PROTECT YOURSELF

We always state that there are two things you need to protect yourself on the internet:-

1 – A good internet security program.

2 – Vigilance.

CAN A VIRUS CHECKER PROTECT ME?

A free virus checker is one step up from having nothing at all. If your equipment has any contact with the internet, it should have an Internet Security program installed. We strongly recommend Kaspersky Internet Security as it has shown itself to be the best on our tests. It has a built in SPAM filter which automatically integrates itself with all versions of Outlook. Remember - no computer protection of any sort will stop spammers trying to get to your inbox - many spam emails will get through. Kaspersky is brilliant at detecting the payloads the spam may carry so even if spam gets through, Kaspersky Internet Security renders it harmless.

We strongly recommend you use Kaspersky Internet Security to protect yourself and your computer. This will cut the chances of your email (or anyone else’s) being stolen from your computer.

There are types of spam with no payload - they contain links to gambling, sex sites, con artist sites (where you are promised money or other reward), low cost products etc.

If a victim is duped into opening an email or downloading something by accident, the virus checker might see this as the victim attempting to install a legitimate program. This is where vigilance is necessary. Some victims actually ignore the warnings thinking they are doing the right thing. The best software in the world will not protect them. In most cases, it’s not the victim who installs viruses by accident onto their computer, but an employee or a minor. In cases like this you can use Kaspersky Internet Security to prevent access to many types of websites which can have immoral software.

I GET MY EMAIL FROM XYZ.COM, SHOULD I CONTACT THEM AND COMPLAIN?

Feel free to do so, they may be able to do something if they are a legitimate company. Usually, spammers are spotted quite easily and stopped fairly quickly. However, they know they will be spotted so they don’t use their own equipment to send the spam.

A spammer will use an infected computer to send out copies of the infection to other computers it can find. Once installed on target computers, it starts spamming and keeps going until it is stopped. By that stage, it’s possible the infection will have started on the next generation of computers.