Security firm, McAfee, has reported that in the first half of 2010 there has been a sharp increase in the number of attacks on websites and email, in the form of viruses and spyware. These programs can spread from the website to your computer just by you visiting an infected website.

Two of my websites, and a few websites of my colleagues have experienced several infections over the past few weeks. I have audited my websites, upgraded a couple of vulnerable components, and want to report to you that they are now clean and available to visit once again without fear of your computer getting infected.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Although my colleagues and I have made some improvements to the security of our websites, hackers are busy trying to find undiscovered vulnerabilities. It is everyone's responsibility to keep their computers safe, and limit the spread of these malicious programs. Here is what you can do to help:

1. If you get a message saying a website has been infected, do not continue on to that website.
2. If you know an email address of someone responsible for the website, notify them that you received a virus alert from their website. To help them fix the problem quickly, copy the text of the message you received and paste it in the email. If you do not know the email address of the owner of the website, you could try to send an email to info@nameofwebsite.com, where "nameofwebsite.com" is the address of the website.
3. Install multiple antivirus and spyware programs on your computer. No single software company can find and fix all viruses and spyware that are circulating around the Internet. Beware: There are several virus and spyware programs masquerading as virus or spyware removal software; install programs only from trusted sources. You can purchase software from trusted companies, like McAfee, Norton, or PC Tools. You can also download free antivirus and spyware programs from this list. These free programs work just as well as the fee software, and has been checked and tested not to contain viruses or spyware themselves.

By being more security-minded and working together to protect our computers, we will have a more enjoyable experience navigating the World Wide Web.