Don't Get Sucked In, Or Sucked Up
A tech report at
USA Today reports that a lot of folks are buying into computer security packages. Symantec and McAfee are two of the companies offering such packages.
I stopped using McAfee a very long time ago and got rid of all my Symantec software a year or so ago - I'll never recommend any Norton security software nor would I install it in my worst enemy's computer.
The USA item says,"No single product ensures your PC is safe all the time" which is very true. So what's a fella to do?
A secure computer can only be maintained through two seperate components. First, you have to have adequate software protection. Second, you have to use your computer safely.
File-sharing, opening attachments, instant messaging, not running Windows Update, not updating virus and malware definitions, going to porn sites, using cracks, allowing others to use your computer - these are all the things that will get you in a world of shit.
Those are all the reasons my friends and neighbors call me and ask me to have a look at their computer. "It seems to be running very slow", they will tell me. Unbeknownst to them they loaded a trojan on their machine which made a Zombie out of their computer and it has been kicking out spam to the rest of the world. Or some really sharp seventeen-year-old is breaking into the Bank of Commerce server in Toronto and when the RCMP investigate it months from now, it will all come back to my neighbor's computer.
I think it is long past due that we adults sign up for a computer class and learn what the hell these computers are all about and stop these seventeen-year-olds from making monkeys out of us. What do ya think?
