Renew And Update Your Antivirus Software Today
PC users are facing new computer viruses every day. Computer viruses not only affect home PCs, they clog up internet traffic and disrupt the business of big corporations, causing billion dollars worth of damage each year. To protect your computer and stop the spread of these malicious programs on the internet, you should renew your antivirus software and update it regularly.
The number of computer viruses is increasing at a shocking rate. In 2003, 7 new viruses were unleashed each day. In 2004, more than 10,000 new viruses and their variants were identified. These new viruses include viruses, worms and Trojan horses and they attack the computer in many different ways. Some cause damage to the boot sector, hardware, software or data files. Some create security leaks in the system. Others may use the computer to spread spam e-mails.
Viruses, worms and Trojan horses also spread by different means. Viruses are usually transferred from one computer to another by sharing infected files or e-mail attachments. Worms replicate and spread by e-mail programs. Trojan horses are often downloaded and run by computer users who do not know the true nature of these programs.
The best antivirus software detect and remove viruses, worms and Trojan horses before they infect your system and use advanced script stopping technology. Although there are many new antivirus programs available these days, consumers should remain vigilant. Beware of all the free scans and free downloads from unknown software publishers. Some claim to be antivirus software but in fact, they add adware to your computer.
If you are looking for an antivirus software, you should only buy from reputable software publishers such as Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, etc. Remember to renew the license annually and enable the automatic update. This ensures that you are using the most updated detection database.
For more information about computer viruses and award-winning antivirus software, please visit the following site: http://software.4reviews.net/antivirus.htm
The basics of Internet security
One of the most widely spread mistakes of PC users is their underestimation of computer security importance while Internet using and considering initial installing the antivirus program to be the only and sufficient step toward security guarantee. In what follows, main steps to complex security solution are described.
1. Consider your operating system security. Using Microsoft Windows, you should remember that releases of new versions and updates for older versions are not just Microsoft style to provide users with new tools or system utilities. Most of updates are called to fix certain gaps and discovered flaws in the operating system. Mostly hackers use browser or email client to get access to your computer. Microsoft is constantly fixing such flaws to close the “opened door” in software. That’s why updating process is recommended as the fist step to security. XP users have the automatic update option. Users of older versions should visit Microsoft site for checking the available updates.
2. Use a firewall. Firewalls are security tools to prevent unauthorized programs from accessing your PC via Internet connection. They are also helpful with filtering out the unwanted port scans which test the PC for available flaws to access. Search the Internet for firewall solutions. Read the forums where users give their opinions about certain products and choose the best for you. Among the most well known solutions are:
- Norton Personal Firewall from Symantec
- Sygate Personal Firewall
- Kaspersky Anti Hacker.
Besides if you are using Windows XP, install service Pack 2, which has built-in Microsoft Firewall.
3. Install Antivirus software. Antivirus is the best tool to detect the harmful programs, infecting your computer. Antivirus programs scan all the files, folder and archives on the hard disk, detect the viruses and either delete them automatically or ask for user’s advice what to do with certain malicious file. Remember that virus may infect files that look like typical and normal, for example some Trojan viruses may infect the Word documents and will be activated when you open infected .doc file. That is why scanning with antivirus is recommended to run every week periodically. Look at solutions from Symantec, MC Afee, Dr. Web, Kaspersky Lab or search for free products. Using the antivirus, don’t forget to download the updates periodically, for they include means to fight with new viruses.
4. Try to use several browsers to find the one with best speed and security features. After many talks that Internet Explorer has many flaws that may be used by hackers to access the PC, more and more people are choosing web browsers from other developers. Besides, very often alternative browsers show better efficiency and functionality in comparison to IE. The most recommended browsers are Opera, Firefox (it is free) and Netscape.
5. To make a conclusion, remember about the most important rule – even installing all the recommended firewalls and antivirus software will hardly help when you are constantly downloading everything what is offered throughout internet, especially on free basis. Also remember that practically every time you will open the unknown attached file of the email massage from the unknown sender, you will let the virus run and infect your PC.
What is Anti-spam Software
Before we learn about anti-spam software, we need to first know what is spam. To put it succinctly, spam is unsolicited and unwanted email. Other names for spam are Unsolicited Bulk Mail, Excessive Multi-Posting, and Unsolicited Commercial email, in addition to the more common – spam mail, bulk email or just junk mail. The advent of email brought in an era of instant communication, where information reaches our desktops, at negligible cost, and in no time at all, from across the globe.
Along with the benefits, came the negative aspects of email. For the multitudes of marketing hawks out there, this was an opportunity to send unsolicited promotions of their products, instantly, and at a very low cost. Today, spam has reached such monumental proportions that 10 out of every 13 emails (76.9%) we receive are spam, one way or the other. This is why anti-Spam filter has become a must have software for almost all PC users.
Stopping Spam
Simply put, anti-spam software helps detect spam. It is a software program that detects unsolicited and unwanted e-mail, and prevents them from reaching your inbox.
Anti-Spam software is also known by many different names, such as: Spam Filters, Email Spam Filtering, Spam Blocking Software, Anti-Spam Filter, Spam Filtering Software, Spam Blockers, Bayesian Filters, and Anti-Spam, among many others.
Anti-spam software is installed in your machine to divert the spam coming in. If installed in the mail server, you will never receive the spam, to begin with. The filtering is configured based on a number of criteria. These could be specific words in the subject line, in the body of the message, and the type of attachments accompanying the mail. You could arrange to filter out even the sender’s email address. Certain Internet Service Providers (ISPs) maintain a blacklist of habitual spam senders – known as spammers. Anti-spam software detects these blacklisted senders and rejects them per se.
Over time, anti-Spam software has become sophisticated to match with the wiles of the spammers. They use techniques that do not trash genuine emails by effectively analyzing the content of the email. Such software looks for keywords and tries to interpret their meanings in the sentences. Certain spam filters do not accept emails that come to you in the form of “Undisclosed Recipients.” They accept emails where your email address is in the “to” or “cc” fields.
Anti-spam software has become an essential part of your computer’s security, to ensure that you only receive the emails you want, and not others. To help eliminate spam, look for anti-spam software that has the following features, among many others:
• Blocking emails using both lists and preset filters – blocks specific addresses, watches subject lines, and messages within
• Updating filters automatically
• Isolates spam outside of your inbox
• Puts acceptable emails automatically into your safe list
• Monitors and filters multiple email accounts
Now that you know the basics about the need and importance of anti-Spam filter, select the right one for your computer and get rid of the menace of Spam.
