Internet Security: Is your computer ready? Internet Security. These are two words that have enormous importance in our lives today. Over the past half century, even more so over the past quarter century, computers have become a fundamental element of one's way of life, and the largest computer network in the world, the Internet, has become one of the most useful and essential means resources for legions of users around the world. However, this communication and email communication can have their drawbacks, and very serious ones at that. There are those users, whom we call hackers, who have the ability to manipulate their programs to infect and attack various organizations and institutions around the world. . And they carry out these acts, “computer crime,” in the form of programs called viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and spam or junk mail. Companies also do the same with spyware and adware. This is where Internet security comes in. Many programs have been created to protect computers and their resources from those who want to invade them. Norton Internet Security from Symantec Corporation, which has a new version every year, has been recognized as a benchmark program in providing the best protection for computers. This program is actually a combination of other Symantec products: Norton AntiVirus, Norton Personal Firewall, Norton Privacy Control, Norton Parental Control, and Norton AntiSpam. With this combination, Norton Internet Security blocks and removes Internet worms, email worms and script-based viruses, allowing you to carry out your activities on the Web. A new version of this product, incorporating a simpler and easier approach for user use, will be released in fall 2004 (Chapelle 1). There may be times when the best software companies in the world can make their efforts backfire. An example of such an event is Microsoft Corporation, whose Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems have been subject to flaws in other popular Internet security programs such as Internet Security Systems' BlackICE Defender and BlackICE Agent, giving rise to a number of possibilities for opportunistic hackers. (Fairplay 1). Microsoft will release a second service pack for its Windows XP operating system later this year, programmed with a more powerful firewall for computers running this operating system (Sandusky 1). You should not be surprised by the number of flaws present in Windows XP or any operating system.