There is a malware fallacy that needs to be corrected immediately. Some students have netbooks for taking notes because the machines are light and easily carried… and some even have terrific battery life. As students, they use their netbooks almost exclusively for taking lecture notes and checking email. There is a belief that, because the little machine is used just to check email online, security software is not needed.

This is incorrect.

It does not matter where you go online. Simply being online is a danger, and the same precautions should be taken, whether on a netbook, a laptop, or a desktop. There are reports that 2009 was a record breaking year for malware. There were millions of these malicious programs circulating online. Millions is not an exaggeration.

Every machine that you use to go online, no matter how briefly, has to be protected. One of the software programs that is recommended is the award winning security offered by Spyware Doctor.

“Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus is a top-rated malware, spyware & virus removal utility that detects, removes and protects your PC from thousands of potential spyware, adware, trojans, viruses, keyloggers, spybots, and tracking threats.” It has won numerous awards and Spyware Doctor is good for “Microsoft Windows 7 (32bit, 64bit), Windows Vista SP1+ (32bit, 64bit), Windows XP SP2+ (32bit).”

This is one of the premier, well-recognized security programs. PC Tools is allowing three computers to be protected under one license. That means that, for under seventeen dollars each, three computers can be protected from viruses, spyware, malware, and other security threats.

This is a bargain to protect every online computer in the house. If you are online, you need to be protected. We recommend Spyware Doctor as one of the programs to use. And when you use Spyware Doctor, update the security definitions regularly. It is doubtful that malware will decrease in the new year. Unfortunately, there will be millions more malware programs identified by the end of this new year.