PC Security: Fighting off
Viruses: Advancements in Antivirus Software Suites
by Ainuddin Mohamad
Remember the “good old days”,
before the advent of the Internet and downloadable programs?
Life was simple then in terms of computer viruses. With the
primary way in which a virus could be transmitted being
limited to floppy disks, the ability to catch and eradicate...
Protecting
your computer from a virus is getting harder and harder each
day. While it may border on the paranoid, it goes without
saying that you can’t leave your guard down for one second.
Even corporate giant Microsoft has found its own systems
compromised on more than one occasion.
Remember the
“good old days”, before the advent of the Internet and
downloadable programs? Life was simple then in terms of
computer viruses. With the primary way in which a virus could
be transmitted being limited to floppy disks, the ability to
catch and eradicate the virus was a lot easier. By today’s
standards, it used to take quite a while before a virus was
able to infect a computer and slow down the system. The
antivirus software of that time was typically able to identify
and eradicate viruses before they caused too much damage.
Additionally, computer users were pretty savvy on how to
protect themselves in terms of scanning all floppy disks
before copying them to our desktop.
The Internet
helped change all that. The Internet provided a conduit by
which viruses could move from host to host with lightening
speed. No longer could a computer user just worry about
floppy disks as points of entry, but they now had to worry
about email, email attachments, peer-to-peer file sharing,
instant messaging, and software downloads. Today’s viruses
can attack through multiple entry points, spread without human
intervention, and take full advantage of vulnerabilities
within a system or program. With technology advancing
everyday, and the convergence of computers with other mobile
devices, the potential of new types of threats also increase.
Protecting
Your Computer
Luckily, the advancement of
antivirus software has kept pace with current virus threats.
Antivirus software is essential to a computer’s ability to
fend off viruses and other malicious programs. These products
are designed to protect against the ability of a virus to
enter a computer through email, web browsers, file servers and
desktops. Additionally, these programs offer a centralized
control feature that handle deployment, configuration and
updating.
A computer user should remain
diligent and follow a few simple steps to protect against the
threat of a virus:
1. Evaluate your current computer security system.
With the threat of a new generation of viruses able to attack
in a multitude of ways, the approach of having just one
antivirus software version has become outdated. You need to
be confident that you have protected all aspects of your
computer system from the desktop to the network, and from the
gateway to the server. Consider a more comprehensive security
system which includes several features including antivirus,
firewall, content filtering, and intrusion detection. This
type of system will make it more difficult for the virus to
penetrate your system.
2. Only install
antivirus software created by a well-known, reputable
company.
Because new viruses erupt daily, it is important that you
regularly update your antivirus software. Become familiar
with the software’s real-time scan feature and configure it to
start automatically each time you boot your computer. This
will protect your system by automatically checking your
computer each time it is powered up.
3. Make it a habit to
always scan all new programs or files no matter from where
they originate.
4. Exercise caution
when opening binary, Word, or Excel documents of unknown
sources especially if they were received during an online chat
or as an attachment to an email.
5. Perform regular
backups in case your system is corrupted. It may be the only
way to recover your data if infected.
Recommended Antivirus
Software
There are
numerous applications available to consumers. With a little
research, you can pick the program that is right for you.
Many programs provide a trial version which allows you to
download the program and test its abilities. However, be
aware that some anti-virus programs can be difficult to
uninstall. As a precaution make sure to set up a System
Restore point before installing.
Here are a
few programs which typically receive high marks in terms of
cost, effectiveness, ease of use, and customer service.
The
Shield Pro 2005™ provides virus
protection and hacker security through ongoing support and
updates. When a virus breaks out, The Shield Pro 2005™
promises to provide a patch within 2-3 hours and a fix for the
virus within 5 hours. You can set your computer to update
viruses weekly and
run a complete virus scan.
BitDefender 9 Standard provides
antivirus protection, as well as Peer-2-Peer Applications
protection, full email protection, and heuristics in a virtual
environment. This provides a new security layer that keeps
the operating system safe from unknown viruses by detecting
malicious pieces of code for which signatures have not been
released yet.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0
program is simple to install and use. The user only needs to
choose from three levels of protection. It allows updates as
frequently as every hour while promising not to disrupt your
computer. The program also offers a two-tier email protection
feature and round-the-clock technical support.
PC-cillin
Internet Security combines
antivirus security and a personal firewall—for comprehensive
protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, and hackers. It
also detects and removes spyware and blocks spam. It even
guards against identity theft by blocking phishing and
pharming attacks.
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
is a free downloadable antivirus program that has received
high marks for its reliability. In the past, free
downloadable antivirus programs have been viewed skeptically
because of issues relating to its reliability. However,
AVG from Grisoft, remains one of the best-known free
anti-virus programs available. While AVG can not be installed
on a server operating system and there is no technical
support, it still makes a good choice for many home computer
users. The best part is that since it is free, you can try it
with no further obligation necessary.
About the Author
Ainuddin Mohamad is the Webmaster of
http://www.BestWebsites.com.my which is a Directory of Best Websites. Since
July 2000
BestWebsites.com.my has featured thousands of best websites in many
categories of interest with descriptions/reviews given by leading publications
and webmasters.
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