I am a Moderator at a cool forum called Ozzu. I typically look after the Windows and Hardware forums. Several times a day people post messages about getting trojans and other bits of malware. They will post logs for us to look through and most of them are running anti-virus software and some form of anti-spyware program. These programs are designed to keep you safe so why are they still getting this crap on their computers?

Stupidity comes to mind. It is amazing that there are still people out there that will click any link and open up any attachment they get in their e-mail. Of course there is the internet porn sites and warez sites that are notorious for being loaded with malware designed to infect your PC. Yet people still go to these sites.

At home my server and my workstation do not run any anti-virus software or any other kind of malware detection software. I haven't had a virus or a trojan in years. The last time I remember getting one I knew what was going to happen. I was after a particular file and had to venture into the dark side of the internet to get it. Luckily I was able to restore my PC. Whatever I had downloaded was extremely nasty and disabled just about everything on my computer. Luckily for me I had 2003 server installed on another partition. I just logged into that and repaired my XP install. It was a mess though and it took me several hours.

For the most part I practice good and safe web browsing tactics. I only visit a few sites regularly and they are well known and trusted sites. I don't open up attachments from people I don't know. I don't click on random links promising me free access to live web cam shows. I do my best to avoid the dark side of the internet and if you were unaware that such a thing exists then you need more help than I can offer.

If I can spend hours a day on the internet without getting affected then I am certain you can too. It isn't hard. Just apply common sense and you will make it through a web surfing session unscathed. If you are unsure about a website or a program you are downloading, do a Google search on it. More than likely you will get the answer you need.