Protection and Prevention
Equally important as educating about "Personal Security Online"--the history, the terminology, and the statistics--is learning how to implement this new knowledge. Now that we know what malware is, how can we protect ourselves from it?
Adware Report depicts personal security as a puzzle. There are four key aspects to protecting yourself: antivirus, antispyware, firewall, and antispam. You may already have spam filters on your e-mail, that act as a first line of defense to filtering out e-mails containing harmful files. Firewall and network security is an important line of defense, and is addressed here.
Therefore, the two forms of protection with which we will concern ourselves is antivirus and antispyware. These two types of programs, while certainly not flawless, offer your best defense against acquiring spyware and viruses, and will also aid in the removal of malware.
One important aspect of personal security is not mentioned in this puzzle, but warrants further discussion: behavior. Even some of the most effective antispyware and antivirus programs will be incapable of protecting your computer if your online behavior does not show concern and caution. Read about how to protect yourself in these three areas:
Resources
Adware Report. <http://www.adwarereport.com/mt/archives/cat_news.html>