There are a lot of dangers just waiting to attack your computer. Viruses, malicious software and hackers all serve as potential threats to any computer that is connected to the Internet. There are various computer software programs that are available for download that will protect your computer from these types of attacks.
The first type of software that is available for computer protection is a downloadable firewall program. Firewalls serve as protective barriers from hackers and other attacks on a computer. It will stop the intruder who is trying to get into your computer before it even reaches your computer. Most anti-virus programs come with built in firewalls and users can adjust the level of protection that the firewall offers. If you do not want to purchase a firewall program, Microsoft offers a free firewall program that is available to all Windows users.
The second type of software that will prevent a number of attacks on your computer is a virus protection program. An anti-virus program will offer around the clock protection against any type of malicious software. Most anti-virus programs offer real time scanning which will alert users if they are downloading a program that could contain malicious software. Even with the real time scanning it is important to run routine scans of your computer in case a virus was downloaded onto the computer without your knowledge.
The third type of computer protection software that is a must have for computer users is some type of anti-spyware program. Even though anti-virus programs offer anti-spyware protection it is a good idea that you download a separate program that is designed specifically for spyware and adware. Some great anti-spyware programs include SuperAntiSpyware, MalwareBytes and SpyBot Search and Destroy. You will need to run a manual scan of anti-spyware programs as many do not offer real time scanning and therefore the anti-spyware gets downloaded onto the computer without the program alerting users.