Internet security software is designed to protect your computer from virus threats, and similar software scripts. It can of course do more, and if any of the following are relevant to you, then you will need to install some form of protection onto your computer. Whether that is Norton or any form of security software such as McAfee or Sophos is your choice.  
 

The list below is by no means complete, since there are aspects of such software that are specific to the application that you purchase, but this should be regarded as a minimum.  Also to be considered are other factors such as how user friendly it is, how quickly they can destroy threats and what range of threats can be detected. However, these are the minimum that you should expect of good internet security software.  
 

Virus Detection 
 

A virus needs files in which to proliferate. The type of file is irrelevant, and it can use the file to launch itself into a computer and multiply itself to infinity.  A Trojan horse is similar, only it needs you to invite it in.  A Trojan cannot come into your computer disguised as software, but as an email that has to be opened by you. It remains silent until you take the action to allow it in:  hence its name.  A worm is a different beast entirely, and needs a text file or spreadsheet file to help it move about.  
 

Adware Detection 
 

Adware comes hidden in applications, many of them free downloads. When you open the file you get a pop-up that is very difficult to remove.  Sometimes the only way is to shut down the computer and start it up again. If you download some free stuff, and then find you have all these pop-ups springing up, than that is adware, and a good internet security application should be able to remove it. Much adware is also spyware, but not all. 
 

Spyware Detection 
 

Spyware also comes with many free software applications. You are often provided with the choice of a free version of a particular piece of software, or a paid version that is free of spyware and adware. Most opt for the free version – at their cost.  Spyware checks your surfing habits on the internet, and then places adverts on your computer according to what it believes your interests to be.  Much adware is also spyware.

All good internet security software should be able to detect and remove adware and spyware in addition to viruses, worms and Trojan horses. 
 

The two usual methods used by internet security software to detect viruses are to determine the signature definition of the virus and to use what are known as heuristic algorithms to detect viruses by their behavior.  The term heuristic is a complex one to define, but basically involves solutions that are either quick to find, or are the best solutions, but that can never be both, but also could be neither.  But they work fairly well, and can find viruses before they are detected by other means. 
 

The first method works by comparing the contents of your computer’s drive contents and its RAM and boot sectors with the signature of the virus.  However it has the disadvantage that protection depends upon the virus being detected after it has done its work, and so the definition update will always be behind. You could therefore be infected by a virus before the internet security software of your choice has warned you of it. 
 

The second method works well, but also involves you being informed of the virus through an update, and unless you update regularly, you could still be caught out.  The first method is the more reliable, but the second the quicker. You, of course, do not know which of these two methods is being used by your internet security software, and all you can do is to faithfully update as regularly as possible.  Preferably daily, but definitely weekly. 
 

Another way in which you can help the security of your computer is by backing up to an external device that cannot be infected by a virus on your computer. If you buy a hard disk and a disk caddy, you can copy the whole of one hard disk to the other.  You should also back-up the operating system, but if you have an 80 GB hard disk, and purchase another for the relatively few dollars that it costs, you can copy everything, including software operating system and everything contained on your original hard disk. You can get a caddy (enclosure) and an 80 GB hard disk on eBay for under $80. 
 

There are things you can do to remove viruses from your computer, and restore your operating system after being infected, but since we are discussing how to avoid having to do these things, they will not be explained here. It is enough to say that if you had taken the correct action in advance of being infected, and installed the correct software such as Norton internet security software, you would not have that problem to resolve.  The important thing is not to get into this situation by taking the preventative measures ahead of time.
 

Keywords:  internet security software, Norton internet security, virus detection, adware detection, spyware detection 
 
 
 
 

Post brought to you courtesy of Computer Tips By Olan