If you’ve ever included a link e-mail and had people then tell you that the link didn’t work you may be suffering from “broken” link – a link that has been cut somewhere in the middle by the recipients e-mail program simply because it was too long to display on a single line. The link that the recipient then used wasn’t your entire link but rather consisted only of some leading portion of that link.
The bottom line is that a large class of viruses and other types of malware can be prevented simply by using a good firewall.
What’s a firewall? Well, in your car it’s the “wall” of metal behind the dashboard that sits between you and the engine. Its purpose is to prevent engine fires from roasting you and your passengers.
A firewall for your computer is much the same – its purpose is to keep you from getting burned.