Posts Tagged ‘Anti Virus’
Today’s market is cluttered with security software offering anywhere from 4 to 15 features. Which one of these software features is important? Which ones do you absolutely need? Which ones are already present on your computer? Almost all vendors sell a basic version and then have a premium package that costs more. Are the extra dollars worth it? Read on to find out.
The ones you absolutely, definitely need
Anti Virus – Detects and removes viruses from your hard drive, emails, & downloaded files. Needs to update frequently and automatically to keep up with the newest viruses.
Personal Firewall – Blocks hackers and other malicious network programs trying to attack your computer and network. Monitors inbound and outbound network connections from your computer.
Anti Spyware – Blocks and removes spyware / adware which is a malicious program or code hidden in acceptable files. This includes the latest rootkit programs which are used to hide the malware, spyware from other detection programs.
The Good to haves
Anti Phishing / Fraud Defense – Protects you from online scams designed to steal credit card and bank account numbers. This capability is already present in the most common browsers – Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Wireless Network Monitoring – Guards against unauthorized users invading your wireless home network. You can configure this facility in your wireless router with access IDs, passwords and network addresses.
Online Identity Protection – Guards against online identity theft. Again, most transaction sites provide secure authentication. Also most credit and debit cards today come with a online protection service with a full refund.
The Extras
Anti Spam – Filters annoying and potentially dangerous email. If you use a web based mail service like yahoo, hotmail or gmail, they already provide this service. Even if you open a bad email, you should be protected if you have the other tools running.
Pop-Up blocker – Blocks annoying pop-ups and potentially dangerous scripts. The most popular browsers (IE & Firefox) already have this utility integrated into them.
More recently, security software has been offered with data backup and system performance software. These are extras, and should already be part of your operating system. Most security companies offer more or less the same features and capabilties. Everybody knows Norton & McAfee. A couple more to consider are Trend Micro & Zone Labs. Almost all of these have free versions to download and test. Another company that offers a good free Antivirus is AVG (Grisoft).
Remember the days of exploding cigars? A similar principle is now occurring in the internet whereby one can no longer confidently open an email from a friend without risking its contents exploding all over one’s screen. Although there is no spiteful intent by said friend to send the virus email, malicious software is circulating via innocent moves. To avoid being added to the statistics, it is recommended for general computer users to acquaint themselves with some of the intricacies. Security software guides targeted for personal well as corporate computer users are easily obtainable online as well as in printed publications. By understanding what steps need to be taken to avoid mishaps, most should be able to keep their precious data in one piece.
Viruses are constantly bombarding the users’ computer systems. To improve desktop protection, anti-virus products are developed and need to keep the pace to ward off new versions released incessantly into the market. Going a step further, spyware made their debut to perform the task as per their name. It seems espionage is no longer confined to the 007 world as whatever one does on his computer is easily tracked and seen on other computers across the world. As such, anti-spyware is thus created to combat these unwelcome squatters in the computer system.
Firewalls are making their presence in home computers to join the growing list of security software. Guides on how to tweak the settings is generally easy enough for most users to comprehend as most trust the default values. If one is brave enough to take the bull by the horns, it is advisable to be well-versed in this subject to avoid accidental lock-out from one’s system. Pop-up blockers are essential to deter pesky irritants which cause the user to divert precious time and effort away from beneficial work.
Phishing is a phenomenon whereby one’s personal information is assumed by another via less than legal means. The days of someone stealing carbon copies of credit card receipts are being replaced by more advanced methods. Enforce adequate desktop protection to deter one from being a victim of such crime as many lose their credit ratings due to no fault of their own.
As a growing number of Indian SMEs are relying on the Internet for business transactions, they are increasingly facing productivity losses due to multiple security threats.
A Gartner study has recently revealed that although the awareness level on the importance of IT security has significantly gone up within this segment, it is the high price of these solutions that are deterring them from investing in the same.
Experts feel that although a number of SMEs have already deployed basic security solutions such as anti-virus and firewall, the problem lies with high-end solutions that are still beyond the reach of these enterprises.
“As the nature of attacks have become very complex, vendors should reduce the cost of high-end security solutions such as identity and access management (IAM) and unified threat management (UTM) to address the mid-market segment,” says Madhav Panth, Director of Evergreen Infotech, a Gurgaon-based small IT service provider working on Web Designing and integration.
“As SMEs operate on a stringent budget, they always look for cost-effective solutions. This is particularly true in the present market scenario, where small businesses have drastically reduced their IT budget,” says Mr Panth.
Affordability is the key
A number of security vendors have begun to introduce affordable and customized Internet security solutions in the market that cater to the needs of the price-sensitive SME segment.
Websense, an IT security vendor has introduced Websense Express that is highly cost-effective and is designed especially for securing the data of mid-sized firms. “The solution identifies malicious websites, protocols, applications and HTTP traffic and blocks them from entering the network,” says Manish Bansal, Sales Manager of Websense.
