Computer Security 101 - are you at Risk?

With the number of identity theft victims growing every day, it is no surprise that computer security is a big concern for most computer users. With the increase in attacks on computers and theft of sensitive information,firewalls and virus protection programs have gone from being rarely used on home computers to being things even the most technologically challenged users want to have installed. After all, noone wants to be the main character of a true life made for t.v. story about hackers breaking into a family's home computer, stealing their information, and then wiping the whole system out with a nasty virus or trojan program.

If you are one of the computer users who doesn't worry about computer security, it is time to start worrying. Without protection, your computer is as open to attack as a bank that leaves its doors unlocked after it closes. Without virus protection and a firewall, it is just a matter of time until you are the victim of an attack. Hopefully, it won't be serious enough that you have to buy a new computer, or even worse, try to repair your credit after someone stole your identity.

As dangerous as it is to have no security at all on your computer, there are still many people who simply don't bother to use it. They don't have even the most basic anti-virus protection or firewall software on their computers. Still, they happily open every email they receive, download files right and left and surf iffy sites as if they have top of the line security. If you talk to them about their lack of protection, they act as if you are speaking a foreign language. Often, they say they've never had a problem, but a quick check of their computers will reveal so many viruses and annoying spyware programs that the poor systems can barely manage to start up and do a few simple tasks.

Of course, not all the dangers are online. Offline problems with identity theft are also growing at an alarming speed. From withdrawing cash from your ATM to handing your credit card to the waitstaff at your favorite restaurant, every transaction is somewhat risky. Scammers continue to develop techniques to steal identities and money, such as taking a quick photo of your credit card with a camera phone or putting a reader on the local ATM machine that sends your information to them. Still, online problems continue to be a major concern, as well.

Now that you understand why computer security is such a major concern with people who spend time using computers, it is time to learn to protect your computer. Don't worry that this task is only for tech heads. People who are complete novices to the world of computers can still keep their information safe and protect their computers. We have designed this site to help you do just that by avoiding all of that technical jargon that is so confusing to new computer users. Learn how to protect your computer and the next time someone asks you about computer security, you will be able to say that you have spyware detection, virus protection and a firewall on your computer.