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Everyone who owns a computer knows by now: If
you use a
computer, you need an anti-virus program. Just for kicks, one
day
we loaded up a brand-new computer, and connected it to the Internet
without an anti-virus program or firewall. Voila - within 20
seconds, it was attacked!
But which program is best? Why should you pay for one if you
can
get a free one? Are the free ones OK? What about a
firewall? If these questions are giving you the cold shivers,
here’s a short primer on anti-virus and firewall programs.
First, you need to understand a bit about anti-virus and firewall
programs. Think of the firewall as a customs border guard,
and
the anti-virus program as the local police force.
The firewall sits on the border between your computer and the internet,
watching all the connections that attempt to go in and out.
If it
sees something suspicious, it turns away the connection.
Once the connection is allowed, the anti-virus takes over: It
watches for unusual activity and scans all the files coming and going
on your computer. Its software (or
“engine”) is the
brain that coordinates the surveillance efforts. But even the
best police officer can’t keep all the criminals’
faces in
memory at once. That’s why anti-virus programs also
use
“virus definitions”, which are basically the same
as a
“Wanted” list. The software scans the
files, compares
them against the Wanted list, and “arrests” any
files that
match the descriptions on the list.
This means that it’s critical for the anti-virus program to
always have the most up-to-date list of virus definitions.
Otherwise, a new virus could sneak through before the anti-virus knows
enough to stop it. Almost all anti-virus programs are
designed to
automatically keep their definitions updated.
If you have a larger business network, then leave the job of selecting
an anti-virus and firewall to IT professionals. But if you
have
to make the decision yourself, here are a few things to keep in mind.
There are many free anti-virus programs available. The
best-known
is AVG, which is actually quite a good program. AVG used to
also
offer a free firewall as well, but now you have to pay for it; likely
the anti-virus will also end up that way. The advantage to
these
lesser-known programs (other than price) is that their vulnerabilities
may not be as well-known and exploited by hackers.
A word of warning though: if you’re surfing the web
and you
get a pop-up that offers to scan your computer, or to download free
anti-virus software, don’t click on it! Most of
these are
actually scams or viruses themselves. Do your research
first: search the web for reviews on the free program before
you
download or install it.
The advantage of paid programs like Norton (Symantec) and McAfee is
that they have the budget and staff available to respond quickly to new
threats, and they usually have adequate tech support. The bad
news is that these “big boys” are big targets, and
the
hackers spend a great deal of time and energy figuring out ways around
them. So far, the good guys are still winning (most of the time), but
it’s a
precarious balance.
The bottom line is that whether you choose a free or paid program, make
sure you have an anti-virus and firewall, and make sure that it stays
updated (that includes making sure your Windows® operating
system
is updated as well). It’s just not worth the pain
of trying
to recover from a virus!
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By: Diane Henders, Bright Ideas Personalized
Learning Inc. For more information or computer training services,
please call Bright Ideas Personalized Learning at (403) 269-2347.
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