Studies show that unprotected computers can be compromised within minutes. Log on to the Internet without antivirus software or other protection and your computer might fall victim to malware that could damage your system or surreptitiously involve your PC in a vast army of computers used to cause damage on a larger scale.

If you got a new computer this holiday season, you can take a few simple steps to help protect it. For more information, see 5 steps to help protect your computer before you go online.

The Microsoft Malware Protection Center (MMPC) recently noted the inevitable increase in holiday-themed viruses and worms.

There's not much new about this malware: You get an e-mail or instant message that promises a greeting, holiday image, or music.

If you click the message, your computer gets infected with the malware which can easily spread to all of your contacts.

Remember, take these five steps to help prevent any kind of malware:

1. Use a firewall.
2. Update your operating system.
3. Use antivirus software and keep it updated.
4. Use antispyware software and keep it updated.
5. Approach links in e-mail, on social networking sites, or in IMs with caution.

To read more about holiday malware, see Merry Malware - You’d better watch out, you’d better think twice and O Come All Ye Malware or check out the entry in our virus encyclopedia.

Today Microsoft released an urgent security update for Internet Explorer. Because the flaw may expose computers to remote code execution, the severity rating for this security update is critical.

From the moment we learned of the issue, Microsoft has been working around the clock to respond to this situation and provide a security update that helps protect our customers. 

If you have turned on Automatic Updates, your computer will install the security update automatically.  If you don’t use Automatic Updates, go to http://update.microsoft.com.  This update might cause your computer to restart.

For more information on how to protect your PC please go to www.microsoft.com/protect.

Microsoft releases security updates on the second Tuesday of every month. This month Microsoft released 8 security updates.

Get the updates

To download the updates, visit the Microsoft Update Web site. If you have automatic updating turned on, your computer will update and install these security updates.

Read more about the updates

To find out more about the updates, see Microsoft Security Updates for December.

Get technical information about the updates

For technical details, visit Microsoft TechNet.

If you use the latest version of Internet Explorer, you might have noticed that occasionally your address bar turns green, especially when you're about to enter your credit card number.

Holiday shopping online is a great way to save time and sometimes money—as long as you take a few precautions to protect yourself from phishing scams and identity theft. Here are five tips for safer shopping on the Internet.

1.      Use an updated Web browser. Internet Explorer 7 contains many new features, such as the Phishing Filter, to help you avoid identity theft when you shop online.

2.      Make sure you’re on the Web site that you think you’re on. If you use Internet Explorer 7 or higher, you get an extra level of protection with Extended Validation (EV) SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificates. If your address bar turns green you’ll know that you’re not on a spoofed Web site.

3.      Visit trusted sites or use a third-party payment service. Many online shops and auction sites will let you pay with third-party payment services, like PayPal. That way you don't have to turn over your credit card information to an unknown person.

4.      Use strong passwords for online shopping retailers and keep your passwords secret.

5.      Buy only Genuine Microsoft software. Counterfeit software can corrupt your system, make you lose data, and can lead to identity theft. If Microsoft software is on your holiday gift list this season, you can help make sure you're buying the real thing by reading the Guide to Purchasing Genuine Microsoft software.

For more tips, see How to shop online more safely this holiday season and What to do if you're a victim of fraud.

According to the Associated Press, French police said that in October of this year they arrested two men for breaking into the personal bank account of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The BBC says that the Internet hackers probably didn't know that it was Sarkozy's account they were stealing money from, a reminder that none of us are immune to risk if we don't take a few precautions.

To help avoid ID theft:

• Learn to recognize phishing scams and fraudulent e-mail messages.
• Use strong passwords and keep them secret.
• Follow four steps to help protect your computer.

If you think you might already be a victim of identity theft, see What to do if you've responded to a phishing scam.