Thanks to the Internet, new viruses appear at the dizzying rate of more than 200 a month. In this story, we review some of the products emerging to cope with these new threats spurred by the Internet. Personal security suites cover a lot of ground, from antivirus programs to data encryption to ActiveX and Java filters. Of the three programs we tested, eSafe Technologies' eSafe Protect and Finjan Software's SurfinShield Xtra focus on monitoring ActiveX controls and Java applets. By contrast, McAfee Associates' Desktop Security Suite is a toolbox that includes antivirus, encryption, personal firewall, and backup utilities.
Cookies sound innocent enough but have generated a lot of controversy.
Basically, they are text files that Web servers store on your hard disk. Cookies can be used to identify you to a Web server and recall information so you won't need to re-enter it each time you visit a favorite site. A common example is your log-on name and password for a particular site. Cookies can also be used to follow your online tracks, and this aspect has stirred privacy concerns. Cookie managers are programs that allow you to monitor and delete cookies.