In today's crazy internet world it's getting more and more essential to continually update and protect your computer. Practically every day a new virus or a new way to break into your system is developed. So, we wanted to remind you to "Update Your Software" on a regular basis.
There are two main things that you should do to help protect yourself:
1) Keep Your Operating Systems Up-To-Date
2) Keep Your Virus Protection Up-To-Date
The majority of the world is currently running Windows based operating systems. There are those that have Mac computers or are running other software like LINUX, but the majority of us use Windows because that is what is most commonly available. Unfortunately, the ruthless hackers out there know this and are constantly creating programs and scripts to specifically attack Windows systems. To them, not only are they going after the world's largest computer company, but they can also hit the largest amount of the public at once.
To combat this, Windows offers "Live Updates" on a regular basis. Some of you may have your computers set to automatically go out and get these, but the majority don't even know it exists. If you haven't updated lately, then you aren't protected. Just this past month, a "huge flaw" was found in Internet Explorer that allows hackers to actually enter your computer after you've simply clicked on their links on a website. A whole set of updates have been released to combat this, but if you haven't done the "live update" than you could be asking for someone to steal everything on your computer including your identity and credit card information.
The second issue is Virus Definitions. If you don't have Anti-Virus and Firewall protection on your computer, you are really asking for trouble. Even if you do have the correct software though, you have to keep it "up-to-date". Every day new viruses come out and the virus protection companies spend lots of time creating new ways to protect you. A lot of people purchase the software and then never do the update. They think they are protected, but they absolutely are not!
In reality, even if you do the above things it doesn't mean that you are completely safe. But, it does get you a huge step closer to protecting yourself and your computer from the deadly hackers out there. Don't forget to "update your computer software"!
