If you aren’t already using an antivirus/firewall (av/fw) program, or the free trial that came with your computer is running out, you’re likely considering going with one of the industry’s heavy hitters: Symantec, Kaspersky, McAfee, or Trend Micro. These are not necessarily the best choice for you, though. Just because a solution is free or is not widely known, doesn’t mean that it’s not a good program.

One thing you do need to understand of pretty well every av/fw solution that is on the market - whether it is a paid version or a free version - you will be inundated with ads. Every company wants to make money. If you get a free version, you will be given offers for the paid version. If you get the paid version, you will be given offers for the ultimate paid version. If you get the ultimate paid version, you will be given offers for expert computer assistance subscriptions. As horrible as it sounds, internet security software makers prey upon the users who are not computer savvy, using their lack of knowledge and fear of the unknown to make users believe that they NEED the more expensive program and the one-on-one assistance offered as an additional fee.

There are two very important things to remember when considering the right internet security protection for your computer. Number one, it is important to chose a robust program that includes the features that you need. Number two, it is important that fear does not get the best of you. Make informed decisions, and do not ever trust the word of a random person on the other end of the line that is trying to get you to buy a service - at least in regards to your computer’s security and health. If you believe your computer has a virus, take your computer to a local repair shop (I do not recommending using big chains - go local!) and see what they have to say.

Computer users in any country of the world perform similar tasks and majority of computers have similar software installed: various editors (text, table, graphic, audio and video), browsers, players, archivers, antiviruses, image viewers, etc.

Under such ‘total’ use of similar software, its file formats inevitably become popular and most used. Below you will find a short list of most common file formats.

Table of file formats and software for creation/editing of these types of files

When you think of VPN, the first thing that usually comes to mind is work. Many big corporations use VPNs to provide access to confidential work documents, and to allow their employees to safely work remotely. What many people don’t realize is that VPNs are your #1 defense on the internet.

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. Much like physical private networks (ie your work’s intranet), VPNs keep the data you’re sending and receiving private. The majority of VPNs also encrypt your data, meaning that even if it were to be intercepted, it would not be useful.

Security Risks Online

The security risks that are present on the internet are nearly uncountable. From phishing scams that try to get your usernames and passwords or personal and financial information to sales scams to loan scams. If someone out there thinks they can benefit from making a victim out of you, they will try it at least once. We’d all like to think that we are smart enough to fall for a scam. Many people believe that they do not have enough money that anyone would want to target them for a scam. Unfortunately, neither of these are true.

We’ve all heard of it. In fact, we all use it, even if you don’t know you’re using it. The Cloud makes life easier. One of the problems with defining the cloud is that it is a new and growing idea. As new providers and new technologies emerge, the definition of the cloud computing changes.

Essentially, “the Cloud” is a storage space or service available from anywhere you have an internet connection. One of the first things that likely comes to mind is email. Web-based email, like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or Hotmail, store your emails “online”. Your emails do not need to be downloaded to your computer to be read, the way that email was way-back-when in the days of ISP mail and Outlook. Of course, you can opt to download your emails, if you know how, so you can keep a local copy, but most users don’t ever do that. Even though you say your email is ‘online’, it is actually on a server somewhere that is always connected to the internet, and is accessible to you, from any device that has an internet connection and a browser (or an app!). In other words, your email is in The Cloud.

Much of what we do online today is in “the Cloud.” Though it’s not likely to come to mind, social networking sites are in the cloud: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. All of the data that you use, save, and access is not saved locally on your computer, but instead on a server somewhere specifically designed for that social media platform. There are also a variety of hosting services available that you likely utilize that keep your data in ‘the cloud’: Google drive (or Google docs, if you’re like me and still call it that), Office 365, Photobucket, Flickr, etc. These services allow you to upload and save files so you can access them from any location that has internet. Certain services, like Google Drive for example, allow you to upload nearly any type of file you could want to store as well as offering ‘office’ services (documents, spreadsheets, forms, presentations) that can be created directly from the service itself.