If your computer has access to the internet and e-mail, then it may be only a matter of time before you get attacked by 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 distressing is that many of these computer users are back in my office a few days or weeks later with the EXACT same problems and end up having to spend ANOTHER heavy fee for restoring their computer back to normal.

Imagine having these kinds of difficulty with your restaurant. Your POS systems being infiltrated and destroyed by viruses and worms. You absolutely have no way of protecting your restaurant POS system if you do not take extra precautions.

Here are 3 of The Most Dangerous Threats You Should Look Out For

One of the deadly aspects of online threats is their ability to cloak their existence. Hackers and the authors of malicious spyware and malware programs go to great lengths to create programs that are difficult to identify and remove.

That means a malicious program can be downloaded and doing its dirty work on your computer long 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 a computer program often installed without the user’s knowledge. This program collects your info and your online activities and then reports it back to some outside person. Sometimes advertisers uses this sneaky program to secretly monitor their customers’ activities. So Better becareful on what website you visit before clicking on that “download” button.

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

Malware: A combination of the words malicious and software. This type of computer program is specifically designed to infiltrate and damage your system, this include viruses, worms and Trojans. Malware is harder to remove and will try to fight back when you try to clean it from your system. In some extreme cases, we have had to completely wipe out all of the information on the computers’ hard disk and start with a complete re-install of the operating system. Frequently, malware is also designed to send itself from your e-mail account to all the friends and colleagues in your address book without your knowledge or consent.

Hackers: These are programmers for whom computing is its own reward, has the habit of breaking into other people’s computer just for the sheer fun of it but causes no harm. But today, hackers are widely known as evil programmers who loves to modify your files, cause damage to your system and even design the spyware and malware programs to attack your computer.

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

Some of them may have criminal intent and purposely use these programs to steal money from unsuspecting individuals and companies. Some have a grudge against your software vendor and take their revenge by secretly attacking their customers. While other hackers does it purely for fun. Whatever the reason, these twisted programmers are getting more intelligent and advanced in their ability to penetrate computer systems and networks.

Here 4 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. Consider Mozilla Firefox as an alternative browser to MS Internet Explorer. Hackers have figured out ways to access and effortlessly download malicious programs to your computer via a security hole in Internet Explorer. Even worse about this is that even if you do not click anything and/or download a program to get infected. You are very susceptible to attacks if you’re using an older version of Windows such as Windows 98.

Mozilla is a completely free web browser that does not have the same security problems as IE. Few of our clients saying that they like their Mozilla browser better than MS Internet Explorer. Switching from IE to Mozilla is a simple and a costless way to add more protection to your computer. If you want to download the Mozilla browser, visit www.mozilla.org.

3. Do not. Because most viruses are distributed through e-mails you receive from anonymous accounts, and even from your friends. If you think it’s suspicious, delete it immediately!

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

Always remember that the internet is a wide 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 other side, the world has access to YOU. Hackers have programs that automatically scan the Internet for computers connected via a cable or DSL connection without a firewall. Once they find one, they they’ll immediately access your computer, download vicious programs, and might even use your computer to send their ravaging viruses to your friends or other computers without your permission.

Just one simple click os a mouse and they’ll 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.

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

Similar Posts:

• Computer Security – 10 Tips to Protect Your PC From Malware Attack
• Laptop Viruses Are Becoming More Complex to Eradicate
• Best Spyware Blocking Software Online
• Free PC scan
• Everything You Need To Know About A Computer Virus

Tags: Point of Sale, Point of Service, POS, restaurant automation, restaurant computer, restaurant hardware, restaurant point of sale, Restaurant pos, restaurant pos equipment, restaurant pos quote, restaurant pos solution, restaurant software

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 4:33 am and is filed under Computers and Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.