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SECURITY UPDATE
The following information is provided as a guide to assist you in
protecting the information on your computer. It is intended for
information purposes only.
It is important that your computer is protected with a reputable
virus software and an anti-spy software, and most
importantly, that this software is regularly updated. Check with your
local software supplier on the best software for you.
Virus protection software
A computer virus is a program or piece of code that is
loaded onto your computer without your knowledge. It is designed to copy
itself into other programs stored in your computer, and then spread itself
from one computer to another, typically spread through file attachments,
shared documents, spreadsheets, exe files, software programs, or floppy
disks. Around 200 new viruses are detected each month, so it is important
to keep your antivirus software current. It is recommended that you update
your software once a month.
Anti-spy software
Spyware is software or hardware installed on a
computer without the user’s knowledge Spyware software file size can be
quite small and is downloaded directly from the Internet or attached to
other larger programs and activated during installations. It gathers
information about the user for later retrieval by whoever controls the
spyware. It employs a user’s Internet connection in the background without
their knowledge.This is a relatively new kind of threat that
common anti-virus applications do not yet cover, and can send information
back to the party that secretly installed the software on your computer.
It can send details on all kinds of activity ranging from keystroke
capture (such as your Internet banking password),
snapshots, email logging, chat logging, and just about everything else.
Anti-spy tools protect your privacy by detecting PC
monitoring tools and mechanisms that may track your activities.
This software must be run on a frequent basis to be effective, and
ideally it should be start of the PC start-up process.
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