|
| |
Your computer is connected to every other computer on earth and on earth
there are people who will release a bug or spyware that can infect your PC.
No matter which product you use or plan to purchase you have to keep these
products up to date with regular connection to the Internet, these programs
will update themselves with current detection installed.
Please contact us for recommendations and pricing.
As a nation of computer users, most of us have been exposed to
malicious codes - usually in the form of a virus attacking our systems or those
of co-workers and friends. The International Computer Security Association has
identified more than 90,000 viruses to date, and estimates 400 new virus codes
are created every month. Not a day goes by in which a new computer bug isn't
lurking in cyberspace.
If a virus has ever attacked your computer, you know how damaging it can be.
Viruses can change the contents of entire files or delete them completely; send
personal and financial information to strangers; reformat your hard drive; and
render your system completely inoperable. Whatever malevolent task a virus is
programmed to execute, it is only compounded by the infuriating loss of time it
takes to identify and remove it from your system.
A virus is a computer program that lives in shared computer files and has the
ability to replicate itself, potentially spreading to scores of other systems -
most often via e-mail and usually within minutes. Viruses can also be spread via
downloaded Internet files, a computer network at the office, or through files
stored on shared floppy disks.
So what's the best way to protect your system from computer viruses? Keep
your Anti-Virus programs up to date. Always scan your computer or have it
run scans during off hours (your PC must be turned on) and avoid websites where
these bugs come from. Never open e-mail from people you don't know and
avoid opening e-mail with attachments unless you're expecting it. Most
Internet Services use programs to scan for viruses in every piece of e-mail sent
or received through their networks - as many as eight million e-mails each day.
Of those scanned, one percent are found to be infected and are removed from the
network.
|
|
IS SPYWARE TAKING OVER YOUR PC?
Now Available from ACPC.
- Anti-virus products.
Symantec - The worlds most
popular.
PandaSoftware - Up and
coming with many options.
AVG - A
Free Anti-Virus Program which is gaining in popularity and
effectiveness.
Anti-Virus Software Vendors
Other recommendations:
Updated virus protection software. A number of vendors
provide adequate virus protection that ranges from free
to $50 per year (see sidebar). We strongly recommend a
program with automatic updates, which regularly
downloads the most current virus-protection pattern from
the vendor's Web site. Your anti-virus software package
should also contain a real-time scan for e-mail and
Internet activity and allow you to scan your hard-drive
regularly for viruses - a computer-maintenance routine
that should be performed once a week.
- Good judgment. Your virus protection
software can do a lot of things for you, but
thinking isn't one of them. Exercising caution when
handling files from outside sources is the best
first line of defense against viruses. Take an extra
five seconds to really consider the file you are
opening - do you know who sent it? Do you know why?
Did you ask for this information? Be wary of e-mails
that look suspicious. People writing today's viruses
are experts in disguising their work to entice
unsuspecting users to open them. Many times they
look like they originate from someone you know or
are delivering data you need.
- System settings. In Internet Options, set
your Internet Explorer Security to "medium," which
alerts you before running potentially unsafe
content; don't use the preview pane feature in
Outlook Express, which automatically opens all
e-mails; and visit the Microsoft Update Web site at
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com for the
latest in security patches for your system.
- Back up your data. Despite our best
efforts, no one is immune to computer viruses. To
protect the valuable data on your computer, back up
your files onto a floppy disk or CD-ROM at least
twice a week.
Source: Interland |
|
|
|
