In part III, we discussed spyware. Now, we'll discuss anti-virus software, firewalls and best practices.
Anti-Virus Software
Any good anti-virus program should be able to detect all known viruses/worms/trojans. Most do so; therefore, it comes down to price. Commercial packages usually offer good protection in addition to other services such as anti-spyware and firewalls. Unfortunately, most tie their packages to their subscription service. In order to stay up to date with known viruses, you have to pay a subscription fee every year. I'm not saying this is bad, but there are alternatives. The one I recommend is AVG Free from Grisoft. It offers a comprehensive virus scanning facility, including regular scans, and daily checks for updates. It also scans incoming email for viruses, as well. What the free version lacks that the full version has is the ability to selectively scan your hard drive during a scheduled scan. I find this to be a minor inconvenience which I am willing to live with.
Firewalls
Firewalls block connections to and from your computer. Some firewalls can be configured to block specific sites, or ports or specific applications and/or services. If you are running XP, you have a firewall. Do not rely on this as your only protection. Windows Firewall only blocks incoming connections, it does not block outbound connections. Again, I am not saying that Windows Firewall is bad, just that it is only half the protection you should have. If you end up with a virus or worm, it will make outbound connections. If those connections are not being blocked, then the worms and viruses are given free reign. I personally recommend ZoneAlarm from ZoneLabs. It is a free package available for download from their site. It does prevent both inbound and outbound connections. It identifies applications making connections and puts up a dialog indicating what application is trying to make a connection. You then have the choice as to whether to allow or deny and for it to remember your selection. It also has the ability to turn off your network connection when your computer has been idle for a specified amount of time or when you press the stop button. This is a good practice to get into, as an idle computer on the internet is just an infection waiting to happen.
Practices
- Downloads - Whenever you download a file, whether it's a picture, an MP3 or a text document, scan it with your anti-virus software. If you're using AVG, there is a selection in the Explorer context menu that reads "Scan with AVG Free". It works with zipped files, as well. Find it, use it, it could save your entire installation some day!
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