Security is a major issue for most home web users. Figures provided by web security experts indicate that the number of malicious attacks across the web rose by a staggering 253% over the last year (2007). New methods of attack appear so regularly that we need as much help as possible to stay protected. You may think that it is costly to protect your PC, but in fact, it is not!

We have scoured the Internet to find the best free tools to help you to stay safe online.

Anti-Virus

If you don't have anti-virus installed and enabled on your computer you can become infected within minutes of connecting your computer to the Internet! This is a tool you really cannot do without.

We recommend:

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

Winner of PC Pro's Software of the Year Award 2007, it is hard to beat AVG for free anti-virus protection. With millions of users globally, you will find it difficult to find better protection without paying a lot of money.

Download at: http://free.grisoft.com/

File Size: 30.3 MB

Firewall

A firewall places a barrier between your computer and the Internet and works by filtering out everything that can pass through to keep your system safe from hacking- style attacks. Windows XP and Vista have a firewall already installed on the operating system and we would recommend you enable these immediately. You can never be too safe and we also recommend that you double your security by installing another firewall for additional protection.

We recommend:

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall

ZoneAlarm is a well known firewall which has been in existence for many years protecting the PCs of home internet users. You can control security zones and allow or deny applications access over the Internet easily through its controls.

Download: http://www.zonealarm.com

File Size: 39.7 MB

Anti-Malware

Tracking cookies and spyware have been around for some years but it is surprising how many people are unaware of their existence. They can be used to collect personal data on you by tracking your every move on the Internet.

We recommend both:

Spybot – Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware 2007 Free

We recommend both of these applications as there are so many different malwares currently on the web that you need to ensure you remove as many of them as possible. By installing both anti-malware devices you are effectively doubling the chances of removing any malware you may have acquired during your time on the web.

Spybot – Search & Destroy

Download: http://www.safer-networking.org

File Size: 9.3MB

Ad-Aware 2007 Free

Download: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

File Size: 20.3MB

Anti-Rootkit

A rootkit is a relatively new technique of installing and hiding malware on your PC. The malware is installed in such a way that it becomes invisible to most anti-malware tools. Anti-rootkit software seeks out any malware and removes it from your system.

We recommend:

F-Secure Blacklight

We recommend this product for its ease of use. Just click on ‘scan' and it will start scanning your computer for anything hiding beneath the surface.

Download: http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight

File Size: 894KB

Anti-Phishing

Ever had an email from a company you have an account with telling you to urgently log in? If the answer is ‘yes', then you have probably been subjected to a phishing scam. These types of attack try to trick you into entering your password details into a website which has been mocked up to look like your bank or credited card company.

We recommend:

McAfee SiteAdvisor

This browser add-on protects you from dangerous websites by using a traffic-light warning system. You are warned by a red light for dangerous sites, a yellow light for potentially dangerous sites and a green light for safe sites. It even highlights your search results for you!

Download: http://www.siteadvisor.com

Browser Support: IE7, Firefox

File Size: 236KB

Don't forget!

It's not enough just to have all the security applications listed above installed to secure your computer. You need to make sure they are all activated and UP-TO- DATE!!