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Being Protected

July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When you have a computer you will constantly run the risk of developing some sort of malicious code-related problem. Whether it be having your computer slow down because of a virus, having it be spied upon and having your information stolen or just having irritating ads popping up that won’t go away, you need to protect yourself.

There is a lot you can do when it comes to protecting yourself from malicious code. Firstly you can do your best to only associate with reputable sites. The worst types of sites are the ones that will force your computer to download all kinds of spam or other types of malicious code. This type of code may look harmless or even go unnoticed, but it will often affect your computer in all kinds of ways. You need to go beyond the paid programs when you want to really protect yourself from malicious code.

The best things you can do are generally free. When you use free software you can also get free updates for it without the constant advertising that orders you to buy more and more. While every company wants you to at least donate, the free software is typically far less obnoxious than the kind you have to pay in order to use. So when you think of being protected, at least consider downloading some free software and making your compute safer that way. While there won’t be any ads encouraging you to do this, you will still be just as protected.

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Anti Virus Software

June 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Malware logo Crystal 128. 

Image via Wikipedia

The internet has changed the mode of communication. Practically everything from paying bills to communicating with loved ones is done on the web today. So it is no surprise that with the growth and popularity of the web comes a growth of invaders. There have been decades of issues that involve virus dating back before the Love Bug which was a virus that swarmed around the internet and crashed many computers. So how do prevent security breaches and viruses? First you must know what to look for. Here are a few tips to help against spam.

  • Be aware of the email monster: The best place to find spam is in your email inbox if you don’t have your spam filter on. chain emails can cary viruses, other email messages can lead to fraud. Some people pretend to be the government, or charities asking for donations and either way you will be ripped off.
  • Downloads can lead to disaster: Downloaded content, be it music or data files, can hold any type of virus that can change settings or completely destroy your computer.
  • Web pages: Some web pages can hold instantly downloading viruses as soon as you open them, so its a good idea to be cautious about what sites you are searching for.
  • Social Media Sites: There are even viruses inside social media sites, sometimes these won’t actually damage your computer but they can damage your reputation by sending out false emails that are offensive or racist to your entire contact list.

 

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Should You Pay for Antivirus Protection?

May 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Antivirus protection is one of the most important things to have for your computer system. It provides key protection for your computer, to ensure it is not vulnerable to third party viruses, spyware and other malicious threats.

Screenshot of ClamTk 3.08 running on Ubuntu 8.... 

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Paying for It

There are free antivirus programs available. Others cost a significant amount of money. How can you tell if you should pay for a program or not? Here are some tips to help you to make that decision.

  • Free programs often have fewer features than paid programs. Consider the benefits of using a program to aid with email protection from spam, for example, which may be a protection only available through a paid antivirus program.
  • In some cases, a free program can be okay, especially if the Internet connection is not constant or you are not using it often. If there is a constant connection, the benefit of having a program is clear. Without it, anyone can enter the system through a vulnerable point and take advantage of the user.
  • For a business, especially businesses using cloud computing methods or storing customer data, having an in-house, paid antivirus program is essential. The level of help is ideal in this higher-end product.

If you are considering the benefits of a free antivirus program or a paid one, remember to compare the specific features of each product before making a decision about which one is right for your specific needs. Most of the time, you can get a free trial of a program to help you to make the decision about whether or not the more expensive version fits your needs better, or offers improved benefits to you.

 

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Computer Security and Protection

March 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When the Internet first started as ARPAnet in the mid 1960s, computers were big, slow and confined to use by the government and academia. Computer use was based on trust – trust that users would always act ethically and follow the rules. The growth of the Internet and its availability to millions of users coupled with the advent of e-commerce changed the cyber environment and simple trust no longer protected computers from cyber-crime.

The emergence and growth of cyber crime has brought about the creation of a new branch of computer technology in the corporate world and government – Information Security. The goal of Information Security is to implement a secure computer operating system that protects data from being stolen, corrupted or destroyed. At the same time, the system must remain accessible to authorized users.  It is a tall order.

Individual computers are most vunerable to attack by hackers and cyber crooks when connected to other computers – like a network. Information security is best achieved through collective processes and techniques that protect sensitive information from being published or tampered with by unauthorized individuals at the server.  This goal is accomplished by making corporate servers and networks elusive to cyber criminals intent onbreaking into a system.

