In these days of vigorous cracking and virus attacks, it is imperative to keep all security tools up-to-date and active.

Crackers attempt to infiltrate any unprotected computer connected to the web in order to gain information, destroy data, and/or install programs to attach other computers and networks attached to the internet. A hardware firewall — essentially a black box between the internet and your computers — is the best defense. But for it to be effective, it must be properly configured to allow appropriate and necessary access to the web while preventing intrusions from outside. Software firewalls can be helpful, but are more easily defeated by resourceful and determined crackers.

Your antivirus software is only as good as the most recent engine that powers it and the most up-to-date virus recognition list being used. The virus writers are ahead of the antivirus companies, so vigilance is of primary importance. Some viruses are activated simply by viewing mail in Outlook and Outlook Express, so settings are important to review and change. Rules on what messages should not be opened are necessary.

Just visiting a web site can result in adware, spyware, or malware residing on a computer. These are not always easy to recognize or remove, and frequently degrade computer performance radically. Eradicating ad/spy/malware has become as important as identifying and eliminating viruses.