Computer and Internet security are very wide-ranging and complex topics – so much so that even experienced experts specialize in just a subset of whole. This may be part of reason that a perception has developed among general online populace that anything related to "computer security" is too difficult to be tackled by anyone other than an expert.

So consider enigma we are presented with if that's all true.

On one hand, you'd have to be bereft of all five senses and living on Mars not to know there is a sub-culture of Internet denizens who get their jollies by interfering with, stealing from and generally harming other people. We all know this. Logically we must then understand that if we connect to Internet, we become potential victims of these cyber-grubs. But, on other hand, we just know that we are powerless to do anything about it because it's "all too hard".

The big corporates are OK – they can afford to hire those experts and specialists I just spoke of. But what about non-IT-expert, average computer user and/or small business operator – what do they do for protection?

Well, I am going to let you in on a little secret. A secret that, if you take it seriously, just may save your business in not too distant future.

A lot of what you have been led to believe is complete garbage.

Many experts treat average PC users as if they are imbeciles; many others know better but they want you to think you are an imbecile anyway. It's in their vested interests to have you thinking like that. As long as you "know" that security is just "too hard" there'll be an inflated demand for their services.

Don't get me wrong. There are some security issues that really are very complex and well beyond ken of mere mortals. Such situations do demand services of highly skilled specialists. Even basic security relating to mid- to big-business networks requires extensive technical knowledge.

But as a small business operator, there is an awful lot you can do to safeguard against ever getting into a compromised situation, and to safeguard privacy and integrity of your data.

That is, to safeguard success you have already attained as well as that still to come.

In Part 2 well look at one of biggest weaknesses in your Internet interactions – web browser. And no, it's not going to be a knock-Internet-Explorer-fest. Throughout this series we are going to stick to practicalities and realities.

In meantime I'd like to leave you with some homework. Here's a link to a detailed article I wrote concerning some urban myths about browsers: http://hackersnightmare.com/FreeContent/Browser_Wars.pdf

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NO … Stop Thinking Like That!!!

If you are thinking "Oh, Spybot is free and Ad-aware costs money — I'll use Spybot", you aren't paying attention. I was quite serious when I said: "sometimes one will catch intrusions that other won't, and vice versa". If you are only interested in stopping some threats — just ones you can stop for free — then you are wasting your time reading these articles. I promised to tell you facts, and this is a fact: You Need To Install Both Of These Programs.

Both Spybot-S&D and Ad-aware offer a number of configuration options and, as you may remember from anti-virus article, if configuration options are offered you should take that as a strong indication that you won't get most out of application until you set those options. Both of these applications offer quite a large number of configuration options, which may be a little daunting to some, but not at all beyond ability of average PC user. Ad-aware installs a User Manual accessible from Windows Start Menu (Start -> All Programs -> LavaSoft). Spybot-S&D has a tutorial available from program's Help menu.

Like your anti-virus program, it is extremely important that both Spybot-S&D and Ad-aware are updated regularly with new database information from their respective websites. If you need more detailed assistance with either of these very important defensive products, "The Hacker’s Nightmare" deals with both in depth.

For more information on products:

Spybot-S&D http://HackersNightmare.com?res=Spybot Ad-Aware Free http://HackersNightmare.com?res=AdawareFree Ad-Aware PRO http://HackersNightmare.com?res=AdawarePRO

The strength of both Spybot and Ad-aware is that they are very good at finding, identifying and eliminating certain types of nasties that have found their way into your computer — threats that your anti-virus program is probably not designed to detect.

There is another very important tool in this category that I always have installed on my PC's. Called SpywareBlaster from Javacool Software, this utility does not scan for and clean out spyware — rather, it's job is to preventing such threats from ever getting installed in first place.

SpywareBlaster also is available in a free version for non-commercial use, but I do not recommend it even if you do qualify. Like other applications we have discussed, SpywareBlaster must be regularly updated. While free version can be manually updated at any time, it has no provision for auto-updating. For a paltry $9.95 per annum licence fee, you can have very great advantage of scheduled auto-updating. Remember, such applications are only as good as their last update, and you certainly don't want to be relying on old data for your protection. http://HackersNightmare.com?res=SpywareBlaster

If this newsletter has been passed on to you by a friend, please subscribe yourself so you can be sure of receiving next part in this series, when we will look at a threat that is becoming very commonplace and which can cost you dearly — so-called "phishing" scams.

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