The keys to ensuring a secure computer network liein three words: confidentiality, integrity and authentication – CIA for short. Confidentiality means a system cannot be acessed by unauthorized users and that secrecy and privacy will not be compromised. Integrity means that information is unauthorized changes canot be made to data without authorized users detecting the intrusion. Authentication means that authorized users are authenticated for access to information.  A fourth key, availability, means that resources are available to authorized users on demand and protected against denial of service attacks.

The most important mission for Information Security remains - to ensure and maintain privacy for a computer system’s users.

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The Key Requirements For Data Protection

January 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Data is your most valuable asset when it comes to the things you do. Much of the data we have is being stored in the easy to access digital form. Some of that data is more important than others but it all carries a personal connection. So, when a thief comes around, their number one goal is to steal that data. There are two ways the thief tries really hard to find the code words to access it. They either steal it through your computer or con you into giving it to them. To keep your data safe, you need to keep your silence and your computer secure.

Keeping your computer secure from data theft is a continual process. Computer data theft is accomplished by uploading a specific piece of code that reads your data and transmits it to another computer. The thief can do this via email, a website, or anything they can get you to download or click. A good anti-virus program scans your computer and stops many of the incoming viruses. But you need to be on top of the updates to keep your protection up. In addition, a good firewall stops many attacks.

Keeping your silence is infinitely harder. Sometimes, our emotions get in the way of logic and we give out our data without considering the consequences. By the time the mistake is realized, the best we can do is damage control. But our silence is an important part of protecting our data. Investigating individual requests for data is essential to protecting ourselves. We can’t just hand out our data to anyone who requests it even if does personally invoke our emotions.

Data protection is a very personal matter. What it boils down to is you. You are the primary defense for your data. You need to use every defensive aid to help you keep your data safe.

Filed Under: Anti-Virus, Computers Tagged With: ,

Catching Viruses While Surfing

January 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Web surfing is a serious business for many people. Whether you are surfing for information, business or pleasure, the opportunity to catch a virus exists. Oftentimes, it comes out of nowhere when you are on the hunt for a specific piece of information or click on certain websites. Most times, your anti-virus software will catch it before it does any real damage. However, there are times when even the best software can’t protect you from new creations. To keep yourself safe while surfing, you should follow a few rules that will give you the best shot for avoiding viruses.

Anti-virus updates are crucial. Viruses and worm are ever evolving projects that appear frequently. While it is impossible to catch and protect against them all, your anti-virus software is striving to keep up with the new releases. It is their job to protect your system. They can’t do their job correctly, if the anti-virus is working with old software. Old software can’t catch the new and upcoming viruses.

Don’t enter sites that are flagged. There are some sites that will generate a red flag. This is your anti-virus telling you not to proceed forward. It is a warning that you may suffer adverse effects if you enter it. It could also contain a virus that will disable your anti-virus software and completely dissolve your protection. Avoiding the website is your best bet. Also, run your anti-virus scan immediately afterward to make sure you haven’t caught anything in passing.

The anti-virus software is your best defense against catching a virus while surfing. You must keep it up to date and current. Be aware of when it expires so you are not caught without protection. Not every site can be trusted. If the red flag appears, don’t ignore them. They are imparting information that you could potentially suffer damage.

Filed Under: Anti-Virus, Emails Tagged With: ,

Antivirus Software Concepts

January 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Antivirus software is a form of protection for computers to be used to prevent, identify, and remove a variety of computer viruses including Trojan horses and worms. Some antivirus software also prevents and eliminates forms of malware such as spyware and adware.

Identification Techniques

There are a variety of ways an antivirus software can be utilized to recognize viruses and malware.

  1. Signature-based detection: the most common technique an it identifies viruses and malware by compares the aspects of a file with a dictionary made up of signatures from harmful software. It searches an entire file in separate parts to detect viruses that have embedded themselves into current files.
  2. File emulation: implements a program into a virtual environment and monitors the actions of the program. Based on the actions, this technique can identify if a program is harmful and then the technique can perform the necessary disinfection steps.
  3. Heuristic-based detection: typically used to detect unknown viruses.

