2003 Ad

Entrepreneur, April, 2002 by Amanda C. Kooser

Six million surfers can't be wrong. As of last October, that's how many had taken advantage of security software company Symantec's free Security Check at www.symantec.com/securitycheck. The Security Check won't do the dirty work of actually cleaning up your computer, but it will give you an assessment of potential problem areas. Tests include a network vulnerability scan, antivirus software check, antivirus definition check and browser privacy check.

Recent statistics generated by user feedback found that 35 percent of the tested systems had a computer virus, while 4 percent had a Trojan horse. Those numbers alone should be enough to motivate you to check out your PCs and update your antivirus software. The Symantec Security Check site is also a handy informational resource. Get the FAQs, look up terms like "logic bomb" in the glossary, scope out how-tos and browse the feature articles. A little preparation can go a long way toward allaying your computer insecurities.