Your Guide to the Three Most Crucial Computer Safeguards
It’s rather alarming how many new and nefarious malware attacks are making the rounds these days – this is fact rather than fear mongering unfortunately.
The following guide will explain the three most important measures you can take to keep your computer free of malware infection.
Firewalls
A firewall is your first point of defence against malware threats. In a nutshell, firewalls act as a protective barrier between your computer (or internal network) and the outside world. It blocks or restricts the traffic coming into and out of your PC via the Internet.
These days, most routers and operating systems have built-in firewalls, so you don’t need to go out and buy one. Nevertheless, your computer firewall is only as good as the settings you allow, so be sure to have it operating at the right security level in relation to the types of sites you visit.
Antivirus Software
It’s absolutely vital these days to have an effective antivirus program running on your computing devices to identify and block viruses, worms and other malicious code threats from gaining entry.
Basically, antivirus software is a type of application that you need to install to protect your system from malware. These programs act to monitor traffic while you browse the Web, scan incoming email and file attachments and also check your local files for the presence of any known malicious code.
An antivirus product can only be effective however if it’s kept fully up to date, since it will only recognise the malware threats that are registered in its database. This is essential since new viruses are discovered almost daily, so running antivirus software that hasn’t been updated in a month or more is equivalent to not having protection at all.
The way it works is that antivirus manufacturers analyse new malicious code threats as they’re discovered. They look for information that makes the malware threat unique, such as the size of the file, specific text in the file, the message body or subject line, specific ways the file behaves etc. Then they create what is called a signature or footprint that will identify this threat. Finally, these signatures are included in their antivirus update files, which many vendors release once a week or more.
When it comes to malware threats that haven’t been detected or catalogued, antivirus manufacturers use a method called heuristic analysis to identify threats. Heuristics uses past experience based on educated guesses to predict new malicious code. Using the rules and actions from past network or email traffic, heuristic scanning in antivirus software can self-learn using artificial intelligence, thus enabling the program to identify and block malware that is not yet known about.
There is currently a wealth of antivirus software available to choose from, however it’s always advisable to go with only the leading suppliers who have a tried and tested track record. Some even offer a free antivirus download for the average user, so even if you’re on a very tight budget you can still enjoy piece of mind.
Security Patches
While up-to-date antivirus software is crucial to the safety of your computer, it’s equally important to keep current with the security updates and patches supplied by your operating system and program providers.
Think of a patch as a band aid – when a company finds bugs and other vulnerabilities in their software, they know that they need to fix them when they release the next version of their application. Some bugs however make their current product inoperable, less functional or may even open new security vulnerabilities, so until the next official release they create a small interim fix that you can quickly download to plug the gap.
Many people are unaware that in the past few years the viruses or worms that have been the most destructive, such as the notorious SQL Slammer, have managed to gain a foothold by taking advantage of known vulnerabilities for which patches were already available. Thus, patches are not a choice, but a necessity. Most operating system vendors offer automatic patch updates if you allow it in your settings, so you don’t even need to do anything.
Conclusion
Sadly, cyber criminals are only getting smarter at creating and distributing dangerous viruses, worms, Trojans and other malicious code. Be sure to keep your computer protected as well as prevent it from spreading malware with the three main safeguard methods: ensure your firewall program is robust, run consistent security scans (even a free antivirus download is effective if you choose the right one) and keep your system patched with updates as soon as they’re released. These measures will go a long way in arming your computer against malware infection.
About the Author: Peter McKiel is an independent IT Consultant.
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