There are many threats out there that can cause harm to your computer. Fortunately, there are many ways to protect yourself and with a little bit of common sense, you will be free to explore all that the Internet has to offer:

 

• Downloading movies and music with third party programs can be risky. Quite often these programs leave the "back door" open and allow in malicious programs and files. Make sure your anti-virus software is always up to date and check for spyware frequently. Also make sure that your version of Windows is up to date by visiting http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com on a regular basis.

 

• If you receive an e-mail from a person or organization you don't know, be careful if you open the e-mail or any of the attachments. It is best to err on the side of caution. If something looks suspicious, or seems too good to be true, it probably is.

 

• If you do receive an e-mail or download a file that contains a program, make sure you are fully aware of what the program is before you run or install it.

 

• Don't install multiple firewalls or anti-virus software. More is not always better! Sometimes two anti-viruses work against each other and sometimes two firewalls will lock down your computer too tightly so you can't send or receive data, even if you specifically ask for it.

 

• Play it safe. If you encounter something you don't recognize, something that seems too good to be true, or something that you don't understand, you might want to wait until you get the proper information to make the safe choice.