If you are earning a degree online through the Internet, you’ll probably be spending a lot of time connected to the Web. Virus and worm attacks that pose a threat to your data, hardware and software have multiplied in the past few years. You can protect your system and that of others you are in contact, and save yourself hundreds of dollars and hours of wasted time by following these precautionary measures:

• Invest in a good anti-virus program.
• Protect your system with a firewall to keep out unauthorized visitors.
• Download a good anti-spyware program to protect yourself from spyware software that covertly gathers information about you through your Internet connection without your knowledge, usually for advertising purposes.
• Run every email attachment that you receive, even if it is from someone you know, through the virus scanner.
• Keep your operating system, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software up to date.