How to Protect Your Computer and Your Family from Internet Predators

There is more than one kind of internet predator these days. First we have the computer viruses and spyware that attack your computer without any warning. If you don't have anti-virus and anti-spyware protection then your computer is in danger of being attacked. You can lose everything if you're not protected. It is essential to have these types of protection for your home or work computer.

Viruses, Trojans and Worms are grouped together because they are all protected against with the same kind of software, the anti-virus. Most people know they need to be protected against these threats but a lot of people do not realize just how bad these kind of threats are. It is estimated that there are more than 25 viruses released everyday. That comes out to a little more than one every hour. Pretty scary stuff if you really let that sink in. None of us want to get a virus but most of us have gotten one or two of them. I know I have and I have lost everything at one time. Pretty time consuming to have to re-install everything on your computer if you are able to do that. Luckily I was able to do that and the only viruses I have gotten were low risk. Ever since this happened to me I have made sure that my anti-virus and anti-spyware software are always up to date. This is a very important task, especially if you have important documents saved on your home or work computer.

Most viruses do more than spread throughout the internet and from one computer to another. They have more harmful things in mind such as leaving back doors open to allow unlimited access to the machines they infect, which in turn can lead to the maker of the virus hacking into your important files such as your online bank account, paypal account, and any other online financial account.

Some important things you need to do to make sure this does not happen is making sure your anti-virus software is up to date. Keeping this software up to date is a very important task you need to do as often as possible, especially if you have a dial-up connection. Given the release rate of viruses, no less than 6 hours of updating is recommended but an hourly check is not overly checking. It is not too time consuming to do this. Just make sure every time you connect to the internet that you do an update check to make sure everything is the way it should be. Family Watchdog offers subscription services to keep your computer up to date with the best software.

Choosing the right anti-virus software is important also and there are some very good free ones you can use that will keep your computer safe. Maybe you have an ISP like I do that gives you a good anti-virus software with your ISP subscription. I have MSN which in turn allows me to use McAfee anti-virus program. But if you don't have one with your ISP then here are a couple of recommended programs that are free to use: Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, and Avast for Home.

Next we have Spyware and Adware which are relatively new threats but one of the most dangerous. The motivations of these two are to profit from you either legally or illegally by collecting information from you and sending it back to the maker of the spyware. Just a few of the methods used to collect this information from you are keyboard logging, web form logging and system scanning.

If you still use Internet Explorer or an AOL browser that came with your computer then you are highly vulnerable to spyware and adware. It is highly recommended to switch to Mozilla FireFox browser because it is not only faster than IE but it has a track record of fixing security flaws in less than a week of announcement. Microsoft still has over 40 known vulnerabilities that are un-patched and are over six months old.

Some types of programs that use Spyware to collect information from you are search bars, weather monitors and screen savers. Some of the most common programs that use Spyware are DivX and Kazaa and it is highly recommended that if you want to use these programs, such as for downloading music then you should pay to have the no ad supported version.

Two of the biggest industries that support Spyware are pornography and the Russian Mafia. They account for over half of this software. If you do internet banking or online shopping you are at risk if you don't protect yourself against Spyware. It is estimated that over 92% of home computers are infected with Spyware and it is not unusual for an unprotected computer to have over 100 forms of Spyware on them.

There are ways to prevent Spyware. A good first step is to switch to the Firefox browser I have switched to it and it is one that I highly recommend. Here are a couple of very good anti-spy ware programs that are free to use; SpyBot Search and Destroy, and Adaware Personal SE.

Another internet predator to be aware of is a hacker. This is a major problem and no one wants their computer to be hacked into and their information stolen. This can lead to identity theft. An internet Firewall can protect you against this. The only problem with a firewall being installed is that it might only allow limited access for the user when in certain cases there needs to be more access. Firewalls installed by a network professional is the best way to go. Even though Windows XP Service Pack 2 comes by default with a firewall installed it would still be best to have a professional install this. This way you will have control over what is blocked and what is not. One way to get a firewall professionally installed is by going to Familywatchdog.com and asking them about their Linksys routers with a custom firewall installation.

The biggest internet predator that everyone who has children worries about the most are the sexual predators. They scour chat rooms, message boards, teen forums and even use instant messaging to find a pre-teen or teenager to try to lore them out of the house to meet them somewhere. Another great service of familywatchdog.com is their registered sex offender database. Just go on their website and there is a section on there that will tell you if any registered sex offender's live near you. I have used this free service and I now know that I have two registered sex offender's that live by me. You can even have it set-up to where you can receive email alerts if any new ones move by you. I have received two emails informing me of these two registered sex offender's that have moved just up the road from me. It is pretty scary but it is better to know if any live near you.

Parental controls are essential for computers when you have children using your home computer. There are all kinds of illicit material online that you don't want your children to see. Family Watchdog will be releasing later on this year a home router/firewall appliance that contains a grade content filter and firewall that will help keep your children safe. They will also have a user forum to discuss important factors on improving this firewall. They will be discussing how easy it is for children and even parents to get around their product so they can close each hole as it is discovered. Their accomplishments and failures will be open to the public to show everyone how they are working on keeping your children safe on the internet.