The Internet can bring a world of information to our desktops. You can use it to check on an order, make an inquiry, access online data bases for research purposes, and so much more. Some individuals, however, hesitate to go online because they worry about contracting a virus, or making their systems vulnerable to a hacker attack.

Fortunately, the solution to protecting your system may be as close as the nearest office supply store. This is especially critical for businesses needing to protect their most important asset; customer and market intelligence in the form of files and data housed on their PCs and networks. To further add to the concern is the fact that the number of online threats is growing, are becoming more sophisticated and are designed to wreak havoc at faster rates than in the past. The good news is that simple precautions with anti-virus software and firewall installations can act as your first line of defense.

Fighting viruses

A virus is a computer program file capable of attaching to disks or other files and replicating itself repeatedly, typically without user knowledge or permission.

Some viruses attach to files so that when the infected file executes, the virus also executes. Other viruses sit in a computer's memory and infect files as the computer opens, modifies or creates the files. Some viruses display symptoms, and some viruses damage files and computer systems. However, neither symptoms nor damage is essential in the definition of a virus; a non-damaging virus is still a virus.

There are computer viruses written for several operating systems including DOS, Windows, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari and UNIX.

Anti-virus software helps prevent destruction generated by a virus. Anti-virus software scans a computer's memory and disk drives for viruses. If it finds a virus, the application informs the user and may clean, delete or quarantine any files, directories or disks affected by the malicious code.

Popular anti-virus packages include McAfee VirusScan, and Symantec Norton Anti-Virus. McAfee presently detects more than 57,000 viruses. Most anti-virus packages include an automatic update feature, which is important because new viruses are constantly being released. Both McAfee and Symantec Norton continuously update their virus definitions to fight the latest viruses.

Building a firewall

A firewall is a piece of software that prevents computers from communicating directly with external computer systems. It acts as a barrier through which all information passing between your computer (or your computer network) and the external systems must travel. Firewall software analyzes information passing between two computer systems. If the information conforms to certain pre-configured rules, access is allowed. If the information does not conform, access is restricted.

This means that those trying to "sneak in the back door" and access your private information will be stopped in their tracks. The firewall blocks a hacker attack.

Two popular firewall programs are McAfee Firewallplus and Symantec Norton Personal Firewall. Both McAfee and Symantec Norton also offer combined anti-virus and firewall programs in one package.

On standalone (non-networked) computers, anti-virus and firewall software can usually be installed without technical support. If you operate on a network, you should contact your computer consultant before installing these programs.

Costs for anti-virus software and firewalls begin as low as $35 each per year with update capabilities for personal workstations. Bundled software packages that include protection from both viruses and hackers are about $80 for an annual subscription. There are also packages that can be purchased for several PCs that are networked together in a common office or location for a few hundred dollars annually.

Don't leave your office computer system vulnerable. Anti-virus and firewall programs are the first lines of defense to protecting your system and data from attack. They are simple to install, quickly updated and are a very cost effective solution against viruses and hackers. It's really a very small price to pay for safeguarding your livelihood.