Unfortunately, yes, in several ways.
While in principle the web is designed to be safe, security
flaws are sometimes uncovered in web browser software, and
unscrupulous people have been known to exploit them. Fortunately,
there are five major steps you can take to protect yourself
effectively:
Do NOT click "yes" or "OK" when asked
if you wish to install extra software or "Active-X controls"
when you visit a web page, unless you are installing something
well-known and reasonably trustworthy such as Adobe Acrobat
Reader, Macromedia Flash Player or RealPlayer. If you know
what you are doing and have up-to-date antivirus software,
you can install optional programs, but NEVERagree to the requests
of dialog boxes that pop up asking you to install extra software
when visiting a completely unrelated web site. Install the
frequently required plug-ins mentioned above; they cover most
situations in which optional software is needed. Naively agreeing
to install useless and dangerous Active-X controls is the
most common way for a virus or other unwanted software to
infect your computer from a web page. For more information,
including how to clean up the mess if your computer has become
infected, see the entry on Active-X controls.
Internet Explorer users with Microsoft Windows: run Windows
Update frequently or automatically. See the Microsoft Windows
Update page.When Microsoft is made aware of security holes
in Internet Explorer that could allow a program to install
itself without the user agreeing to it, they provide security
fixes in this way. If you do not get these updates, your computer
WILL be vulnerable, even if you refuse to install Active-X
controls. Alternatively, switch to a different web browser
such as Mozilla or Opera. Of course, you must keep up with
new versions of those programs as well. However, most virus
authors seem to target the most popular browser.
Install quality antivirus software, and ALLOW IT TO FETCH
AUTOMATIC UPDATES. If your antivirus software icon is blinking
at you, it is probably asking your permission to go fetch
crucial updates you must have to keep its protection up to
date; click the icon and answer those prompts. As of this
writing, Grisoft offers AVG, a quality antivirus utility,
free for home use. Symantec offers Norton Antivirus, and McAfee
Security also provides a quality antivirus program. Good Windows
antivirus software for business use is not free. If you must
run Windows for your business, you will need to buy antivirus
software.
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Web Promotion FAQs
