Scares of spyware!!

I had some recent activity on my computer concerning spy ware, (scare ware in some terms). I can tell you it is the most frustrating experience you will ever have. It's a scary thing to come up on a message telling you your computer is having a problem, at the time I did not have a proper anti-virus software to destroy any threats that may pop up. I almost lost all my work and photos that I had saved of my recent trip with my parents who were on vacation. Luckily I learned how to save my computer from further destruction. But I hear in the news that it is a threat that continues all over the globe which is an even scarier thing to think about. How on earth will the government contend with so many viruses and spy ware in this country alone? I see it as being a big problem and what really scares me the most about this is that somebody out in this world could be creating a bigger and better software to hack into virtually anything they please. They could get into our bank accounts, social security, and other personal information. Technology is a brilliant thing to have but it can also be the scariest thing. I would say the only thing we can do is to be prepared and keep the computer in shape with all the new anti-virus software that comes out.