Source: Google News

| Alongside the basic new year's resolutions, vow to keep your personal computer fast and clean this year. That includes keeping your personal information from spreading to others from your computer.

If you got a new computer, the last thing you want is for viruses to attack it. Brian Grayek, vice president of threat content at software company CA (formerly known as Computer Associates) offers tips on keeping your computer safe:
If you view videos from sites such as YouTube, make sure you're using a firewall and an anti-virus program. According to Grayek, ''Video files are fair game for hackers.'' The same goes for multiplayer or virtual world games such as Warcraft and Second Life. If you're playing a game on a file-sharing network, you must protect yourself.

In fact, you should have a combination of firewalls and anti-virus programs in place for a number of eventualities. If you're using a broadband Internet connection, a firewall is a must — your computer is online whenever it's turned on (even if you're not using any Internet applications).