Good computer safety practices are necessary for anyone who wishes to keep their computer in good working order, but for an at home worker who heavily relies on the computer it is essential. In fact not only their income and personal details are at risk, but those of every customer that they deal with as well.

There are many risks, some of which are more obvious than others, but they fall under two main categories; viruses and spy ware, both of which may be transmitted in various different ways, and serve differing purposes.

Viruses are likely to cause the most damage to the computer itself and many are picked up by the user selecting an action that allows their installation. One of the more common methods is via email, where an email from an unknown sender contains an attachment. Upon opening the attachment, the virus installs itself on your machine.

They may also find their way in through web pages and messenger services. The page you visit may ask for permission to launch a video, or install some kind of program for a function it claims to be necessary. The ActiveX controller is of particular concern here, since it has full access to your machine, and so anything installed via ActiveX has full control of and access to everything on your machine.

Viruses are self propagating and likely to use your machine to reproduce. However the real problem comes when the payload-that is, the thing it was designed to do, activates. It might simply take over some of the functions of your computer, but it might start deleting the files of the operating system. Once this gets bad enough, your machine will cease to function.

Whilst viruses hurt your computer, spy ware may hurt you personally. These programs are installed in similar ways to viruses, but instead of wreaking havoc on your machine they are designed to spy on your online activities, for one of several reasons.

Some may simply note where you are visiting and send that information back to a central server. Based on that information they send you pop up advertisements that they deem from the information they gathered on you to suit you, or the advertisements may be completely random. They may also try and redirect your browser page to something different than the URL you enter.

The most worrying use of spy ware is to steal your personal information. In this instance, it is your passwords, credit card, eWallet and merchant account numbers that they send back, or perhaps your address or the details of the customers you work with. This of course is the greatest of the risks, because it could lead to identity theft, or the theft of large sums of money from you or your customers.

These risks can be avoided by the use of an up to date anti-virus and anti-spy ware program, as well as safe practices. Avoid opening mail and under no circumstances open attachments from people you do not know or install software from sites you do not trust. When combined with regular virus and spy ware scans, these simple things can serve to keep you and your machine safe.