Internet security vendor Trend Micro’s Internet Security Pro 2009 also addresses high-end malicious attacks. It offers customizable security warnings and comes with a remote file lock utility that protects sensitive files in the case of a laptop theft. Other vendors like Fortinet and Quick Heal have also begun to address the market with affordable high-end security solutions.
Mr Bansal sees a tremendous market potential for high-end Internet security solutions among Indian SMEs once the prices of these solutions are reduced.
Experts feel that it is important for IT security vendors to introduce more affordable and feature-rich security solutions for small businesses in India. This will enable them to protect their critical data from unauthorized access much more effectively.
Rogue security programs come from the “shadier” side of the Internet and for the most part they are built to harass computer users. These programs act by simulating viruses and antivirus software simultaneously to give a computer user the impression that they have been infected by a virus or malware. The types of applications such known as rogue security programs have also been labeled “scareware” because they use ethical practices and show no concern for malicious actions taken by these applications which are all geared toward scaring the user into purchasing a solution to the problem that’s been caused by the software itself.
Many of these rogue security programs have been developed to preempt users from taking action against them by selectively preventing components of the operating system from working so that the malware can’t be removed by simple straightforward program removal and un-installation methods. The software are sometimes also designed to disable operating system updates, block access to legitimate anti-virus, and security software vendor web sites and worse, disabling the installation and action of currently-installed antivirus and anti-malware software preventing them from performing their function. Some of these “scareware” software have been known to change the security permissions of all of a computer’s files as well as lock the operating system. Rogue security programs can even take longer to remove than many other malware and viruses for even an experienced computer repair technician.
Be careful not to believe any web page that states that your computer is infected with viruses and if your browser locks up preventing you from closing the page or window, restart your computer via the Windows start menu “shut down” option or the power button if you have no easy options. Rogue security programs have been delivered through web pages that users are redirected to when browsing the world wide web, whether they are pop-up windows or web pages that emulate a Windows graphical user interface and they have been distributed via advertisements embedded in web pages as well. Because of the risks, it is often better to shut down the computer rather than clicking purposely or accidentally on these windows to prevent your system from becoming infected by these software and often they require rely upon human interaction not only to profit the distributors with a purchase of the rogue security programs but also for the initial installation and strive to trick or fool users of Internet into installing them.
Computer security software helps you detect unsolicited use of your computer and misuse of private information. The information extracted by unfair means can be used to the hacker’s benefit and may result in huge monetary and privacy losses. These people will go after your hard disk space, computer processor and even your Internet connection. They will infect as many computers they can by spreading disastrous viruses.
Companies like Microsoft spent a lot of money and resources to come up with effective and affordable computer security software. These software programs prevent and detect the misuse of your computer. Preventive software curbs hackers from accessing private data, while detection software helps you detect any damage done by the intruding virus. In the current scenario, where we use computers in almost all essential activities like investing, purchasing and chatting, it has become imperative for us to regularly update our computer security software.
You may consider yourself to be not important or rich enough for hackers to choose you as a target, but these people may not be after your information after all. They may use your system to attack other computers. Under your false identity they may use your email to get into other high-profile computer systems like banks or government records.
A seemingly harmless activity like playing a poker game on the Internet may get these hackers on your computer trail. It is not a very pleasing thought that all your moves on PC are closely monitored, so it is advisable to get computer security software.
Purchase or download the anti-virus products that will provide protection for your systems. You will have to install the latest software, since new viruses are floated on the net every day.
When it comes to desktop security software, some enjoy the process of piecing together a personalized security suite.However, this is not recommended for those just starting out or who want a quick and simple solution. There are a number of bundled options that offer excellent protection and are easy to set up.
Every user connected to the internet needs, at the very least, an anti-virus program installed at home.
Antivirus
The top players in computer security today have an antivirus package offering security not only against viruses, but also against adware, spyware, malware. There are a few key details to consider when choosing an antivirus package.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is potentially the most important to consider when making your purchase decision. After all, you are the one who will be using the software. If you do not like playing with technology, you should look for security with a very user friendly interface. On the other hand, if you enjoy a security program that gives you many customizable options, you will want something with the option to turn off autopilot.
Virus Definition Updates
New viruses appear everyday, and unless you update your virus definition, your desktop security software will have holes in it.Fortunately, all the major players have automatic updates. As long as you do not skip the updates, you will be protected. However, depending on the maker, updates may be once a week, day, or hour.So it is important to pay attention to how often the updates are and compare to how often you use the internet.
Bells and Whistles
A lot of security software developers out there have a variety of additional software packages. While they offer the same protection as the antivirus software, they may offer other features such as: firewalls, extra network security, e-mail spam or phishing filters, password encryption and storage, data encryption and backup, and a host of other security features. When seeing all these bells and whistles, try to assess how much you personally need them. In many cases, should you purchase more than the antivirus, it will be like buying over the counter drugs for just a sore throat-you will have to take medicine for headache relief, sneezes, and whatever else is included. For a little increase in price, however, you will definitely have your bases covered.
Conclusion
An antivirus program is a must, but given the number of times that the Windows firewall has been compromised due to security threats, I highly recommend that a firewall be part of whatever desktop security software you choose.