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Netbooks More Prone to Security Risks, Experts Warn

by Tim Stevens on March 4, 2009 at 02:19 PM

Security Experts Warn about Netbook Security
Netbooks are tiny laptops that offer the inarguably tempting combination of low price and light weight. Because of that, they've become hugely popular over the past year; after all, a fully-functional portable computer that costs between $300 and $400 is within impulse-buy territory for many. But, with thousands of people picking them up on a whim, some security experts worry that they're opening the door to security problems on a large scale.

A netbook's small size makes it easy to carry with you wherever you go, but saving personal information like bank information on one of these machines could be risky without some additional precautions, starting with a strong password. Many netbooks are inexpensive because they don't include any additional software beyond the operating system itself (typically Windows or Linux). Many full-fledged computers come with virus scanners and firewalls pre-configured to protect them.

There are, however, free solutions out there, including a number of free firewalls and a free virus scanner, too. Yes, they may slow down your computer a bit, and netbooks tend to be on the slow side to begin with, but trust us; these precautions are worth it -- unless you want to be the next Conficker victim. [From: Fox News]

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Tags: firewall, netbook, netbooks, password, security, travel, virus, virus scanner, VirusScanner

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