The purpose of viruses and the 'free stuff'-case. Basically, the purpose of most viruses are commercial - This is the main reason you're at risk. Few people will risk high punishment without any actual reward of it, at least that's what my common sense is telling me. Common sense is a necessity when working with computers in general, and this is the case with computer security, too. One of the key things to remember while surfing the internet is that no one is trying to give you a free lunch. Even though you may encounter a lot of websites claiming they'll give you a "free" iPhone, you won't actually get one unless you complete a load of surveys that they're getting paid for in the end. Period. Those surveys generally require you to complete several purchases, too - Hence, there's no need to click on a link someone sent you on MSN. Viruses - What are the risks? The risks of being infected with a computer virus vary a lot. While some viruses only send someone PPV traffic ("Adware"), others steal your credit card numbers, or include your computer in a 'botnet'. From my understanding, some botnets collect credit card information too, though I'm talking from rumours here, since I'm not experienced in the area. You are ignorant if you claim that viruses aren't at all risky. Being prepared - Using an antivirus program. It is indeed very hard to keep yourself away from viruses, especially if you warez (which you honestly shouldn't!). Thus, it's a good idea to use an updated antivirus tool. I'm asking you to pay for those instead of illegally downloading them, as most of them provide you with great support. It's not nice to have your product stolen either way. If you're young like me, you might want to ask your parents if they can help you buy one. Offer them the money in-real-life, though. No one likes leechers. From my personal experience, a program called 'Kaspersky' has worked the best. It's developed by Kaspersky Labs, and I honestly prefer their 2008 version! You can buy it here. A lot of people, at least my relatives, choose to go with Norton/Symantec. From my experience, however, they're just filling your computer with a load of shit that will eventually make you renew your license out of rage. Remember to keep your antivirus program updated with the latest virus signatures. Doing so will let you receive protection from some of the newer viruses. Dealing with TinyURL. TinyURL is a great site, not only for cloaking affiliate links or pranking your friends, but for making your life easier in general. Sadly, some people choose to abuse such services for things that certainly don't benefit you. This is the case with the reason MSN worm being spread on LSRP. When you receive a TinyURL link, you can preview the URL by going here. If you don't recognize the URL, you can use a random webproxy from here with the option 'remove scripts' enabled. This will disable any javascript on the site, preventing your screen from moving around. Worth to mention is that it probably doesn't disable browser exploits, although I'm not experienced in that area. Using a router. Now, I'm talking about things I've heard again, and I'm not entirely sure this part is true. I'd be glad if someone like Krisk would be able to confirm it. Basically, if you're using a router with no ports forwarded, it should work like a firewall, making any possible vulnerabilities unable to exploit (?). Therefore, it's a good idea to buy a cheap router if you don't have one already. Warez. I might not be completely unbiased when I say this, as I'm against warezing, though I believe that's the phenomenon being the most common reason for people getting infected with viruses. I don't warez myself, and I never find myself in any uncomfortable situation. Basically, we'll re-read the top of the thread where I say that there's no free lunch on the internet. Who would want to risk a jail sentence sharing the latest movie? Not many would.
