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latest software. Taking advantage of auto-update features in your
software is a great start toward keeping yourself safe online.
Protect your computer with security software
Several types of security software are necessary for basic online
security. Security software essentials include firewall and antivirus
programs. A firewall is usually your computer's first line of defense-it
controls who and what can communicate with your computer online.
You could think of a firewall as a sort of "policeman" that watches all
the data attempting to flow in and out of your computer on the
Internet, allowing communications that it knows are safe and
blocking "bad" traffic such as attacks from ever reaching your
computer.
The next line of defense many times is your antivirus software, which
monitors all online activities such as email messages and Web
browsing and protects an individual from viruses, worms, Trojan horse
and other types of malicious programs. Your antivirus and
antispyware software should be configured to update itself, and it
should do so every time you connect to the Internet.
Integrated security suites such as Norton Internet Security, which
combine firewall, antivirus, antispyware with other features such as
antispam and parental controls, have become popular as they offer all
the security software needed for online protection in a single
package. Many people find using a comprehensive security suite an
attractive alternative to installing, configuring and updating several
different types of security software.
