This section contains information on how to protect your PC. This is the foundation of online safety. 1.Use a firewall Firewalls keep out some viruses and attacks.A firewall acts as a barrier between the public internet and your private computer or network and blocks threats including some viruses. Why install a firewall? A firewall protects you against a number of different online threats: Hackers breaking into your computer. Some viruses, called worms that spread from computer to computer over the internet. Some firewalls block outgoing traffic that might originate from a virus infection. What a firewall does Because the internet is a public network, any connected computer can find and connect to any other connected computer. A firewall is a barrier between the public internet and your private computer system. A firewall isn't sufficient on its own to guarantee security, but it is the first line of defence. 2. Install Anti-virus Software Prevent virus infections Anti-virus software is one of the main defences against online problems. It continually scans for viruses, including Trojans and worms. To be effective it must be kept up-to-date. Why install anti-virus software? Without anti-virus software you are very vulnerable to computer viruses, including: Infected email attachments. Drive-by infections caused by visiting corrupt websites. Viruses that attack over the internet worms. Spyware that is introduced by virus infections. Viruses that are spread using macros in application documents. Depending on the software you use, it may detect some (but not all) spyware. Being infected by a virus can have very serious consequences including: Identity theft. Fraud. Loss of data. A slow or unusable computer. What anti-virus software does Anti-virus software covers the main lines of attack: It scans incoming emails for attached viruses. It monitors files as they are opened or created to make sure they are not infected. It performs periodic scans of every file on the computer. 3. Get the latest Windows Updates Keep your applications and operating system fit and healthy As new threats emerge, Microsoft updates its Windows operating system and Microsoft Office applications to block them. However, you need to download the updates regularly to be sure of getting maximum protection. This is like inserting five new pages in an encyclopaedia rather than shipping 24 new volumes every time there a change. These patches can be downloaded over the internet. Benefits of updating Updating your computer: Protects against some viruses. Protects against some hacker tricks. Improves performance. Fixes bugs. Adds features. Updates must be combined with anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software to be effective. 4. Stop Spyware Don't let strangers get inside your computer Spyware is an insidious threat to privacy and can result in financial fraud. It is also a huge pain to live with. Spyware is like a virus in that it is an unwanted program that runs on your computer. However, it does not try to replicate itself to other machines. Infection usually occurs when it is installed alongside another program such as a peer to peer file sharing application. However, increasingly, spyware is blending with viruses making it harder to eradicate and harder to avoid. There are different types of spyware. At one end of the spectrum, adware is designed to get you to visit commercial websites,typically for gambling and porn. It can, for example: Pop-up unwanted adverts, including offensive material. Download adverts from the internet, taking up your bandwidth. Hijack your browser so that new menus appear or your default home page or search page is changed. Put new icons on your desktop. More sinister versions of adware will: Block access to certain websites. Try to get you to shut down anti-virus or anti-spyware defences. Block updates to these defences. Be extremely hard or impossible to remove. Track your online activities in an effort to send you more adverts. Use anti-spyware software. Anti-spyware programs operate like anti-virus programs. They scan for known signatures and prevent new infections. The following companies (among others) supply anti-spyware software: Microsoft Defender. Sunbelt Software Counter Spy. Spyware Blaster. Spy Sweeper. AdAware. 5. Browse the internet safely Make your browser safe and avoid dodgy websites Simply browsing the internet can be dangerous. Malicious websites contain viruses and spyware and criminals create fake sites to steal personal information, so it's important to learn how to protect yourself. What are the risks? Malicious websites pose many risks: Spyware and viruses Phishing attacks designed to get your credit card or personal information Inappropriate content How do I protect myself? Whether you use Internet Explorer, Firefox or Opera, we have advice about how to set up your browser safely. There is also advice on avoiding inappropriate or criminal websites and how to spot secure ones. Avoid criminal websites criminal websites include sites that try to steal your identity ('Phishing'), fraudulent online shops, hate sites, sites that distribute pirated software, videos or music and others. Internet content filtering Internet content filtering, sometimes called parental controls, can block access to offensive websites. It is not failsafe but it can be very helpful. Learn about secure web pages Digital signatures are used to prove you are who you say you are online. They are also used to make sure that secure websites, for example ecommerce sites, are secure from eavesdroppers. Use Internet Explorer safely Most people use Internet Explorer to browse the worldwide web. The latest version contains many safety features. Use the Opera web browser safely The Opera web browser is popular with many users but it still needs to be used safely. Using the Firefox web browser Firefox is growing in popularity as an alternative web browser. Like other web browsers, it needs to be used safely.