Top Buying Tips for Computer Virus Protection
With malware threats escalating to an outrageous degree (sadly this is fact, not scaremongering), it’s more important than ever to take virus protection for your computing devices seriously. This is especially crucial now that we are all increasingly conducting our daily activities online, meaning our personal details are electronically up for grabs like never before.
New cyber threats are being distributed every day, and criminals are only getting smarter at infecting computers without the user’s knowledge. But with all the anti-virus security products currently on the marketplace, it can be tricky understanding which one will offer the best safeguard.
To help you buy the best computer security possible, the following guide will give you some key advice to keep in mind when shopping around for anti-virus products.
Dinosaur Anti-Virus Software
A great deal of the antivirus software that is flogged on the market was actually developed as far back as the 1980’s – it works on the basis of protecting computers from an identified ‘blacklist’. With cyber criminals getting so clever that they are able to exploit security vulnerabilities before updates can even be released, you’ll want to have heuristic software which is increasingly able to recognise malware patterns and trends as they arise.
Cleaning versus Protection
What ordinary people don’t fully seem to understand is that security software which cleans an infected computer is not the same as programs which block malware infiltrations in the first place. While many Internet security providers claim their software does both, this is not always the case. In the same way as antibiotics are designed to cure illness and vitamins are made to prevent it, software that cleans a malware ridden computer is not the best solution for robust protection against cyber attacks. Prevention is more important (and less painful) than cure – so it’s vital to opt for virus security that primarily specialises in blocking cyber threats before they have a chance to cause infection.
Default ‘Deny’
If a dodgy looking stranger arrived at your doorstep, you certainly wouldn’t invite them in for tea. Yet when you set your security software on your computer to ‘default-allow’, you are doing just that. Always make sure your virus protection has ‘default-deny’ technology which is able to scan all unknown applications before allowing them into your operating system.
Auto Sandboxing Technology
Leading security providers offer ‘auto sandbox’ technology, which effectively restricts the ability of potential viruses to run even before they’re identified as a threat. Sandboxing quarantines unrecognized files and applications, preventing them from accessing your computer until they are deemed safe, and if not, they are permanently denied entry so that they never have the chance to harm your system. While some security analysts claim that antivirus software with sandboxing is an inconvenience because the program will cause constant pop-up messages alerting you when new files are located, this is a mute point because you simply need to press x to remove the pop-up alert. In any event, pop-up alerts are far easier to tackle than running the risk of losing your sensitive information to a cyber attack.
Software Reviews
While reviews by ‘industry experts’ are an increasingly popular and easy way to discover the ins and outs of products, be aware that many are neither comprehensive nor unbiased. Apart from using reliable resources for reviews (i.e. writers who really know their stuff and aren’t simply trying to flog a product for the manufacturer or retailer), it’s also important to understand how reviewers grade virus protection products. For example, some testing labs aren’t able to adequately review auto sandboxing technology or are subject to the same traditional “default allow” prejudices of the manufacturers (where past norms are simply accepted rather than questioned and improved on). Thus, always make sure that the review you take note of is fully analysing everything that a security product should offer.
It’s often actually a safer bet to read reviews from consumers like yourself who have already bought a product and seen how it works. In addition, there are a number of unbiased and useful perspectives offered on such public platforms as YouTube and Facebook, as well as on customer blogs and forums.
Conclusion
Especially in the run-up to Christmas when we’re all madly shopping about online for presents and great deals, it’s crucial to keep our computers safe with robust virus protection, since cyber criminals target this time of year to scam as many unsuspecting users as possible. In addition to keeping the above tips in mind when shopping around for the best computer security, it is also vital to ensure that the product you buy is kept fully up-to-date, meaning it will recognise the latest malware threats that are making the rounds.
About the Author: Peter McKiel is an independent IT Consultant.
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