DIGITAL7  Newsletter » Guarding against Malware

Guarding your Computer against Viruses, Spam and Spyware

Protecting your PC and network from viruses, spyware, spam, worms and Trojans is neither difficult nor expensive. It does, however, take a bit of self-discipline. “We see too many infected PCs come into our workshop that need recovering,” says Angelica Mayo of Digital7. “These threats can do a huge amount of damage – even delete all of your data as well as steal security passwords such as those used for internet banking”. Keeping your system free from these nasties takes two things. First is anti-virus software. This runs in the background and all you have to do is make sure that you keep it up-to-date.

“We recommend NOD32 Antivirus from ESET,” says Mayo. “We have tested most of the products on the market and have found that NOD32 provides the best protection without affecting computer performance and without lots of annoying popups. There are a variety of solutions from ESET, both for home users and business customers."

Built on the award-winning ThreatSense engine, ESET NOD32 Antivirus detects and disables viruses, trojans, worms, adware, spyware, phishing, rootkits and other internet threats. ESET NOD32 Antivirus provides comprehensive and proactive maximum protection and has a minimal impact on a computer's performance. NOD32 runs in the background, and provides a safe and protected computer environment without lots of nagging screen messages..

For Client/Server systems there are specialised Antivirus solutions which run on the server and relieve each user from the task of having to keep the antivirus software up-to-date on each workstation. Digital7 can provide advice on this.

Internet Security Policy

The second thing you want to do is have a sensible ‘Internet Security Policy' for your users. While your computer might, on a rare occasion, receive a virus from a trusted correspondent, most malware, like vampires in the movies, comes in by invitation. A few rules:

• Never, ever , surf adult sites . They are notorious for containing ‘backdoor' viruses and trojans that can wreak havoc.
• Never, ever download any ‘smiley' icons, screen savers or similar freebies. They almost invariably contain spyware or adware embedded somewhere.
• Never, ever , open email attachments from anyone you don't know. This is especially true if they have a file extension of .exe.
• Never, ever , reply to spam. It only encourages them.
• Never, ever, click on a link from an email to go into Internet Banking. Always type in the address which you know to be your bank's website and always check for the padlock security icon on the bottom right-hand corner of your screen before inputting your username and password.

“If you follow these few rules – and back them up with a reputable security program like NOD32 – there's an excellent chance you'll avoid having to spend time and money cleaning up your disk drives,” concludes Mayo. “It's not hard nor is it expensive but if you just use a little common sense you'll be able to avoid unnecessary downtime and ensure trouble-free operations.”