Today, more and more people are using their computers for everything from communication to online banking and investing to shopping. As we do these things on a more regular basis, we open ourselves up to potential hackers, attackers and crackers.While some may be looking to phish your personal information and identity for resale, others simply just want to use your computer as a platform from which to attack other unknowing targets. Even large companies find themselves without the resources to match the efforts of those truly bent on creating havoc.Malicious programs are getting more complex and the number of them is increasing. The new viruses are getting "smarter" in that they propagate themselves quickly and they often hide themselves and are smart enough to move around in a system by renaming themselves in an effort to make it hard to remove them. The amount of effort to find and provide fixes for viruses is staggering. There are hundreds of new programs that get tested a day. In this book, you will learn a few easy, cost-effective steps you can take to make your computer more secure to begin with. Included here are steps for:• Fighting spam• How to prevent or combat spyware• How to stop intrusions into your system• Protection you can afford that are available in the market todayNo single product can guarantee that it can make your computer 100% safe. Still, you are much better off if you use such technology.