Whilst the majority of these new machines will come with some form of antivirus software, and Windows 7 itself contains some considerable improvement security-wise, it is still wise to consider the security of your new computer before letting your family loose on it on the internet.
Here, we recommend a selection of software for your new (or old) PC to protect both it and its users from a range of online threats:
- Antivirus Software
The most important thing to do with any new computer is to ensure that it is protected by antivirus software. Without antivirus software, your new computer could be infected with all manner of nasties within minutes of taking it out of the box and connecting to the internet.
Your computer may come with either a limited-time trial or even a full version of an antivirus product, such as those offered by Norton or McAfee. Whilst these products are undoubtedly efficient at preventing virus intrusion, they are also often large and unwieldy, and could already be making your new computer run slower than it should.
We recommend:
Remove any Norton or McAfee antivirus software and install the Free version of AVG Antivirus instead. Tried and tested, simple and lightweight, AVG is our antivirus provider of choice.
Don’t try to have more than one antivirus package installed at a time – it won’t make you any more secure, and will only cause grief!
- Antispyware Software
Whilst modern antivirus software will protect you from all sorts of internet nasties, it’s always wise to have a second line of defence against the biggest threat of them all, malicious spyware. Spyware can steal your important information and relay it to a third-party attacker. Do you really want a Russian criminal gang to have access to your internet banking details?
We recommend:
Regularly scan your computer with trusted Antispyware software like Ad-Aware or Spybot Search & Destroy to eliminate any nasties that have sneaked past your anti-virus defences.
Unlike antivirus software, you can use more than one of these tools at a time, but beware of any antispyware tools advertised in banners or pop-ups that you don’t recognise! They often contain Spyware themselves! If in doubt, don’t click.
- Internet Monitoring Software
If your shiny new computer is going to be used by children, you should consider investing in some Internet Monitoring Software. This will allow you to review what your children have been doing on the computer. Whilst some may baulk at the suggestion of monitoring their offspring, it’s clear that the internet presents some specific dangers to young people. Pornographic, violent and offensive images and text can be “stumbled” upon or indeed, searched out and quickly found. Today’s social networking sites and instant messaging tools offer a way for your child to talk to literally anyone – school friends, bullies and predatory adults alike.
Some would advocate Parental Control or “blocking” software as a way to prevent this, but this forgets that the internet is also full of useful information and tools, and is a great source of education. We believe that it is better to discretely monitor the activity that takes place and, if anything worrying is found, discuss this calmly with your child.
Of course, we hope that you don’t find anything worrying at all, and in this case Internet Monitoring Software will give you great peace of mind.
We recommend:
Spysure Home Version allows you to monitor a plethora of computer activities from a simple-to-use user-interface. Whilst the software, unlike others on this list, is not free we think it’s an essential part of your internet security toolbox.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Spysure Team!
We hope that you found this article useful. Let us know what you think by posting a comment, get in touch on Twitter or Facebook, or simply email support@spysure.com.
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