Surf Security 101

The Surf is up , but are you ready for safe surfing?
The Internet can be a wonderful place of discovery and adventure, not to mention the incredible educational resources that are available for anyone who has access.

There is something of interest for just about everyone. But ever lurking
beneath the innocent looking waves of colorful tempting information...... are the sharks and predators who are out to seek and destroy the innocent and unsuspecting surfer. You can almost hear the sound effects from Jaws, in the background as a fresh initiate wades headlong into the murky waters of the World Wide Web.

The horror stories are many for the new initiates as they encounter firsthand experiences with the malicious entities that beckon,"Click Me,...Click Here",
......."You are just one mouse click away from diaster".

This is where you come in with the knowledge that you have acquired, and the knowledge that you shall acquire.You will become a most valuable asset for many innocent surfers who are just getting their first view of the vast digital horizon that awaits them.

By posting your experiences for the newcomers to blogs such as Surf Security 101, you will help others to avoid common mistakes, that are sometimes very costly.

The dangers are many, but that should not spoil your fun, providing that you know how to surf safely. Everyone is familiar with some of the major players in the Anti-virus game. Norton Anti-Virus is one of the most notable anti-virus programs around. Every new PC usually has some sort of protection that comes preinstalled on your system. It is usually bundled in with a host of preinstalled trial programs. The trial period typically last about three months and then you are without protection unless you subscribe to the service provider. At this point most of us continue to surf, while ignoring the constant nagging pop-ups that keeps reminding us to pay up for a new subscription or else.

I will not even attempt to name all of the possible things that could potentially harm or infect an unprotected PC. Needless to say, you will need some type of protection from the ever present dangers that lurk in the dark domains of this ever growing world wide cyber society.


"Virtual Systems"


The most effective way to protect your system is to isolate it from all possible dangers. Fortunately we are moving into a new era of virtual computer technology. This new virtual technology will change the way we approach security concerns as we surf the Internet. It will allow us to surf the Internet as usual, but isolates our systems from potential harm by creating a virtual partition from which you will access the Internet. This new technology will create a virtual drive on your system, or work in a RAM environment.(Random Access Memory)

Imagine if you will; You are aboard the Starship Enterprise, you don't have your computer with you, so you go to the "Hollow Deck" to use a virtual computer. You download your information to your flash drive and you are on your way. Essentially this is what happens on your PC when you use a virtual program for protection. Whatever you encounter while surfing; Trojans,Worms Viruses, or spyware, they will not be allowed to come into contact with your C:drive. All of your activities will occur in a virutal reality that vanishes when you reboot or turn off your machine. The state of your machine will be as it were, prior to going online.

The new virtual protection systems will allow you to continue all of your activities as usual, but without the inherent risk of infection from malicious software. (Malicious software is developed for the purpose of destroying or harming your computer.)

You can rest assure from constant threats, once you have a virtual protection program in place. There will be minor adjustments that you will have to make in order to save your documents while you are surfing in the virtual environment, but that is nothing in comparison to the security that it will provide............
"Now you can surf the Net without fear for your computer's safety, or kicking out the big bucks for never ending subscriptions.

A few programs that are currently available, and has a free personal edition are: 1.Returnil 2.Sandboxie 3.Altiris

My personal favorite is Returnil. It is the only one that I can personally vouch for. It was the first one that I encountered and it worked like magic for me. I didn't really have a need to try the others. They may work equally as well. The best way to find out about a product before you install it, is to look for a forum that list the pros and cons of it. This is an excellent way to stay informed, and it allows you the chance to make a well informed decision.

Once you have a virtual system installed, you can check out new programs before you actually install them on your hard drive, without compromising the safety of your system.


"Surf Secure and be well informed"............Ram Rocks "Surf Security 101"