How easy is it to access a hard drive..?

[Buffalo]

A few days a go i managed to pick up a virus, which i am sure had a go at my address book...

And just now i was reading a post just now about Kazaa and associated spyware.

Sometimes i think (know??) that because in the last few years i have not been able to keep up with computer developments (travelling job etc), i do not fully understand the progress that has been made with regards remote computing etc... So much softwre allows you to link computers etc, but tis software must be corruptable - and i haven't the foggiest how to use it safely.

So i happily just jump on the net and wander about, not really caring where i go or what i look at, although i don't usually download things - but that is mostly cos my computer is so old and crappy at the moment it wouldn't cope.

So exactly how easy is it for someone who wants to, to access your machine whilst you are on the net nowadays? What software would ward against this sort of intrusion. If they get into the machine, what can they get hold of and is it just them, or does it become an open window to any computer scrote out there??

Thinking of getting a pukka machine, but if its gonna get hijacked within days i can't see the point. Think its about time i got back into this computer malarky...

Cheers

[plotloss]

Firewall...

Free and possibly the most valuable software you will ever own...

[alunr]

Anti Virus - about £40 a year - the second most useful bit of software you'll ever own.

[Buffalo]

Ok - so what ones work and where to get them from. Net, or shop?

[egomeister]

At the moment I am running three security programs on my pc.

Firewall: Zone Alarm, free from www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp

Anti-Virus: AVG Free edition from www.grisoft.com - not as fully featured as some of the retail software but has saved me a few times and has free regular updates.

Spyware remover: Ad-aware free edition from www.lavasoft.de - allows you to scan for any programs that may be monitoring your computer/net access and deletes them.

Hope that helps.

[pdV6]

ZoneAlarm

{edit:} Not quick enough on the draw that time

>> Edited by pdV6 on Wednesday 6th August 10:42

[manek]

egomeister said:

At the moment I am running three security programs on my pc. Firewall: Zone Alarm, free from www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp Anti-Virus: AVG Free edition from www.grisoft.com - not as fully featured as some of the retail software but has saved me a few times and has free regular updates. Spyware remover: Ad-aware free edition from www.lavasoft.de - allows you to scan for any programs that may be monitoring your computer/net access and deletes them. Hope that helps.

Exactly the same as I use -- all top of the free programs IME.

[docevi1]

ZoneAlarm is good but lacks a lot of features - you have to pay for the enhanced version.

While as Sygate Personal Firewall (www.sygate.com/) is the same it seems to have less features disabled and you can play around with it more.

AVG Virus is one of the better free Virus checkers on the market (www.grisoft.com)

[squirrelz]

Another thing like ad-aware is spybot search and destroy

http://spybot.eon.net.au/

[rico]

Slight hyjack but are these programs suitable for Apple Powerbooks? Should be recieving mine this week so want to get it protected.

Cheers. Rico

[squirrelz]

Nope. But as these sort of things almost entirely affect windows machines, you're not in so much risk.

Make sure you use the built in personal firewall.

[manek]

docevi1 said:

ZoneAlarm is good but lacks a lot of features - you have to pay for the enhanced version. While as Sygate Personal Firewall (www.sygate.com/) is the same it seems to have less features disabled and you can play around with it more. AVG Virus is one of the better free Virus checkers on the market (www.grisoft.com)

Problem with Sygate seems to be that [] they want money for it...