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As broadband internet connections become increasingly the rule, personal computer users are falling ever more into the trap of failing to keep their pc’s secure. But it really is an unforgivable predicament even for the most inexperienced users to find themselves in.

Internet security is big business and the major players are falling over one another to offer their security suite bundled with internet service providers sign up discs, other software and trial versions within the computer press.

With a little further investigation though, free security software can be readily found which is more than adequate for the average internet surfer. Antivirus programs such as AVG free and Avast from Alwil, firewalls such as Zone Alarm and Agnitum Outpost and anti-spyware software such as Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware or Spybot Search and Destroy are all examples of very effective security solutions.

Many can be put off by inevitable scepticism and the old adages “you get nothing for nothing” and “no such thing as a free lunch.” However in these cases, the companies involved are offering free products as a temptation to persuade us to dip our hands in our pockets to purchase the fuller, more enriched versions of the very same program.

The main enticements are primarily a more powerful all encompassing piece of software and, perhaps more crucially, the ability to automate and thereby take out the need for the user to get too involved in the mechanics of something they may very easily not comprehend, nor wish to.

So we end up with consumers of security software divided into two groups, those who do not wish to pay and make use of the free material on offer, and those who would rather spend their time on other more interesting activities and pay for the privilege of not having to bother with manual weekly scanning.

The ironic part of all of this is that both groups are equally likely to fall into the trap of believing that installing the security is all that is required. They then fail to set it up properly be it free or paid for, and end up a few months down the line with slow, unresponsive computers which are riddled with spyware and Trojans and stare quizzically at the engineer they have called out when he requests a date when the computer last had a virus scan!