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Manufacturing News Center
Falköping Sweden-- Let's take a broader look at how to better protect your system other than simply spotting suspicious email. Dress In Layers - When thinking of security software, right away people think of anti virus software. And I'm going to venture a guess that you've heard of Ad-aware. These two items are great for helping to prevent the presence of and to help remove items from your system. Don't forget a firewall, however. In the event something makes it onto your system undetected, or someone tries to look into your system, a firewall can alert you of this and allow you to block it. I'll expand on this a little later.
Slow Down - When you're cruising the Internet, take time to read what you're doing. I get wrapped into this myself where I'll be doing things and, after briefly skimming through a dialog box, will hit the button that I think I should be. But this can actually haunt you. Example: when I was uninstalling something the other day, I did what I usually do, which is go into Add/Remove Programs, click the item I want to remove, click Remove, and then click Yes. I've done that hundreds of times. But this time, after I did that, I sat there wondering why nothing happened. After hitting Remove again, I read the dialog box, where the answer stared right at me. "Do you wish to keep this item on your system?" By clicking Yes, it did just that. I had to click No to remove it.
But how does this apply to using the Internet? When visiting some web pages, the page author can cause the web browser to prompt for an installation. Usually, this is used for loading components which allow you to view all the page's contents (such as animations and etcetera). Some page authors are sneaking in install requests which may result in items that could impact your privacy. Since it's a simply Yes or No dialog box, if you get 'clicking along' without actually reading anything, it could lead to an install of items. Once you click Yes, it's happening whether you meant it to or not. To summarize all that, read and understand the dialog box before you click your choice.
Patch, update, repeat - You know that update button you keep seeing in some software programs, including ours? You should click that. A lot. Why? Well, when it comes to programs such as ours, it's really only as powerful as its last update. You should patch your operating system as well. Many worms, such as the Blaster worm from some time ago, utilize security vulnerabilities, and the majority of the time the infection could have been prevented by having the proper patch installed. If you're on dial-up and have a ton of updates to install, you can use a system with high speed Internet access and download them to a CD-R(W) to take back and install if you'd like to save some time or avoid possible disconnects in the middle of downloading. And keep checking for updates, too. Just because you updated Ad-aware yesterday doesn't mean it's the latest update anymore. For your operating system, checking weekly is probably sufficient.
Oops, You're Infected - Ok so it's happened. Now what? Well, it depends on what you can do about it. Run an anti-virus/Ad-aware scan using the latest definitions you already have from the step before, or download the newer ones if they exist. If nothing turns up, you're welcome to post at our forums for assistance.
If what you have seems to be doing something that could result in lost files or impacting other users' systems, such as a worm emailing itself to everyone in your address book, and you have no idea what to do or are unable to resolve the issue, then shut down the computer (properly), keep it off, and have someone knowledgeable look at it. It can't do anything if the computer's off.
Which
Anti-Virus Is the Best? - This is the wrong approach.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting the best for your system,
but when it comes down to where it counts, any well-known anti-virus vendor
will perform well. Remember, you're the first line of defense...
the anti-virus software is a backup layer. Ask your friends which
programs they use, and see if you can get trial versions prior to purchasing.
If the anti-virus program is easy for you to understand and use, then
that's probably your best choice. Having a "big huge super-awesome"
anti-virus program you have no idea how to use is worse than having a
great anti-virus program that you can operate properly.
What About Firewalls? - The same holds true here also. Examine your choices, try them out, and see which one fits your needs best. Of course, when testing anti-virus or firewall solutions, you should only try a single item from each category at a time. Installing multiple anti-virus or firewall programs can quickly lead to system stability issues. But in the end, have an anti-virus and a firewall solution in place. They're like two holes in a boat. Taking care of one won't take care of the other. Both are needed to properly take care of things.
Hopefully this will aid you in better preparing your system, and yourself, for any possible encounters down the road. Click here to view more current news articles Did you find this material interesting?
Source: Aaron Hulett - Chief Research Officer - Lavasoft
Research & Development
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