Computer Security Free - Is That Possible?

Everyone who surfs the Net needs to be concerned about computer security. There are viruses, trojans, spyware, malicious adware... the list of what's out there in the way of malware goes on and on. You either take steps to keep your computer and data secure or you suffer the consequences.
Just how much computer security do you need? And can you get computer security free?
The answer to the first question is: "It depends." It depends on the value of what you are protecting. If you buy things on the Internet, have financial transactions going through your computer, then all of the financial info you use to make purchases is potentially at risk. What would it cost you if info thieves got your data?

And don't feel secure just because you don't store your credit card number, cc expiration date and cch number (on the back of the card) on your computer. If you type in data to make a purchase, a key-logger spyware program hidden on your computer could be recording every keystroke you make and forwarding the info to cyber thieves.
Can you get computer security free? Yes, if you do not need heavy-duty security. If you pick the best you can get for the money, then your computer security, free or paid, is generally cost effective. You can do a lot with free software, but it is generally for light duty. Still, it might make you secure enough.
The computer your kids use to download and play computer games and surf sites on MySpace and similar social sites, might not have a lot of valuable data on it. It probably would not attract the most competent or determined thieves. For that machine you could get your computer security free.
For the computer you use for paying bills and business, you would probably want to "harden" your security defenses. Put in both a hardware firewall and a software firewall, get world-class anti spyware software and set up a "data safe" for sensitive records.
(A good data safe acts looks and works an ordinary disk drive when opened with your password, and like a lot of unintelligible, inaccessible gibberish when closed.)
So look at each computer you have, evaluate the data that is on it and arrange your computer security accordingly, on a cost-effective basis. It doesn't have to be the most secure in the world, only secure enough for the value of its contents.