No you don’t need a ‘firewall’ (but it helps);
no you don’t even need anti-virus software (but it also
helps). All you need to do is two simple things:
1. Keep you email software updated. This is your first line
of defense.
2. Never click on an ATTACHMENT.
Boy, did I get some emails about that. Of course you needed
to read the entire article (check the baliadvertiser.biz archives
to read it now), but, in this issue, I’ve decided to
go to the other extreme.
How can I make my computer as safe as possible against viruses,
malware, adware, trojans, worms and rootkits? You say you
haven’t even heard of half of these threats? Most people
haven’t either.
So, over the next several issues (you might want to save these
articles) I’ll cover everything I can find about these
threats and what you can do.
1. What to look for in Anti-Virus Software
Virus - a program written to cause mischief or damage to a
computer system. A mild virus might only be a slight nuisance,
or even amusing. However, most viruses do damage, whether
to your files, your registry, or even your hardware. Viruses
are hard to detect, easy to propagate, and difficult to remove.
Your computer can pick up a virus when you copy a seemingly
normal file from a diskette or download it from the Internet.
Top anti-virus software should be easy enough for a computer
novice to both use and install. The software should look for
and find virus threats, as well as delete or isolate the infected
files. There should be understandable reporting available
for each scan and plenty of help support available, so you
can be well informed of the software’s activities and
capabilities. Below are what many would consider the most
important attributes of anti-virus software.
Ease of Use –The very best anti-virus software is simple
to use, regardless of a person’s computer experience
or knowledge of viruses.
Effective at Identifying Viruses and Worms – The best
anti-virus products identify infected files quickly through
real-time scanning, searching for viruses in a multitude of
sources, including email, instant message applications, web
browsing and so on.
Effective at Cleaning or Isolating Infected Files –Truly
capable anti-virus software thoroughly cleans, deletes or
quarantines infected files—keeping them from spreading
throughout the hard drive or network.
Activity Reporting – Anti-virus programs should give
immediate notification of viruses found by real-time scanners
and should provide an easy-to-read report of scan results,
including what it found and what it did with infected files.
Feature Set – A well-rounded feature set allows anti-virus
software to provide absolute protection. The best programs
are those that offer a wide variety of tools, from basic real-time
scanning to more advanced, scanning and script blocking—when
it comes to virus protection, the more options the better.
Ease of Installation and Setup – Anti-virus programs
should be a breeze to install, making it easy to go from installation
to initial scan in just a couple clicks of the mouse.
Help Documentation – High-end anti-virus software comes
with plenty of help, including support via email, online chat
or over the telephone. There should also be online resources,
such as knowledge bases and FAQs available for quick and convenient
help.
So, no matter how serious a computer virus is or how quickly
it is passed around, with today’s anti-virus software,
you’ll always have a cure.
Highest rated: BitDefender 10
Price: US$24; yearly subscription US$19
FREE: BitDefender also has a free but very limited version
(not recommended)
Full Review:
http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/bitdefender-review.html
All-in-One Security
Suites of antivirus, antispyware, and firewall software can
provide convenient, solid protection against today’s
worst threats. All of the suites I’ve looked at proved
good at something, but none excelled at everything. Symantec’s
suite (Norton 360), performed consistently well in all categories.
The top performer in malware tests was McAfee’s suite,
which also has extra features such as instant-messaging protection
and an antiphishing plug-in for Internet Explorer. However,
the suite suffers from a bad installation routine. Zone Labs’
suite, ranked low in some performance tests, despite its great
firewall. Zone Labs plans to update its anti-virus soon. Regardless,
it’s packed with features and easy to use.
Highest Rate All-In-One Suite: Norton 360
Price: US$70
http://www.symantec.com/
In the next article we’ll cover Spyware, Adware, and
Malware!
