Have you thought about computer security at all? Most likely not. Many unsuspecting individuals believe that computer hackers only hack into corporations and rich people. This is far from the truth. So beware. Computer security does not involve just warding off bad hackers. Every day your computer is susceptible to threats regarding your computer system and the information you store on your computer.




Identity theft is a problem that has grown in intensity over the past couple of years. Indeed, large credit card companies and banks have had their systems invaded and millions of people have been put at risk. The thing that you should really keep in mind is that if companies are vulnerable to hackers, then why isn't your computer? After all, the best hackers invade the best systems. But there is a lot of money to be made attacking computers just like yours and stealing all of your financial and personal information and it is happening to people like you and I every single day.



Not concerned about identity theft? What about the amount of time and money you have put into your computer? If your computer has a virus it can destroy your memory and hard drive causing you to lose all your information. Your computer will be an easy target if you dont' have a security system. Your unprotected computer will eventually succomb to a computer virus. A computer virus can be devastating.



To avoid the disastrous and awful effects of a computer virus, you must set up a security system on your own computer. Make sure that you have a firewall installed. A firewall can analyze information from the Internet and check to make sure it is not harmful to your computer. If the firewall determines that the information is harmful then it will block it. A firewall should be the first component of your computer security plan.



You will also want to invest in some anti-virus software to provide additional protection against anything that should get past your firewall. It is not uncommon for hackers to get into the systems of people you know and use their computer as a clone.



Think about a cloned computer. It is a tool for the hacker. The hacker will make the cloned computer do anything they want it to from stealing e-mail to breaking into other computer systems. You can supply a shield against this by analyzing all your e-mail messages with anti-virus software. Don't open attachments unless you were expecting them. Hackers thrive on placing disastrous viruses in attachments. Stop them quickly and effectively by not opening attachments and deleting the e-mail message right away.



Spyware has gained a lot of press lately and it is what people are using to steal identities and learn all there is to know about their victims. Spyware roams about your hard drive and collects information for the person that sent it to your system. This malicious software can slow your system down and completely give away all of your private information. Anti-spyware is offered by browsers and software providers for free in most cases and it is advised that you install it on your system as an additional safeguard.



It is imperative that you have a secure computer, especially in this highly technical computer age. The Internet is home to dishonest people that will rob you of your information and use it for their own gain. Protect yourself against these hackers and conartists by having an effective, robust computer security system. Do it now.