This article is necessary in the world that we live in today. The vast majority of smartphones, cellphones, and tablets are sold without having any antivirus or firewall protection, leaving you very open to getting attacked and losing personal information. With the rise of banking applications and a massive increase in the personal information being shared on your iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia, or another model cell phone, you will want to make note of the following to protect yourself here in Costa Rica.

Has your computer, or mobile device, ever been infected with a computer virus, computer worm, Trojan horse, spyware, or adware?

Malware is the term used to cover all these forms of attacks. Do you currently run anti-virus software to protect your computer, smartphone, or tablet from internal attacks by malware? If you are not running a program that detects, removes, and protects against malware, how do you know that your system is not infected? Before discussing how to protect your system, we need to understand each form of intrusion.

A computer virus is the only form of malware that has the ability to replicate itself. When you load an infected file into memory, the virus stays behind to attach itself to other files. The computer virus spreads, when we share infected files with others. The virus may damage the files on your device, impact on performance, or do nothing. A virus may make itself known, or it may just quietly do its thing. A firewall offers no protection against a computer virus, as it does not scan files for infection.

A computer worm does not attach itself to a file, as it operates by itself. The worm spreads through the local network to infect other computers on the network. A properly configured firewall can prevent the spread of a computer worm. While a computer worm may do nothing other then try to propagate itself to other devices on the local network, it can cause damage to the device. Computer worms are known to delete files, encrypt files in an extortion attack, or send spam e-mails. A computer worm may give control of your device to an outside intruder, and become part of a “botnet” (not to be confused with Skynet from the Terminator series). The botnet can be used to send spam emails, or hide the the intruders IP address in an attempt to attack other computers.

A Trojan horse masquerades as beneficial application, but with a covert task. A Trojan may attempt to propagate to other devices on the local network. A properly configured firewall can mitigate against some of the covert behavior. The intruder can use the Trojan horse to generate spam emails, or act as an agent in a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. It can steal personal data such as account names, passwords, and credit card numbers. It can be used to install other malware, delete files, download files, upload files, or modify files. A Trojan horse can be used to log keystrokes, view the users screen, or crash the computer.

Spyware quietly does it intended task without the user knowledge. Spyware does not replicate or propagate. It is a directed attack against a single machine. A properly configured firewall may mitigate some of the behavior of spyware. The primary purpose of spyware is to log keystrokes, which can reveal personal information, and internet surfing behavior. Spyware can also be used to install other malware, redirect Web page requests, change computer settings, change network connections speed, or disrupt network access.

Adware (advertising supported software) automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements. Adware is normally more annoying than harmful. However, some adware includes spyware.

If your computers, smartphones, tablets, or eBook readers are not protected from malware intrusion, you should take immediate action to protect your Internet device. For individuals, there are plenty of free software alternatives that are just a good as the paid services.

For Microsoft Windows, I would recommend one of the following: Avira Free Antivirus, avast! Home Edition, or Microsoft Security Essentials.

For Android phones, tablets, and eBook readers, there are a number of excellent choices. I use avast! Free Mobile Security, because it is an excellent product, and, for those with root access, provides a firewall. Other choices are: AVG Mobilation, NetQin Mobile Security, and Lookout Mobile Security (also has a free version for the iPhone and iPad).

For many Nokia phones the only free antivirus program is MobiShield Lite, although MobiShield PRO only costs $2.99.

Preventing malware intrusion takes only a few minutes, and then they run automatically. The above recommendations list only those software packages that are truly free. They are not limited to a trial period, and all provide excellent protection. Many of the features offered in the premium packages are available through other free software packages. With a good firewall, and a good malware prevention package, your device is not going to be an easy target.