How to avoid sharks - and surf in peace

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If you're a regular sufferer of pop-ups, you may have been inadvertently infected with a form of adware. There are two main ways you catch it: either by downloading software that secretly contains adware or by visiting a malicious website.

The Internet is becoming an increasingly dangerous place. According to Microsoft, an unguarded PC can become infected within minutes of being connected. If you haven't protected your PC or notebook adequately, you need to take action now.

Firewalls: addressing the cause: A firewall is your first point of defence against intruders. There are different types of firewall technologies available - many of which are used in combination for greater security. Here are the main kinds:

Packet filter - This allows or blocks incoming and outgoing traffic according to specific Web addresses (IP addresses) or a type of application (e-mail, web, etc.). Proxy server - Acting as a relaying mechanism between the sender and receiver, it evaluates responses to and requests by the client (user PC). It is an important component in many network firewalls.

Firewall software - Useful to both business and private user, it provides protection against cyber intruders or unwanted access to your PC. Firewalls can detect incoming and outbound traffic and often require you to permit or reject certain requests for greater control. Windows XP Service Pack 2 comes with a built-in firewall.

Curing the ailment: adware and spyware removal tools: Once you have your firewall in place, you will need to remove any perpetrators already residing on your system. Again, there is highly effective free software that scans for known types of spyware/adware. Here are two popular options:

Ad-Aware - this is provided by Lavasoft, an industry leader in anti-spyware software solutions, offering both business and consumer versions. The Ad-Aware Personal edition is free of charge.

Playing it safe via anonymous Web surfing: If you wish to further minimise the risk of infection, you may want to consider 'anonymous surfing.' Anonymous surfing enables you to visit websites without you needing to reveal your computer system, country of residence or IP address.

The most common way to surf anonymously is to enter your desired website address into an anonymous surfing proxy site. This site will retrieve the web page and present it to you. The retrieved website is not able to receive any information about you or your system. Instead, the remote server (where the Web page you requested resides) is provided with information about the anonymous surfing service.

This option has both its advantages and disadvantages. Anonymous web surfing increases your feeling of security, which explains the solution's popularity. In terms of disadvantages, proxy site surfing does not offer the user any form of personalisation. As a result, users will not be able to use it for shopping sites, for example, where temporary cookies are stored on your computer containing information about purchases or your shopping cart.

However, you may find that using proxy sites in tandem with standard surfing - where you feel secure visiting certain sites - is an excellent way to optimise your privacy and reduce the risk of spyware or virus infection.

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