Security on the 'net - either when browsing the web or reading e-mail - is a major issue. Viruses, trojans, ad-ware and spy-ware all seem intent on infecting your computer with aims ranging from destruction of your files to getting your bank-account details.
The threats come from infected or deliberately-malicious web sites and via e-mail. It would be easy to feel helpless in the face of such an onslaught. But there is something you can do. You may not be able to stop the attempts to invade your computer but you can reduce significantly the chances of it actually being infected.
The malicious attacks are possible, in the main, because of serious, long-standing flaws in Microsoft's Windows operating system and, in particular, in Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) web browser and the Windows programs for handling e-mail.
It is essential that all security updates be applied to Microsoft Windows. For example, you should have Service Pack 2 (SP2) for XP and all the updates that followed. If you are running Vista you should have applied all the security updates that have already appeared.
The "best" solution might be to stop using any Microsoft products but that simply isn't possible for most people. However, you can and should stop using IE for your web browsing and Microsoft's Outlook or Outlook Express for e-mail. There are alternatives that are more secure and easier to use.
There's more than a few non-Microsoft web-browsers available that run under Windows (and on Apple's Mac, for that matter) but we suggest Mozilla's Firefox.
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| Firefox is easy to get and install, it's small and efficient so it doesn't hog your computer's resources and it's free. It offers advanced features such as tabbed browsing (the ability to switch between pages within a single window) and pop-up blocking without the need for third-party toolbars. (The latest update of IE has tabs and integrated pop-up blocking but it is available only with XP SP2 and with Vista.) |
You would still have IE on your system (indeed, you cannot remove it) and it would be used by Windows for other functions. It is possible that you might still want it for browsing any sites that have not been designed to work properly without ActiveX which is deliberately not provided by Firefox because of the security implications.
| It would also be worth considering getting and installing Mozilla's Thunderbird e-mail client as a replacement for the Microsoft programs. It will give you considerable insulation against viruses and trojans as well as advanced facilities for handling "spam" e-mail. And, like Firefox, it's free. |
The Astor Theatre has no connection with the Mozilla Foundation. This information and the links are provided solely because of our concern for your privacy and security. Our recommendation of Firefox does not imply that it is needed to access pages on this site.