Spam is most commonly used in conjunction with unwanted e-mail solicitations but in truth, its not limited to your Inbox. Quite the contrary, spam can come in the form of an Instant Message, a forum post and even a comment to your personal blog. Spam is usually sent out in bulk – hundreds of identical emails for example – to a mass list of recipients. The spam most often contains some sort of commercial promotion and can frequently also include viruses and/or spyware.

Spyware is a software program that collects and transmits information about where you surf, what you buy, etc. This information is most commonly used to help companies select advertisements that are targeted to your specific interests. The problem with spyware is that its often installed without the user’s knowledge – hidden within another download for example – and that it’s seen as an invasion of personal privacy.

A virus is a malicious piece of software that can range from mildly annoying to brutally destructive. Viruses can cause your CD tray to open and close spontaneously or they can completely wipe your hard drive and its contents. Viruses come in many shapes and forms including “worms” attached to your email messages and “Trojans” which can secretly send your passwords, account numbers and other personal data back to its creator.

So how can you protect yourself from an attack?

First and foremost, don’t open emails from people you don’t know. Spammers will stop at nothing to get you to open their stuff, including mimicking well-known companies in the hopes that you won’t scrutinize the message. Known as “spoofing”, these emails often appear to have come from your bank or credit card company and are alerting you to possible “fraud” of your account. Log in here, they ask you, to update your information and verify your account status. But the log in screen isn’t really on the bank’s website and when you type in your username and password, the spoofer’s website records the information.

Another good prevention tool is to invest in a spam/virus filter. Most ISP’s now provide built-in software that will detect and quarantine emails that appear to be spam and/or contain a virus of some kind. In addition to the email filter, a reputable virus protection software will allow you to scan your entire machine on a regular basis, should something sinister manage to get through.