How Security Technology Protects Your Computer

Computer security is critical to the usability and reliability of your computer system, your software applications, and the files you create. By understanding and using the latest security technology, you can help to keep your computer more secure.

Here are the four most important types of security technology that can help you protect your computer:

Firewalls

A firewall acts as a protective barrier or gatekeeper between your computer and the Internet that helps to protect your computer from online threats. Firewalls are simply software programs or hardware devices that filter information coming from the Internet to your computer system or private network. If incoming information is flagged by the filter as dangerous or suspicious, it is not allowed to pass through the firewall and into your computer. Firewalls work in one of three ways:

  • In packet filtering, small groups of data called "packets" are analyzed against a set of filters. Approved packets are allowed to pass through the firewall, while rejected packets are discarded.
  • A proxy service works with your computer system. The firewall retrieves requested information from the Internet and sends it to your computer, and also repeats the process in reverse. A common example of a proxy service is your e-mail system.
  • Stateful inspection, also called application layer filtering, looks at key parts of a packet (rather than the whole packet, as in packet filtering) and compares them to a database of trusted information. Information moving from behind the firewall to the Internet is examined for defining characteristics, and incoming information is checked against those characteristics. If there is a reasonable match, the information is allowed to pass through the firewall to your computer. If not, it is rejected.

There are three basic types of firewalls: software firewalls, hardware routers, and wireless routers. If you work for a large company, the computer you use is likely to be protected by one or more firewalls. But if you have a small business or a home network, or if you use a wireless network, make sure you have a firewall installed and turned on before you connect to the Internet.

Operating System Updates

Your computer operating system includes built-in security features that help to protect the computer and your data from malicious online activities. Your operating system also runs most of your other security technology, such as anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. By keeping your operating system current, you help to ensure you have the latest security updates, version upgrades, drivers, and other updates that are important to the security and reliability of your computer. To make this easier, many operating system manufacturers offer automatic updating services that will either alert you when new security updates are available or install them automatically with no further action from you.

Anti-virus Programs

Antivirus programs help to protect your computer from malicious software programs, such as viruses, worms, and Trojans that can enter your computer from e-mail or the Internet. Using algorithms to detect certain patterns in small sections of computer code and match them against "viral signatures" that indicate known or potential viruses, anti-virus programs are able to block or quarantine most incoming programs that could harm your computer or damage your files. Because anti-virus software examines small sections of code (just a few bytes) instead of having to scan entire files or programs, it can monitor thousands of files and programs in a short time and offer better protection. But it's not enough to simply install anti-virus software; you must make sure your settings allow frequent updates to help defend against new malicious programs that are written every day.

Anti-spyware Programs

These programs, often free for personal use, work in much the same way as anti-virus programs. By scanning your computer's memory, registry and hard disk, anti-spyware programs can detect and remove spyware from your computer system. In addition, anti-spyware programs monitor the Web sites you visit, looking for cookies and controls that have been identified as spyware. When spyware is located, it is quarantined and you are given the option of removing it. New spyware is developed regularly, however, so it's important to keep your anti-spyware programs updated.

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