Avoiding Viruses, Worms, and SPAM
Actually, they can’t be totally avoided, but there are steps you can take to minimize their impact.
- Most importantly, install an anti-virus program on your computer and be sure to keep your virus definitions up to date. You can usually set this to happen automatically. We can recommend two products. VIPRE Antivirus 2013 (which includes a firewall) from ThreatTrack Security, Inc. is what we use. If you want a freebie, check out Avast Antivirus.
- Many online companies share their email lists, so don’t give them your personal email address. Instead, set up a free email account, either with Yahoo or gmail, and use it for all your Internet transactions, such as shopping on the web.
- Don’t post your email address on your website. When we create a website, we encode all email addresses using Javascript, so robots cannot extract them for spamming purposes.
- Install a firewall. They are available from ThreatTrack Security, Inc., Symantec, or Zone Alarm from Zone Labs, which is free.
- Install a SPAM filter. If you’re using Outlook, SPAMBAYES is free.
Beware: A virus is often disguised to look like a bounced email with an attachment.
Controlling Spyware
Spyware is software that is intentionally hidden on personal computers, designed to stay hidden and do things consumers don’t know about, things that are unwanted or malicious. Here are some programs that can remove spyware:
 Vipre Antivirus 2014 from ThreatTrack Security, Inc. is what I use for my Anti-Spyware, Anti-Virus, and Firewall.It’s all in one program! | Adaware from Lavasoft and Spybot Search and Destroy are both free. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to run all three!
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Roger Weiss owns the Boston Web Company, a website design company located in the Boston metro area.