Amp Up Your Security

If there is one thing I hear from all my clients is that they just don’t want to spend any more money on things for their computer!

I hear you…

However,

Do you buy….

• ·         Home Insurance?
• ·         Car Insurance?
• ·         Life Insurance?
• ·         Travel Insurance?

No one likes to spend the money on things that you may never even use, but the alternative, not being covered if you really need it, is much worse.

I’m often told: “There is nothing on my computer that I really care about”(Then of course if they lose it all they find out there is) But that is what backups are for.

Antivirus\Anti-Malware programs are more about insurance against threats to your personal info.

So yes, a bad piece of Malware can cause loss of files, and cost you time or money rebuilding your computer system, but the biggest threat is identity theft. Your computer holds more information about you than you think, and a savvy hacker can build a picture of you, and possibly even access financial records and passwords.

So make sure you have protection, and keep up with - or take advice from someone else who keeps up with – what programs are keeping pace with the latest threats.

One simple option is to do a Google search on something like:

“Best antivirus and anti-malware programs 2018”

Don’t read old posts, and don’t just rely on whatever you’ve always used, as some programs have fallen by the wayside as far as protection against newer threats like Ransomware – whereas some companies have really improved their programs, so the top 5 or so tend to change.

Don’t follow links to Ads – you want independent reviews from places like PC World or PC Magazine or the like.

The pages with AD in the description will often top the search result list but could well be very biased

Also remember that the lines have blurred between Malware and Virus protection. To be honest, you are less likely to be hit by a classic virus, and much more likely to run into Malware, or a scam, or a rogue fake website, or an email with fake links, as Malware is all about making money off of the unwary.

So be suspicious of all things that don’t look right. Don’t follow links in emails that want to collect personal info, and never be innocent enough to believe that Revenue Canada will all of a sudden send you an email to let you know you have money to collect 😊!

Caution helps a lot, but protective software is also part of the armor you need.

At its inception, Microsoft’s offering, Windows Defender, that’s been built into all recent copies of Windows, showed some promise, but in latest tests it has fallen far behind in how much it catches.

It’s certainly not enough on its own any more. I still turn it on, but I also have the Premium version of Malwarebytes that I pay an annual subscription for. These days you really do need to pay something for decent protection. The free offerings, by themselves, are simply not cutting it.

As always all of this is subject to change (and other opinions vary) and a really good free option may well be a possibility in the future, but as of the writing of this Blog Post I feel you need to pay something for decent protection.

Since Malwarebytes is not a typical antivirus program it can still be run alongside something else, whereas most antivirus programs need to be Lone Stars – you can only install one as otherwise they conflict with each other.

What you choose to purchase is up to you.

• ·         Check out the latest top 5, pick something,
• ·         Be prepared to pay a little
• ·         Educate yourself to the extent you can about Virus and malware behavior
• ·         Don’t let the scammers scam you

And of course:

ALWAYS HAVE A BACK UP!