PC Pest Control

by Preston Gralla

The Internet is rife with all kinds of creepy PC bugs. In the first six months of 2004, almost 5,000 new Windows viruses and worms were discovered that were capable of compromising computer security. But the pests that users deal with aren't limited to viruses. They're plagued with everything from spam to phishing. But just because your computer is hooked up to the Internet doesn't mean your PC has to be at risk. In a constant battle of one-upmanship, the forces of good have devised a number of creative ways to fend off these Internet nasties in order to best protect your computer. And PC Pest Control from O'Reilly spells out how you can do just that. Written in a friendly, engaging manner, this handy guide covers detection, prevention and cure, where you're vulnerable, and how to surf the web more safely. It also details how you can protect yourself against adware, spyware, home page hijackers, viruses, Trojans, spam, phishing attacks, and more. For easy understanding, PC Pest Control describes each problem and its symptoms, rates the danger level, and then shows you how to solve the problem step by step. In addition, a supporting website keeps the book's content as up to date as possible, so you're always informed of the latest safeguards. And in a field that shifts as frequently as PC protection, that's a major advantage. So if you want to make sure that your personal computer doesn't fall victim to attack-or if your system has already been infected and you want to start anew-then PC Pest Control is most definitely for you.

284 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2005