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If your computer has access to the internet and e-mail, then it may be only a matter of time before you fall victim to a malicious spyware program, virus, worm, or hacker. Every day we get customers coming in who are experiencing computer problems due to these threats, and it is only getting worse.

What’s even more frustrating is that many of these computer users are back in my repair shop a couple days or weeks later with the EXACT same problems and end up having to spend ANOTHER hefty fee for restoring their computer back to normal.

Just imagine having these kinds of problem with your restaurant. POS computers being infiltrated, damaged and completely destroyed by these ravaging viruses, worms and Trojans. You absolutely have no way of protecting your restaurant POS system if you do not take extra precautions.

The Three Dangerous Computer Threats You Should Look Out For

One of the deadly aspects of online threats is their ability hide their existence and penetrate your system without your knowledge. Hackers and other programmers who code malicious spyware and malware programs go to great lengths to create harmful programs that are difficult to identify and remove.

This can mean that malicious computer programs can directly be downloaded and work its dirty tricks on your system before you are able to identify them. Below are the two most common threats you’ll need to guard against with a brief explanation of what they {are|are and how you acquire them}:

Spyware: Spyware is internet jargon for hidden programs advertisers install on your PC without your consent to spy on you, collect information, and report this information about you and your online activities to some outside person.

Most spywares are secretly attached to files you download over the internet, like free programs, music files, and screen savers. While you think you are only downloading a legitimate program to add smileys to your e-mails, you are unknowingly also downloading loads of spyware programs.

Malware: Malware is short for malicious software and represents all programs, viruses, Trojans, and worms that have malicious intent to infiltrate or disrupt a system. Malware is harder to remove and will fight back when you try to clean it from your system. In some extreme cases, we had no other choice but to wipe out the entire hard disk and start with a complete re-install of the operating system. Most of the time, malware secretly attach itself to your emails without your knowledge causing computer damage to your email receipients.

Hackers: Programmers who find breaking in to their friends or coworkers’ computer is fun, but causes no damage, they love the challenge of being able to infiltrate a computer system and brag about it. Today these hackers mostly love to design spyware and malware programs that attacks computer systems causing extreme damage.

So if you’re a restaurant or any other retail establishment owner, having no kind of security for your POS systems at all, then your system is surely one of the easiest targets.

Some of them may have criminal intent and use their programs to steal money or aquire secured information from individuals and companies. Some of them may have a grudge against your software vendor and take their revenge by attacking their customers. While other hackers does it just for the sheer fun of it. Whatever the reason, hackers are getting more intelligent and sophisticated in their ability to penetrate computer systems and networks.

Here Four Simple Steps You Can Take To Secure Your Computer From Malicious Attacks

1. Keep an up-to-date anti-virus software running at all times. You ought to make sure it it auto scan and has an update feature that will make sure your computer is using the most current protection available and regularly scanning for threats.

2. Instead of just sticking to one why not consider an alternative browser to MS Inter Explorer like the Mozilla Firefox. Hackers have ways ways to access and easily download malicious programs to your computer via a security hole in Internet Explorer. What’s more disappointing about this is that even if you do not click anything and/or download a program to get infected. You are especially vulnerable if you’re using an older version of Windows such as Windows 98.

Though Mozilla Firefox is a free browser, it does not have the same security problem as IE. Many of my clients even report back that they prefer using Mozilla Firefox than Microsoft IE. Switching from IE to Firefox is a simple and a cost-free way to add another layer of defense to your computer. You can easily download this browser at www.mozilla.org.

3. Don’t] open suspicious looking e-mails or attachments. This goes without saying since most viruses are replicated via e-mail. If you think it’s suspicious, don’t open it, delete it immediately!

4. Setting up a firewall. A firewall is simply a device that acts as a buffer between you and the big, wild world of the Internet. many computer users will just buy a DSL or cable Internet connection and plug it without a firewall.

Always remember that the internet is a big open field where you are vulnerable from all sorts of things that may come in your way. You have access to the world, but on the flip side, the world has access to YOU. There are special programs developed by hackers that they use to scan the Internet automatically for computers that doesn’t have a firewall. And once they find one, they they immediately access your computer, download vicious programs, and might even use your computer to reproduce their ravaging viruses to your friends or other computers without your permission.

It only takes one click of a mouse to gain easy access to your restaurant POS system, collect all customer and employee information, destroy your computer system, and sends out infected emails to your customers and friends using your email account! It will surely be the end of your hard work, a huge waste of money on the restaurant POS solutions you’ve bought, and possibly the downfall of your business if you let this things happen to you.

The author Michael Tash is the Vice President of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants. With over 20 years of restaurant experience, POS-For-Restaurants.com helps you use your technology to be more efficient and more profitable.

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