FREE COMPUTER SECURITY SOFTWARE - A LEAKING SEAL! BY MSINGATHI MNYENGEZA
Msingathi Mnyengeza highlights the fact that Free Security Software is Reactive.
There is nothing wrong with taking less than adequate measures to prevent a bigger damage to anything you treasure if you have financial or other constraints, as long as this is done temporarily over a short time. Similar reasoning applies when it comes to computer security threats.
Unfortunately some (if not most) computer users tend to forget this. They search on the internet for free computer security software which they dump into their computers and hope for the best. Most of the free software developers consistently forget to inform the downloaders of the inadequacies of their software - and they are many and significant!
A simple search for free anti-spyware programs on any search engine yields significant results. If we exclude genuine beta-software from these results, almost all of these anti-spyware programs operate on the principle - "Get infected first, then call us". In other words these programs are reactive. They scan and destroy spyware as it's found in the user's computer. The real downside of these programs is that they offer no real-time protection. Are you surprised? Maybe you've forgotten that "there's no such thing a free lunch"!
The big computer security software developers spend millions of dollars every year developing products that can quickly detect and destroy new computer security threats like spyware, adware, viruses, hacking techniques, Trojans, worms keyloggers etc
Do you think the developers of free computer security software inject millions of dollars in order to bring users of their software regular software updates? I think not!
Computer security software is such a critical purchase that I think one should actually buy the software before bringing home a new PC!
The
most critical software that should have in you PC is:
- Firewall - To protect your PC from hackers and internal malware that maybe trying to "phone home"
- Spyware/Adware - To detect the "ETs" that are "phoning home" from your PC, endangering your sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers and other sensitive information. These programs also use lots of your critical computer resources. That's why your computer is slow and crashing lately!
- Anti-virus Software - These can either completely wipe out your critical data or render it or your computer useless. The most dangerous thing is that you may end up (unaware!) being a source of the virus (e.g. through email or infected website pages).
Here are
common-sense measures you can take to protect your PC:
- E-mail - Avoid replying to chain letters. Also be very careful of image attachment. Hackers attach malicious JavaScript programs on these.
- Regularly update your anti-virus virus definitions by running the update function of your security software.
- Before buying a computer security software or package make sure that it offers regular updates to keep up with new viruses, adware, spyware and other computer security threats.
I want to repeat what I said at the beginning of this article: The is nothing wrong in taking temporary security measures as far as your computer is concerned (i.e. using free software/downloads. What is wrong is forgetting that the measure was supposed to be over a temporary period.
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Msingathi Mnyengeza is the owner of the Computer Security Resources Website.
The website is targeted at the computer user who wants the best computer security software to protect against
spyware, adware, viruses and to improve computer performance using registry cleaners. Visit Msi's websites at
http://www.computer-security-resources.com and at http://www.computer-security-resources.biz
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SPYWARE DEFINITION LIST BY GREGG GRESHAM
The list of adware and spyware definitions runs very long. But these definitions listed below are some of the most common ones. This is a glossary of spyware facts and terms so you'll know what these malicious programs can do to your computer.
Adware
Adware components install along with a shareware or freeware download. The adware developer creates revenue advertisements usually through pop up windows. Most adware components are actually installed with consent from the user. The reason this happens is because most people never bother to read the end-user license agreement that comes with software.
Spyware
Spyware is often installed bundled with freeware or shareware, much like adware. Spyware gathers and transmits sensitive and personal information about the user's behavior to an unknown party. The data is collected without the user even knowing it happened. By the time you discover it, the damage has been done and the hacker is long gone.
Browser Hijackers
Browser hijackers are innocently installed as helpful browser toolbars. They can alter your browser settings and can change your default home page to point to another site.
Trojan Horse Programs
Trojan horse programs sneak into your system and run without you realizing it like spyware. Programmers use these programs for any number of malicious uses and none of them you would approve of. But one good thing is Trojan horse programs do not make copies of themselves.
Tracking cookies
Tracking cookies are files with small amounts of data like passwords and settings. Tracking cookies can provide a benefit to you especially if you revisit web sites. But in the wrong hands, cookies are used to track your Internet behavior. This is done without your knowledge or consent and provides marketers with private information about you.
Keyloggers
Keyloggers are programs that run silently in the background, recording all your keystrokes. Once the keystrokes are logged, they can be retrieved later by the hacker using a remote keyloggers program. The hacker can get your passwords, credit card numbers and any other personal information on your computer.
Malware
The definition of malware is any malicious software or program that will harm your computer. Computer viruses, worms and Trojans are all considered malware, but several other types of programs may also be included under the term.
Password Cracker
A password cracker is simply a program used to decrypt a password or password file. Security administrators use password crackers for legitimate use by using them to improve system security. But you can only imagine the dangers when a hacker gets a program like this.
There are many other spyware definitions including scumware, annoyanceware, parasites and the list continues to grow daily.
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