In this day and age, computers are increasingly becoming the primary means of communication for many people, both in the personal arena and for business.  Because of this important function, computers are essentially hubs of information, both outgoing and incoming.  And with the latest generation of Web accessibility, in which computers can now remain connected to the Internet 24 hours a day, a huge number of people are seeking to take advantage of the still young Internet’s many vulnerabilities.

After all, the basic systems used in our computers were designed long before the Internet was in every household, and correspondingly, the basic infrastructure of the Internet was created long before today’s Web security threats could be anticipated.  Thus, until these systems are dramatically updated — which could take years or decades — we each must take Web security into our own hands.

For this purpose, many companies have created innovative security software, which can be used to protect our computers and networks from the ever-changing pool of threats that thrive on the Internet.  These threats rely upon the vulnerability inherent in the still-rough Internet security infrastructure. The goal of antispam, antispyware, and antivirus programs is to patch up the gaping holes in Internet security, and thus combat these threats.

Essential to any home or business computer security system is firewall software.  A firewall is essentially a security software device that presents outside entities from access the information on your computer.  Hackers and spammers are always finding new ways to get to this information, but a firewall will prevent them from doing so on your computer.

The original online annoyance to pervade the Internet was spam, which, in its basic form, encompasses various ways for people and companies to advertise for free to unsuspecting potential customers.  At best, spam is merely an annoyance, but at its worse, spam can be an invasion of privacy, or it can contain images and language that are offensive.  To combat spam, many security software companies have come up with antispam solutions, including easy-to-install programs available for purchase or for free on the Internet.

Spyware is the natural extension of spam.  Once individuals and software security companies found ways to combat and block spam from our browsers and email accounts, the same spammers started looking for new ways to get into our computers.  Spyware is, basically, small, mostly invisible programs that install themselves on our computers without our knowledge.  Once installed, they gather information to send back to their parent companies.  Obviously, this type of personal invasion is a major security threat, and antispyware software is necessary to combat it.

Finally, of course, we all know about viruses.  More sinister even than both spam and spyware, viruses are designed to attack our computers with no mercy, in some cases even crashing hard-drives or otherwise leaving computers unusable.  Blocking and fighting against viruses is one of the top imperatives of computer security software, and Web users are well advised to stay off of the Internet completely until they have antivirus software installed and functioning on their computer.  Additionally, it’s important to have antivirus software that updates itself with the latest threats and virus definitions.

Computer security software is designed and manufactured by a wide variety of companies, and is available both for home use and for business computer networks.  Before choosing which software to use, it’s important for a computer user to research all of the various options that are available.  When it comes to our personal information and business data, the last thing we want to do is rely upon faulty security software.  Only the best will do.