Adware can at the very least be annoying by forcing you to visit sites you don’t want to, and by constantly showing adverts for items you have no interest in. It can also be very dangerous and can easily log everything you do – it is not something that you want to have installed on your computer.

The best way of dealing with Adware is to use a software program that stops most of it from getting onto your hard drive in the first place, however, even with protection you can sometimes find your computer is infected with adware.

Choosing the best type of adware removal is going to give you best security on your system and offer protection from any malicious program like adware. Some of the better Adware removal software includes Ad-Aware by Lavasoft. This has been designed to detect the adware and stop it from producing any viruses. Not only will Ad-Aware help combat adware, it will also locate and quarantine Spyware and any viruses. It will also alert you whenever there is any attempt to insall anything on your computer, so by installing Ad-Aware you are giving yourself the very best chance of avoiding Adware and other malicious programs, and if they are on your system already, removing them. You can download a free version of Ad-Aware, or pay for a version that has slightly more features. Other adware removal software includes Spyware Cease, Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus, StopZilla, and Adware Alert.

To help keep your computer safe from attack follow simple precautionary measures, for instance ensure that your computer security is turned on when you are surfing the net, keep your Windows Updated and install ad blocking software, and have your firewall up and running.

Remember that even when you have anti-advare software installed, you still need to regularly scan your hard drive, and also to keep your software updated and this way you should stay shielded from any new threats.

If you suffer an attack on your computer from spyware, you will be risking all your personal information. Once the malicious program has invaded your computer, it will take control, and your information and personal details will be at risk.

These spyware programs are often contained within the music, games or photo files that are downloaded all the time from the net – so you can easily find yourself infected. In fact if you do not have any Spyware Protection Software you stand a very high chance of spyware infecting your computer system.

This type of malicious program installs on your computer without your knowledge or permission, and it will then begin to track all of your online activity. This can then be passed back to the company that is in control of the spyware.

There are many tools on the market for removing Spyware, but really you should be looking a spyware protection software.

One company that has been producing computer system security software for ten years is Lavasoft, so you can be sure that they know what they are doing!

Their latest release Ad-Aware Internet Security offers a comprehensive malware protection package. This software is available as a free download for home use only. With the free version you will receive automatic updates, and it will protect you against trojans, spyware, rootkits, key loggers and much more.

The next version is the Plus Ad-Aware, and this has all the features of the free version plus anti-virus protection and removal, real time registry and process protection and a facility for blocking certain website – so if you have children you can protect them from online predators.

The other two versions available are the Pro and the Business, which as the name suggests has been specifically designed for businesses. More details about these versions of the software can be found here

If you are going to be leaving home without your latptop, make sure that it is left out of sight – don’t leave it in plain view of a window, especially one that is open.

If you take your laptop out with you then make sure you put in into the trunk of your car, don’t put it on one of the seats. Imagine being stopped at lights with your window open, someone could easily put in their hand and grab your laptop. Don’t give them the chance, keep it well out of sight.

Should you decide to stop for a coffee and do a bit of work on your laptop at the same time, make sure that you always keep your laptop with you, don’t let it out of your sight. This even means taking it to the washroom with you. An unattended laptop is an invitation to a would be thief.   

When using wifi in a coffee shop, library etc keep everything you do private and try not to put in anything confidential as you never know who could be watching over your shoulder.

Some of this may seem slightly ott, but anything you can do to help protect your computer physically has got to be worthwhile.

A firewall is either a software program or a hardware device that is installed to help to protect your computer or network from any malicious intruders, hackers or unwanted codes.   Imagine someone being on duty 24/7 to check everything that comes into or goes out of your computer – this is essentially what a firewall is.  They are designed to filter any traffic to your computer or your network via an internet connection. If you do not have any firewall then your computer is going to become a very easy target for hackers and malicious software. Having a firewall installed will offer you extra security.

As you can see a firewall is indeed essential to any standalone computer or laptop and for any networked computers.

There are various choices for the home pc user, and some of these are:-

Microsoft Windows – has it built in firewall and you should make sure that this is left on until such time as you instal a third party firewall.

Internet Security Software – these will often provide a firewall as part of their overall package which will generally include anti-virus, anti-spyware and much more besides.  One very popular program is Zone Alarm, more details can be found here.

Hardware Firewalls – this is generally going to be a small box that is placed between your computer or network and your modem. When you instal a router either wired or wireless this will often have its own default firewall installed. The good thing about hardware firewalls is that you can use these alongside any software firewall that has been installed on your computer.

