AVG - never a problem, used it on 4 pc's so far... would also recommend Opera web browser, excellent and has very good email client built in. Keep your IE6 available just for the odd web site that doesn't work with anything else.... like having a spare free web email account purely for registering online and shopping. All spam will go there for easy deletion. coops
Thanks. Another question is the possibility of hackers stealing information from your computers . I am not talking about things like your surfing habits or passwords, but actually accessing your files and perhaps transfer some word or excel files from your system. I know it is possible but any idea of likelihood of it happening to anyone and also is it very hard to do if you have a firewall installed?
There are several sites you can visit which will allow you to determine how vulnerable you are to hacking. In essence, each of these sites attempts (with your authorization) to access your computer. The extent to which they are successful (or not) allows you to gauge how vulnerable you might be. Some of the sites that I visit at irregular intervals are: www.grc.com (ShieldsUp option -- firewall test. Also has LeakTest software to see if info can be communicated *from* your PC to the internet) http://www.auditmypc.com (firewall and other tests) http://scan.sygate.com (firewall, trojan tests, etc.) The best you can hope for in these tests is "full stealth" -- in other words, a hacker attempting to access your computer would receive no indication that there was an active connection at tyour assigned IP address. Bear in mind that you really need to worry about bidirectional security. For instance -- most folks only worry about hackers trying to get in. It's just as important to know if any of your installed software is trying to send information out without your knowledge (spyware, perhaps). For this reason, I not only run a NAT box to isolate myself from hackers, but I also run ZoneAlarm which will detect any attempts to "phone home". A good introductory article on this topic may be found here: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/9787 Whatever you decide to do, make certain that the firewall hardware/software is compatible with any trading software you may wish to use. For instance, if you use a VPN connection, make certain that the hardware/software you use works with VPN standards (commonly something like IPSEC). I'm not terribly familiar with VPN standards, so I can't comment on this intelligently other than to note that it can be an issue for the unwary.
NP. BTW -- if you are really interested in maintaining privacy/security, stay away from wireless networking gear. It's far too easily compromised. There are ways of making it more secure -- enabling the built-in WEP protocols, disabling the SSID broadcast and such, but still, when running a network, Cat5 cabling if far more secure. For instance -- here's a site dedicated to software that allows you to find and attach to unsecured wireless access points:http://www.netstumbler.com/ Even if no one steals your data, your connection can be used for nefarious purposes, and, since any suspicious activity would be traced back to your IP address, you could be on the hook for some other perp's activities. Here are a few examples of what's possible (one of which involves criminal interception of child porn): http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/News/2003/11/22/264938.html http://www.wardriving.com/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/04/13/war_driving_by_the_bay/ http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,72024,00.html
I always thought wireless routers might be some sort of risk, and thus stayed with wired ones. I never knew for sure though. Unbelievable about being branded a "child porn" user. You might as well kill yourself once you get that label...