Acer Aspire ES1-711 user manual Protect your computer with security software

78 - Internet and online security

Protect your computer with security software

Several types of security software are necessary for basic online security. Security software essentials include firewall and antivirus programs. A firewall is usually your computer's first line of defense-it controls who and what can communicate with your computer online. You could think of a firewall as a sort of "policeman" that watches all the data attempting to flow in and out of your computer on the Internet, allowing communications that it knows are safe and blocking "bad" traffic such as attacks from ever reaching your computer.

The next line of defense many times is your antivirus software, which monitors all online activities such as email messages and Web browsing and protects an individual from viruses, worms, Trojan horse and other types of malicious programs. Your antivirus and antispyware software should be configured to update itself, and it should do so every time you connect to the Internet.

Integrated security suites such as McAfee Internet Security Suite, which combine firewall, antivirus, antispyware with other features such as antispam and parental controls, have become popular as they offer all the security software needed for online protection in a single package. Many people find using a comprehensive security suite an attractive alternative to installing, configuring and updating several different types of security software.

Acomplete version of McAfee Internet Security Suite is pre-installed on your Acer system. It includes a free trial subscription to protection updates. Make sure you Activate it!

Choose strong passwords and keep them safe

Passwords are a fact of life on the Internet today; we use them for everything from ordering flowers and online banking to logging into our favorite airline Web site to see how many miles we have accumulated. The following tips can help make your online experiences secure:

•Selecting a password that cannot be easily guessed is the first step toward keeping passwords secure and out of the wrong hands. Strong passwords have eight characters or more and use a combination of letters, numbers and symbols (e.g., # $ % ! ?). Avoid using any of the following as your password: your login name, anything based on your personal information such as your last