Any firewall that you install is going to need to be set up with instructions from you. It will need to know which particular ip addresses are safe and that it can allow access to your machine or network. These can be listed by you, or you can configure your firewall to ask you what to do when a computer is trying to access yours. You will also be able to set any ftp permissions through your firewall which can limit who can upload information.

Firewalls really do form an important part of your computer system security and should not be overlooked.

Have some of your software functions stopped working properly?
Do you experience difficulty connected to the internet?
Do adverts suddenly appear on your screen?
Has the level of your junk mail suddenly increased?
Do unfamiliar toolbars suddenly appear?
Do you find additional icons by your clock?
Does your home page change unexpectedly and whatever you do you can’t change it back?

If you find that you have answered yes to some of these, then this could well be an indication that you have become a victim of spyware.

So what exactly is Spyware?
In basic terms it’s a program that spies on what you do with your computer.  Spyware is able to gather together all kinds of information all without your knowledge.

Some spyware programs are more irritating than harmful as they tend to only show adverts and they send the collected information to various advertising companies so they know the type of adverts to give you.  But there are much nastier versions of Spyware, those that try and catch your passwords or even your credit card details.

What are the potential soruces of spyware?
This can vary, but some of the more common ones to watch out for are:

• file sharing programs,

• programs that state they provide special offers while you are internet shopping

• programs that give animated cursors, smileys etc

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are certainly the more common ways to find your computer infected with Spyware.

To remove spyware from your computer you need to use a professional spyware removal program, and these are widely available.   Best of all you need to ensure that your spyware protection is upto date and then you should not find yourself troubled with spyware

Wireless local area networks (WLAN) work by sending information via radio waves, so anyone else that has a receiver in your locality could easily be picking up your transmission, thus gaining complete access to your computer.  Apart from the access issue, you could find your computer system vunerable to viruses.
The statistics around wireless network security are quite worrying – upto 65% of WLAN users have not got standard security installed, and as many as 20% of users have no protection whatsoever with a completely open connection.   This probably happens because someone setting up their own network just wants to get the job completed as quickly as possible, and once it works they don’t bother with the niceties.

Here are some tips to help with your wireless newtwork security

Try and ensure that the router/access point is always set up via a wired client.

Always, always change any default passwords to a more secure password.

You need an absolute minimum of 128 bit WEP encryption.  You should change your WEP keys every now and again.

WEP gives a minimum level of security so should be enabled.

Set your computer up to connect to your wireless network by default, and change the SSID setting to a much harder to guess name that it’s given as standard.

If possible set your router/access point so that it does not broadcase your SSID.

Always block any anonymous internet pings or requests.

Enable your firewall features.

You need a personal firewall configures as well as a hardware firewall.

Always locate your router/access point away from people you don’t know so that no-one can reset it to the factory default settings

Try to locate router/access points centrally in the building rather than near to windows or doors – this will limit the coverage outside.

Nothing that has been suggested is going to give you 100% protection, but they will certainly be a good deterrent against any outside attack.

There are so many web threats out there, but luckily there is also a good range of web security as well, for instance antivirus tools, spyware blasters, adware removers and so on, that you will be able to find what you are looking for.   Do remember that these are only effective against web threats if they are used!

Checking whether your computer system security is good enough is really down to you, it’s no good switching it all on, going online, and then finding that it was just not upto the job – it will be too late then.

Buying web security software is fairly low cost, and it will give you the confidence that you are as safe as you can be from internet security threats.

There are many free tools available, but to be honest these are best just used to evaluate the security tools, and then you would be better off buying a copy. You need to read through any instructions and make sure that you set up your computer system security correctly.

Most web security systems you purchase will have been written by qualified software programmers, and will include full and concise instructions on how to install and use the software so that you obtain the best protection from it.

Each day you should check through a few things before you start using your computer, these include:

• Check for updates on your anti-cirus program. Ensure that you run this on a regular basis.

• It’s a good idea to clear your cache and temporary files, and also to clear your history.

• Make sure your adware remover is kept upto date.

• Keep your firewall updated and check your settings.

• Check your emails are being protected as they should.
• Regularly run a full computer system scan.

Using the above pointers will help to ensure that you have web security and less likliehood of web threats causing you a problem – obviously we can never protect ourselves from every single threat that comes around, but if we take as many precautions as we can we will be able to enjoy surfing.