Security Part 1 – Anti Virus

Security Part 1 – Anti Virus

There are many facets of computing security that one needs to be aware of in order to provide a safe online experience. One of the most misunderstood issues is anti-virus software and keeping it up to date. When I have customers that acquire a virus I am frequently asked, “How can this be, I have the anti-virus software that was on my system when I bought it?” You need to be aware that AV software comes with a timed subscription to updates that expire and leave you open to new viruses if you don’t renew or upgrade it. As viruses are created and start to spread there are AV companies busy finding them and creating solutions to prevent them from infecting your system. Without these updates, new viruses infect computers that you may think are protected. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the expiration notices that appear on your computer warning you to renew your anti-virus subscription.

Another important and frequently asked question is, “How do I know if these notices I receive are for real or just a ploy to get me to buy something?” This is actually a good question and one that is not easily answered. There are many companies out there that produce pop-ups or windows that are made to look like legitimate requests to upgrade software or messages stating that your system is infected and you MUST take immediate action. The safest thing to do is to always click on (X) in the upper right hand corner of the window to close it. It is important that you never click on anything inside of the window because it might be one of those phony offers. First of all, Windows is not going to tell you that it is infected with a virus, so if it looks like Windows is providing the information it is most likely bogus. The best thing to do is close the window and run a complete virus scan of the system, one that you initiate. You can launch your anti-virus software and check to make sure your virus definitions file is up to date and your subscription is valid. So if in doubt, you should launch the anti-virus program to initiate scans and check subscription status. That is the only surefire way to tell if you are protected, don’t reply to unsolicited pop-up messages. It’s always good practice to periodically launch your anti-virus software to check if it’s fully active and up-to-date. Most programs have an easy to read status screen that gives a good summary of your AV protection and if you have a security suite package that has a firewall and anti-spyware it will give you the status of these as well.

In general, I strongly suggest to my customers to use one of the security suite software packages and my top recommendation is Norton Internet Security 200x. The latest version is for 2008 and it has all the necessary functions to secure your system via anti-virus, firewall, spyware, and, according to the latest independent tests, seems to have the best performance as far as catching the latest threats. When your subscription runs out for your current protection, it is usually the same cost to upgrade to the latest version instead of just renewing your subscription. You can never be protected enough against these threats as anyone who has had them will attest to.

Don’t forget to check back for my next blog installment when I will discuss the latest in wireless security and my recommendations in this area.