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I think I was 15 years old when my computer got its first virus. I remember it and I laugh now, not because of the trouble that it caused me (lost homework assignments; some of them even ready to be submitted), but rather because of the comment my dad made. “Wow, even those things catch a cold. Technology nowdays…” It was so funny. Well, I was thinking about it the other day and you know what? I don’t think that even today, decades after I got my first computer virus, that my dad knows what a computer virus is. In fact I think that most of the computer users in the world don’t really know what a virus is.  Of course many people will get up and start criticizing and saying that a computer virus is “a computer program designed to corrupt files, destroy hardware and in general cause harm”. But seriously, if my computer is infected with a computer virus again, I will most likely treat it (or curse it) like a real living thing. Anyway, many of us know what the cure or protection is against viruses: have an antivirus program handy. And many of us spend an enormous amount of money to protect our computers, and at end of the day ourselves and our lives really, from computer viruses.

However, as I just mentioned, antivirus software programs are quite expensive, so not everybody can afford them. And not only that, but there are many types of “viruses” or more accurately malicious software out there and sometimes one software alone cannot protect you from all of them. For most of us, we cannot just go out there and buy 10 different software programs to protect our computers. Well for all of you guys that want a cheap solution for protecting you computer and your data, and decreasing tremendously the risk of identity theft, here are a few free software programs, which most importantly really work. In fact most of the software programs that I recommend here have been ranked comparably with their expensive competitors.

OK, I am not going to be a smart ash (written like this so that it is not censored) and tell you that if you want true internet security then you should ditch Microsoft Windows and switch to the Linux operating system. But if somebody wants to try it, then some of my favorite versions of Linux are Fedora, Ubuntu and OpenSuse. I personally love Windows, and while I use Linux all the time for some of the work I do on my computer, I just try to make my life and my family’s life easier with Windows. So I will assume you have a Windows operating system, even if most of the software I recommend can be used on Linux and also Macs. And lets start with my recommendations on free computer security software.

First you will need an antivirus program, of course. There are so many out there and I bet that most of you know and most likely have used at some time in your life Norton. Well the one I will recommend is the AVG anti-virus. It is well maintained, with virus definitions regularly updated. For antivirus software programs, I have to make one recommendation. Check your Internet providers because they might provide you with a free license of an antivirus, so might want to take advantage of that as well.  One example is Comcast, which until recently was giving a copy of McAfee for download for each customer. One thing that I should note is that it doesn’t hurt to have more than one antivirus software program installed on your computer. Some times it can be annoying when both try to access some folder or during scanning or because of incompatibility issues. I have, on many occasions, had problems with antivirus software progras when one thought that the other was a virus.

The second important type of computer security software you should have is a firewall. I know what you will say. “But Windows already has a firewall. Do I need another one?” Yes, and Zone alarm is highly recommended. I have been using it for a long time and it really works.

For another type of virus (or malicious software), namely spyware, I would recommend the Spybot – Search & Destroy. It is well tested and highly ranked. I believe it has consistently been ranked in the top 5 for the last few years. Another software that is really important to have is Ad-aware. Again highly ranked.

If you read about these software you will see that they don’t do one thing only. The software programs that I recommended as antivirus also protect against spyware, and Ad-aware also is able to detect viruses as well as spyware. In the end, I would say that this article gives really a top 5 of free computer security software programs. So to recap, what are the best free software programs to protect your computer?

AVG anti-virus

Zone alarm

Spybot – Search & Destroy

Ad-aware

…

and Firefox

I tricked you with the last one right? Kept the last for best. Firefox, as you probably know, is not an antivirus or firewall. It is a web browser. However, it has recently proven it self to be the most or from the most secure browsers out there. Hackers have continuously attacked Internet Explorer, the most common web browser, taking advantage of some security holes. I really like Internet Explorer, and to be honest with you I use it all the time. But when dealing on the web with stuff that I am really worried if they are compromised, I use Firefox. Also, if you think about it, everybody seems to try to hack Internet Explorer and usually leave Firefox alone, so who knows maybe just because of that it is a good reason to use the last one.

I will finish with a small note. For some of the software programs I just mentioned, there is a free version and an extended version that you have to pay. Others freebies like the Spybot S&D have a donation option since they need to make the money somehow to continue to produce this great software. It is your choice on what to do. However, as I just mentioned, these freebie software are excellent and it is not only my opinion, but experts have stated this as well.