Topics of Concern

    • Effectiveness: Since technology is constantly advancing and reaching new limits, concerns over the effectiveness of antivirus software and its ability to keep up with the advancement of malicious programs is questioned. Many studies have show that the effectiveness of antivirus software decreases against unknown attacks. Also, new viruses are often written by professionals of criminal organizations, which makes them more complex and not as easily to detect.
    • False Positives: When antivirus software deems a normal file as malicious it can lead to serious issues. It can immediately remove or quarantine the identified files and result in certain areas of an operating system or applications unable to be used.
    • Unexpected Renewal Costs: Many license agreements of commercial antivirus software have a section that states a subscription will be automatically renewed at the cost of the purchaser. The users credit card will be automatically billed without authorization. Most antivirus software requires users to unsubscribe up to 90 days in advance of the expiration of the current subscription.
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Benefits Of Antivirus Programs

December 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Not everyone is an expert when it comes to knowing how to protect your computer from outside threats. Neither do most of us know what to do when our computer begins to experience problems, we have not seen or heard of before. Only a percentage of the workforce is a master at computers and they are the only ones who can keep up with any types of PC problems. Often we end up clicking on a website, or downloading an attachment that we do not think much about. In reality those are the attachments that will harm our terminal in more ways than we can imagine.

Antivirus programs are almost like a god sent, for people who are not too familiar with how their computer works. For most of us, as long as the computer turns on and we can perform our everyday activities, we don’t ask for anything more. If your computer gets infected with a virus, not only will you lose valuable information, but you will also notice how slow your PC runs. In your case, it is important to install and maintain some sort of an antivirus program. Antivirus programs usually work in the background and block any unwanted programs from being installed. Even when you need to install a program for your use, it will review and ask for your permission before installation. This way if you are not aware of what to install, you can choose to cancel. Antivirus programs also work in your favor and delete viruses that are already installed on your computer. A simple virus scan, once in a while will help you review and delete anything that will harm your computer.

While there are several other benefits, these are just a few to keep in mind, when it comes to determining whether you should install antivirus programs on your computer. Consult with a professional if you are unsure of what to purchase.

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Paying Bills the Safe Way

December 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Who has time to write checks and mail them out at the end of each month? In today’s internet age, it is a lot faster to pay your bills over the internet, but there are certain safety measures you should keep in mind. While you can also pay your bills using your mobile devise, there are several advantages to using your internet and your home computer. Even though you may feel that using your home computer may not be safe due to hacking, there are ways to keep things secure. Here are a few advantages to using your computer for your bills, the safe way. You only need to keep a few things in mind, in order to protect your identity.

* Identity theft is often caused due to unwanted programs being installed on your computer, so try to avoid going on sites you are not sure about. This way the content of your PC will be kept safe and for added assurance, always have a proper anti virus program running at all times.
* Do not store usernames and passwords on your computer. If you are not sure of how your information will get out, it is safer to write them down and keep them in a safe place. Often hackers look for files with personal account information and your credit card numbers, which they can use to their benefit.
* Schedule all your bills through your bank account, so that at the end of each month, you can simply go into your financial institute’s website and conduct everything from there. It is much easier to remember just one login information, and this way, you can reduce the time you spend on your various accounts.

Always remember to delete financial information from your computer and instead store them on a disk. These are just a few ways to pay your bills online and keep things safe. For more information, consult with your financial institution.

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Prevention Is Better Than Cure

December 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Preventing any types of viruses is more important for your computer now than it used to be. It is a lot safer and smarter to prevent your PC and your email from any types of problems, rather than spending an arm and a leg to fix it. Junk mail makes our email accounts a field for viruses to pile up and without knowing what is legitimate, we often end up clicking on the wrong emails. If an email comes with an attachment and you are not aware of whom the sender is, it is better for you to delete the email. Attachments often consist of viruses and once you click on them, the virus is automatically installed on your computers hard drive.

Viruses can cause a lot of problems and without proper junk mail filter you can cause a lot of harm. They can delete contents of your PC and corrupt important programs. There are certain viruses that will collect important personal information from your computer and send them to other parties. Especially if you store financial information and passwords for certain accounts, they can be stolen and as a result you will spend days just trying to fix the problems. The damage is beyond imaginable, at times, and there is little you can do to prevent it once these viruses are installed.

In such cases, it is important to protect your email. There are several free and low cost programs available online that can be installed on your computer to recognize and delete viruses. Be sure your firewall is up at all times so that your computer is somewhat protected. If you are unsure of what products to use, either consult with someone knowledgeable, or do some research online. You will find many easy to install and use programs that will help protect your email account and your computer. Why spend the money on fixing things when you can prevent these problems?

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