24 Hour Technical Support (888) 326-4296Fredericksburg Office (830) 992-2240 Toll Free (888) 297-1340P O Box
553, Fredericksburg, TX 78624
386
Friendship Lane, Fredericksburg,
TX 78624 |
Internet security!
Even though all incoming CTESC.net e-mail messages are scanned for Viruses by Postini your regular web surfing is not. Proper security on your computer and/or network is very important to prevent damage to your computer and stored data. Please review the steps and links below to ensure your system is protected.1) Install Anti-Virus software. Several programs can be purchased from Symantec, McAffee, Trend Micro, and others. Two FREE, fully functional, Anti-Virus programs are available for downloaded and installation on your system. Alwil Software provides Avast! and Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus is another.
(WARNING: DO NOT install more then one Anti-Virus program on a computer. Also, some viruses and worms can disable your anti-virus and firewall software without your knowledge. In these situations you will want to fully uninstall, and then reinstall anti-virus and firewall software.)
2) Update virus definitions on a regular basis and run a full virus scan on all systems at least weekly. Most Anti-Virus programs allow automatic updates and scheduled scans. Review the help file of the Anti-Virus program your using for more details.
3) Implement a hardware and/or software based firewall solution. A router is a hardware solution and the best firewall solution, but free software firewalls are also available. Finally, Windows XP/Vista have basic Firewalls which should be enabled if no other firewall is installed.
4) Install all critical operating system updates and patches. Official Microsoft updates can be downloaded from the Microsoft Windows Update site.
5) Install an Anti-Spyware and/or Anti-Trojan software solution. Again, several programs can be purchased from Symantec, McAffee, Trend Micro and others. We provide links to two FREE Anti-Spyware programs you can downloaded and install, Ad-Aware SE and Spybot. Unlike Anti-Virus programs, several Anti-Spyware programs can be installed at the same time.
Microsoft provides good information on all of these subjects. You can view their recommendations at: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security. Another great resource is Home PC Firewall Guide .
Net Nanny and CYBERsitter are "paid" applications that help parents control what their children view while surfing the Web. They do this by matching text on Web Sites, Chat rooms, newsgroups, FTP Sites, and E-mail address to unacceptable word lists, and matching URLs (website addresses) to lists of forbidden sites.
CCleaner is a tool to clean your system from temporary and unnecessary files that accumulate over time. This also includes thorough cleaning of Internet and PC usage tracks like browser cache, recently used files, web sites visited and more.
Firefox is an award winning Internet browser that operates
much like
Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Thunderbird is an e-mail
client
much like Microsoft's Outlook Express. Both programs offer
improved security and can be customized with add-on software.
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| Free Anti-Virus Software | |
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| Free Anti-Spyware Software | |
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| Parental Control Software | |
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| Other Recommended Free Software | |
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