21/02/2015
Viruses, worms, Trojans, rootkits, adware, spyware and ransomware.
All are threats to both home users and business users alike and are all too common place amongst those who use computers frequently. Some can be just an annoyance and some can be more malicious in intent – protecting yourself from these digital threats is important for the security of your data and the overall health of your system, having good security is paramount in the peace of mind that your browsing and work will be safe from prying eyes.
So what can we do to keep our systems safe? The most important component to a good security system is having rock solid antivirus. There are many free and there are also many paid applications – either having a one off payment to a subscription fee. If money is tight then Windows Security Essentials is a good solution – with regular updates provided through your normal update procedure to ensure that the protection is up to date. If you want to get a better quality product then Norton is a good call with a yearly subscription fee and support for all your devices.
Run once, run often
Don’t be completely fooled into thinking that because you have antivirus that nothing will get through because sometimes things can slip through the cracks – a stray click on a website or not reading the menus on an installer can land you with a headache of adware and malware. Run the antivirus program regularly so it can scan deep into your computer and w**d out anything that may be hiding – if you do suspect there are issues on your system then there are a couple more tools you can use.
1) Malwarebytes has stood up to the test of time as a great tool to scan the system and remove any malicious programs. Simple to download, install and run to offer that extra level on top of your antivirus program.
2) ADWcleaner is great for getting any adware that Malwarebytes might miss and also does a bit of cleaning behind the scenes for any of the non-malicious files that anything bad might have left behind. It takes less time than Malwarebytes and is simple as the click of two buttons and a reboot later to have a clean system in no time at all.
The frequency you choose to run checks is up to you though usually once every week or two weeks is sufficient – however if you’re in doubt it never hurts to be safe – and of course prevention is the best cure! Know what to look out for when you’re browsing and downloading, don’t click on anything you’re not absolutely sure about – be that an advertisement on a web page or a suspect attachment in an email. Pay attention to installers and make sure it’s not installing anything extra other than the software you want it to, and remember, if in doubt – scan it out!
