Safe Shopping Online

I was updating and adding to the free software downloads page the other day and it prompted me to write a little bit about safe shopping on the internet.

When I started out on the internet around the year 2000, it was essential to have an antivirus program running on your computer but it seemed that only corporate computers had firewalls.

Well, in 2009, it's essential to have both a firewall and antivirus to keep viruses at bay, and as well as viruses, we are now plagued with spyware, adware and other malware to deal with!

With that in mind, you have 2 main choices; To pay for the software or download the software free of charge. I can tell you which I prefer!

The free software which I recommend offers free updates, unlike certain well known paid-for antivirus programs, and the quality is not any less for being free. Companies obviously have to pay to have these programs on their computers but for personal use, there's no cost.

You must update your antivirus program regularly so that you have the latest information for the latest viruses, otherwise, it's hardly worth having. Daily is best, set to automatically update.

A firewall stops viruses getting into your computer via websites and unwanted downloads, as well as stopping people hacking into your computer randomly as you're surfing. A firewall is even more important to have with broadband, as you are permanently connected to the internet.

As well as installing an antivirus and firewall and keeping them upto date, you also need to take note of the following.

• Don't download programs, music, videos, and the like from illegal and unknown websites. Sites which offer free music and films illegally are notorious for including viruses and spyware in them. Seemingly innocent little downloads from unknown websites can carry adware too. Download music and software from trusted sites.
• People who visit porn sites seem to pick up viruses on their computers frequently, so it seems. I'm not sure how, but if that's your thing, you need to scan your computer regularly and don't download anything.
• Try to use recommended or well known websites to shop. Retail sites which don't contain a street address, privacy policy, returns policy etc, are not professional and should be avoided. Many websites now offer PayPal as a payment method. This is an easy way for businesses to accept online payments, especially the small business, and it's also good for the customer as they take complaints from customers seriously.

As long as you follow the above advice and update your antivirus and firewall regularly, you should be ok but the odd little bit of malware can still sneak in from time to time so you need to scan your computer once a month or if you get pop-ups or if your computer is constantly running slow.

I've listed a couple of online virus/spyware scans on the page below amongst the free software downloads. Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner not only finds and removes viruses and spyware, it finds all the useless rubbish on your computer and deletes that as well, speeding things up in the process. Because it's a Microsoft tool, it's also a safe and trusted tool to use on Windows computers. Some programs which pass themselves off as antivirus programs, actually plant stuff on your computer!

http://www.gooddeals4u.co.uk/free_software_downloads.html

A site which I find good for downloading software, free or otherwise, is Cnet Download.com. The software states 'Tested Spyware Free'. You can also read reviews of the programs to see if they're good or not.

http://www.download.com/

Here's to Safe Shopping!

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