Assignment:
I like to consider this is lab a "self help" activity. As we discuss the implications of malware and viruses, it is important to have a better understanding of what these things are, how they work, and how you can protect yourself.
To begin, I would first like you to read through 1 to 7 on the following website (one of my favorites "How Stuff Works"). You can access the virus article - How Computer Viruses Work by Marshall Brain .Once you have read through the information on this site, I would like you to do a self evaluation of your own personal computer security habits with regard to protecting yourself from viruses, spyware, adware, etc. To conduct this evaluation you will do the following with your own personal computers (or one you frequently use). You can notate your answers in MS Word in any organized format you wish. Once complete, send it to me using the Assignment Function Below:
1) Identify the Operating System and note whether you are and/or have been running your Operating system updates regularly. When was your last update? Do you have outstanding updates? Is your computer set to run and download these updates automatically? Be sure to get your computer up-to-date if it isn't already.
2) Identify the Virus Software running on your computer. Is your Virus Software current and up-to-date. Have you downloaded the latest virus definitions? If not, do so and note which ones you downloaded. Run a virus scan on your computer and note your results.
3) Does your software have a personal Firewall and is it active? If you don't know what a Firewall is or what it does, research it and explain.
4) Do you have software in your computer to protect you and clean your computer of Spyware and Malware? If so what software? If not, locate and download software such as Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware SE, these are free and safe and can be found athttps://download.cnet.com/.Once you have your software, run it and note your results.
5) Explain the origin and effects of at least 3 different types of viruses/malicious programs as well as how your computer can become vulnerable to these threats.
6) Evaluate your own personal computing habits and explain reasonable adjustments you can and should make to do a better job of protecting yourself from viruses/malware