Computer for play? Should I still worry over security concerns?

Question

To explain my ignorant question and first defend my ignorance.... "I was new to using computers when we first got this one..." I eccpeted pictures from people I didn't really know even music... So now I have yet to have my computer looked at ONLY because I think still I would be afraid to use it for anything other than play...

My kids play games on it, my hubby uses it for Fantasy Sports, and I use it to shop for things I like but go to the store to get... "I never use online shopping for anything other than that..." I also use it to play on Answers now... Have for some time...

This is all we use this computer for so my question now....

"Should I still be concerned over internet security?" For what reasons? I do have a protection on it for viruses and such... But wont dare use if for anything business related.

I do monitor my children on it so do I have anything else to be concerned with? WHAT does it mean for someone to access my computer?

Answer 1

go to this site use the FREE scan and it will tell you the answer to your question, it will also remove Viruses if any on your PC for FREE

Answer 2

well if i were u i would upgrade to highest security possible. i would get Norton 360 and scan my whole computer which should take about an hour just to make sure that there is no viruses. i scanned my comp. once and it found and removed virus no problem. It is also good, because it has an add on for internet explorer which protects you against fraudulent web sites  

so in case you are shopping you know it is the real site and not fake.

Answer 3

Make sure you NEVER download anything from emails especially from people you don't know as they will install viruses and c**p on your computer, also ensure that you only visit trusted sites and keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware protection up to date and do weekly scans. I also suggest you use Firefox for browsing the internet as it is much safer than IE.

Answer 4

Ensure that your antivirus is up-to-date, also add:

Spyware Doctor Free Basic Edition - Realtime monitoring:

http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_inst...

Its free with Google pack, untick all boxes except Spyware Doctor. Download install, update and run.

It will stop malicious programs from downloading.

Also consider adding the mywot toolbar:

http://www.mywot.com

It will cover any unsafe sites with a blacked out window and a warning.

It is backed by:

http://www.phistank.com/

http://www.it-mate.co.uk/ (hpHosts)

http://www.8falcons.com/ among others and is also community driven so that users can add unsafe sites or sites that are not child friendly to the increasing database. It is updated every 30 minutes.

How it works:

http://cotojo.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/w...

Also worth using  KeyScrambler which encrypts everything that you type in including credit care numbers, usernames, passwords, bank details etc.

http://www.download.com/KeyScrambler-Per...

Works on most browsers, email clients and IM programs, and it's free.

How to use:

http://cotojo.wordpress.com/2008/06/06