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“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure...” Sunday August 14, 2005 Dear Guest: I am often asked by friends, colleagues,
associates, and students, what software programs are available to protect their
personal computers (PC’s) from potential threats. As a result, I decided to compose this
article. This article details both the types of
programs that you should be using to protect your PC, along with the programs
that I am currently using to protect my PC’s.
I suggest employing the same programs that I employ simply because I
have put a lot of time and energy into finding the programs that appear to
work best and that are the most user-friendly. When installing any program to your PC,
it is imperative that you read the install instructions and the program
operating instructions very carefully.
You are only asking for trouble if you install a program on your PC
without taking the time to learn how it functions and how to properly use it. I should also mention that these
programs are considered freeware/shareware; meaning that they are free (or that
there is a free version available) for personal use, but use for professional
(i.e. business) purposes requires one to purchase the product. In addition, please be advised that I am
a Windows
XP user. I will not upgrade to Windows
Vista until I purchase my next PC. Without further ado, let us begin... Freeware/Shareware to Protect Your PC Please note that the information
contained in this document is for informational purposes only. No part of this document is intended as, or
should be construed as, professional advice.
Do not act or rely solely upon the information contained in this
document without seeking the advice of a computer professional. Firewall: First and foremost, your PC must have a
firewall. A firewall is simply a program
that controls incoming/outgoing access to/from your PC via your Internet
and/or network connection. I currently use Sygate personal firewall. Sygate gives you enhanced control of
incoming/outgoing access to/from your PC.
If you are running a recent version of Windows, then you are probably
running the Windows Firewall. To check,
click the “Start” taskbar, select “Control Panel”, and then double-click on
the “Windows Firewall” icon. If your PC is equipped with the Windows
Firewall, then you might, depending on your computer literacy, opt not to
install Sygate. I
prefer Sygate, because it gives me more control, a higher
level of protection, and most hackers prefer to spend their time attempting
to compromise the most popular programs currently in use (i.e. the Windows
Firewall). As a result, I opted to
turn off my Windows Firewall and install Sygate. If you
choose to install Sygate, be sure to check for updates regularly
(monthly). Finally, new users of Sygate sometimes get confused because Sygate requests your permission every time a program
wants to access the Internet or wants to act as a server. This higher level of protection is why I
prefer Sygate and is the primary reason that new users
should carefully read the operating instructions. However, once you become accustomed to
running this program, you will be afforded a high level of protection in an
easy to use program. Finally, you should never install more than one firewall on your PC. Firewalls generally do not function well
together, and will most likely cause system issues. Anti-Virus: An anti-virus program is an essential
program that is employed to detect and remove computer viruses from your PC
before they spread and potentially damage your PC and/or your important
data/files. I currently use AVG. AVG is an excellent
program that gives your PC aggressive protection against computer
viruses. Most new computers come with
factory-installed anti-virus programs, such as Norton
AntiVirus.
I chose to uninstall Norton and
install AVG because I
have always encountered “issues” with Norton. Don’t get me wrong Norton is an excellent and aggressive program
but it can be a real “strain” on your PC.
Norton will sometimes scan items that
are already on your PC (and most likely do not need to be scanned), resulting
in slower system performance. It is imperative with any anti-virus
program that you use it frequently and update it regularly (daily). Please note that running any anti-virus
program will significantly slow down your PC.
As a result, it is best to perform ant-virus scans when your PC is not
in use. Finally, you should never install more
than one anti-virus program on your PC.
They generally do not function well together, and will most likely
cause system issues. Anti-Spyware: Spyware is a program that surreptitiously
monitors the actions of a PC and often records and reports the data gathered
to the party that installed the spyware on the PC
in the first place. An anti-spyware program is designed to detect and remove spyware from your PC. I currently employ four (4) anti-spyware programs – yes, four! For those of you who are not computer
savvy, I suggest only installing Ad-Aware
and SpywareBlaster; these two programs alone should
afford your PC more than enough protection from spyware. I also employ Microsoft’s Windows
Defender and Spybot – Search & Destroy. Both of these programs however, can
sometimes confuse novice computer users. Windows
Defender is an excellent and aggressive anti-spyware
program. Again however, it can
sometimes be a confusing program to operate for novice computer users. To install Windows
Defender however, you will have to allow a scan of your PC to validate
that your PC is currently running a genuine (i.e. “non-bootleg”) version of
Windows. Ad-Aware
is also an excellent and aggressive anti-spyware
program. In my humble opinion, Ad-Aware
is the best anti-spyware program currently
available. I believe there are some
programs that might be slightly more effective in detecting and removing spyware, but Ad-Aware’s ease of use
definitely sets it apart from the others; making it useful program for
computer users of all skill levels. Spybot – Search & Destroy is another excellent
and aggressive anti-spyware program, which also
detects key registry changes. It is
this last function however that sometimes confuses novice computer users. SpywareBlaster is a little different than the other
anti-spyware programs I have detailed above. SpywareBlaster does not scan your PC for sypware. Instead, SpywareBlaster attempts to prevent spyware from being installed on your PC in the first
place. SpywareBlaster is an excellent program that does a
superb job of protecting your PC from spyware. As with anti-virus programs, it is
imperative that you use your anti-spyware programs
frequently and update them regularly (weekly). Please note that, as with anti-virus
programs, running any anti-spyware program will
significantly slow down your PC. As a
result, it is best to perform an ant-virus scans when your PC is not in use. Operating System Updates: One often overlooked, and extremely
effective, method of protecting your PC is checking with the manufacturer of
your PC’s operating system to determine if there are updates available for
your PC’s operating system. Windows
users should visit the Windows
Update website. It is of utmost importance that you
check for updates for your PC’s operating system regularly (weekly). Online Scans: Periodically (monthly), scan your PC
using an online scanning program like PestPatrol. There are obviously other
freeware/shareware programs out there that are comparable with the ones I
have detailed in this article.
However, I simply cannot speak to the effectiveness of any
freeware/shareware programs with which I have no firsthand knowledge. Finally, one should consider
reading/downloading the National Security Administration’s (NSA) “Guide To Securing
Microsoft Windows XP.” I hope you found this article to be both
informative and helpful... Please report any “dead” or outdated
links or any additional information to MichaelBeltz@ProfessionalInvestigator.us. Again, thank you for visiting ProfessionalInvestigator.us. If I can be of further assistance and/or
guidance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your time and
consideration, and, as always, I remain in your service... Respectfully submitted, Michael Beltz,
FCI © 2005-2007 Michael Beltz, FCI (www.ProfessionalInvestigator.us). Last updated Monday June 4, 2007 by Michael Beltz, FCI (www.ProfessionalInvestigator.us). This document may be printed or copied for non-commercial use without further permission of the author, provided this full, unaltered notice is present. |
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