PC security wars: Good!

Microsoft's OneCare is shaking up the whole field of PC security, and that's great for family PCs. It's not to say that viruses, phishing attacks, and other pests are going away overnight, but it does spell better, cheaper, more family-friendly protection, according to CNET. "A number of companies, including perhaps unexpected ones such as AOL [with its "Total Care," coming this summer], are readying security and maintenance packages for home computers, following Microsoft's launch last week of Windows Live OneCare." If you have not one single clue about which way to go with this growing number of options, you are not alone! Here's a handy chart CNET has prepared, comparing PC care products available right now. It doesn't do quality comparisons but it does say whether they have features like antivirus, antispyware, antiphishing, firewall, backup, and even "safe Web searching." See also this transcript of a conversation between Washington Post PC security reporter Brian Krebs and his readers about the latest security threats and what to do about them.