Oh noes! Someone stoled my megahurtz!

I [Ben or Heliologue, depending on how well you know me] talk about a lot of things on my blog, Schrödinger’s Cat is Dead. The question becomes, now that I’m gleefully guestblogging on Lauren’s well-established and overtly sociopolitical blog, what I can talk about that she hasn’t covered and that would be of some use to people who are reading it. Though usually technology issues are a bit too esoteric for such matters, I happen to have what I think is a good topic for even the internet unsavvy.

So, you’ve got a computer, and let’s say for the sake of argument that you’ve got it hooked up (very possibly via a cable or DSL modem) to the big scary internet, a glorious beacon of information, entertainment, and hot Asian teens, but also teeming with viruses, advertisements for Viagra, and people who’d love nothing more than your credit card number.

Most people know that there are ways to protect yourself. Unfortunately, a lot of these things cost serious money, money you’d rather not spend. Making it worse, your damn kids insist on instant messaging everyone in the hemisphere and browsing god-knows-where in search of some of those Asian teens. How can you make your computer safe without breaking the bank? Easy. What follows are five handy programs you can use for free that will help keep your computer safe.

1. Mozilla Firefox is a browser, much like Internet Explorer. However, IE is massively unsafe because of the way it allows websites to install software without your permission, amongst other things. Mozilla Firefox is an open-source program (that is, it’s developed by thousands of programmers all over the world) with features to stop pop-up ads and reduce the amount of malicious software that gets on your computer. Taking even this step is a huge step forward is securing your computer.
2. No computer anywhere should be without antivirus protection. The last year+ has seen a nonstop barrage of crippling viruses making their way across the net, and if you don’t have a decent antivirus program, chances are, you got it. If you bought a Compaq/HP or a Dell (or any other prebuilt computer), you likely got a free subscription to Norton or McAfee or PC-Cillin that expires within a year, and costs $40-75 to renew. The good news is, you can put your pocketbook away. Grisoft offers AVG Antivirus, a fully-featured, free antivirus solution for home users. You don’t have to pay for it, ever.
3. If you use a cable or DSL modem, especially if you only have one computer, you likely have no firewall for your computer. Most routers (which split the usage of the cable modem) have a hardwall firewall, which is very effective for personal computer protection. However, if you don’t, you need to get yourself a software firewall to prevent against hackers, information thieves, and certain types of incoming viruses. There are several free firewalls, but based on my testing, I’ve determined that Kerio Personal Firewall, Sygate Personal Firewall, and Outpost Firewall are the best. With these programs, you can choose which programs are allowed to access the internet, and they will automatically stop unauthorized attempts to access your computer.
4. A lot of people might think that Word, Excel, and Powerpoint are word processing. These Microsoft programs have become so synonymous with office programs that they’ve almost become the new noun (like “search” became “google”). However, not only is Microsoft Office expensive (hundreds of dollars), it’s also unsafe. Many antivirus programs are adding a component whose sole purpose is to scan your MS Office documents for viruses. The answer? OpenOffice.org. This is a completely free (open source, like Firefox) Office suite, which includes Word Processing, spreadsheet, a Powerpoint clone, an html editor, and even a drawing program. What’s more, it has features that MS Office doesn’t, like smaller file size. The next major revision, v2.0 is scheduled for release in June, though a stable beta candidate is available at their website.
5. Perhaps even more daunting today than viruses is spyware, a new breed of malicious software that installs without your knowing it, and either bombards you with ads, sends your information to thieves, tells companies about your computing habits, or dials 900 numbers in Europe with your modem. A big problem, certainly, because while many people have antivirus, only newer antivirus programs have any sort of capacity to deal with spyware. However, there are three truly excellent programs for dealing with spyware. I would recommend getting at least two out of the three of them. They are Spyboy Search & Destroy, Lavasoft AdAware , and SpywareBlaster. The first two will scan your computer and remove spyware, while the last will prevent most spyware from being installed in the first place.

There are a lot of free programs that not many people know about, some suitable for the average user, some only of concern to advanced users. For a more in-depth listing, check out my Free Software page. Remember that no amount of security programs are a substitute for common sense and safe internet practices.

And thanks to Lauren for the chance at open-source proselytization and shameless self-promotion. Here’s hoping the rest of her experiment in trust goes smoothly.