/spyware protection software. Be sure to
research any software you use or purchase beforehand to determine how well it is rated and
whether it is recommended by websites or people you trust.

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