Did you know that 73 percent of Americans have experienced cyber crime? Choosing the right security software for your computer can be a difficult decision, and making an internet security software comparison is a good idea. Every software company offers different benefits and drawbacks with their security packages. What are some things you should know about cyber security as you make this decision?

1. There are many threats you need to protect against. Trojan horses, phishing, malicious BHOs, adware, spyware, keyloggers, computer viruses, are all examples of malware you want to avoid. What are some examples of cyber crime that used these types of malware? In 2008, two supermarket chains had almost 2,000 credit and debit numbers stolen. An earlier 2005 breach of T.J. Maxx was the result of wireless credit transfer system vulnerabilities. The average victim loses about 200 dollars from cyber crime, though businesses tend to sustain a lot more loss.

2. Removing computer viruses is difficult, but this is what antivirus software attempts to do. Antivirus software uses several strategies in order to protect your information. They can sometimes detect viruses by looking for known data patterns left by viruses. When new malware is created, however, there is no known data. In this case, antivirus software might run a file in sandbox, which allows them to observe what occurs when the program runs without actually allowing it to interact with the host computer. When you are making an internet security software comparison, look for software that can fix future issues as well as known malware.

3. What is the latest cyber crime development? McAfee released a report that explained how many of the people interested in using malware are actually outsourcing it from other individuals, in the same way you might hire a contractor to do your roof, rather than installing new shingles yourself. Crimeware, as this criminal software is called, helps end users distribute spam, malware, and denial of service incursions to victims. Sometimes email databases are sold to spammers, and these lists can go for thousands of dollars.