Question:

I’ve been using free security software.  My buddy tells me that his security software is better, because he pays for it.  Who’s right?

Answer:

Free software is available all over the internet, including security (aka anti-virus) software.  Some of the freebie anti-virus software (most notable Avast) work just as good as some of the programs you can buy.  However, if you want the most effective anti-virus products out there, you’re going to have to shell out some bucks.  Security products from Norton, Kaspersky and Trend Microbrands tend to prevent or remove more infections more often than free security products available from Microsoft and AVG.  Keep in mind that NO anti-virus product is 100% effective, despite what the manufacturers claim.

While we’re on the subject of security, let’s talk firewalls.  You may think shelling out for personal firewall software isn’t necessary, after all your broadband router likely has a built-in firewall, along with Windows.  Both are fairly good at fending off incoming attacks.

However, cyber-criminals like tricking people into connecting to infected websites.  By connecting to the infected website, you are allowing the website to infect your computer with malware.  This malware steals personal information and/or data from your computer, and sends it out to the world wide web for all to see (those that know where to look).  Unfortunately your broadband firewall will not prevent this.  Neither will your Windows firewall.

A good, value-for-money solution is to buy an “internet security suite”, which usually combines the anti-virus with a better firewall.  This powerful firewall is capable of detecting unwanted connections coming from your computer, and you stand a much better chance of preventing theft of your information or data.

If you have a question for our resident geek, email geek@tbyd.ca.

Question:

I recently received an email stating that my security software (it mentioned my security software by name) needs to be updated.  It included an attached file, which it asks me to open, in order to update Norton.  I haven’t opened it yet, because of recent scams involving attachments.  Is this a scam too?

Answer:

Short answer – YES.  Good call on not opening the attachment, it most likely contains malware.  DELETE THE EMAIL IMMEDIATELY.  Then, you will want to run a virus scan, after updating its virus definition lists.

Open the antivirus software and initiate an update check from within the program.  With most software, you will find an “Update” button.  Click it and install any updates it suggests.

Your antivirus software can be trusted to locate legitimate updates.  So don’t trust emails that claim to know that your computer is infected or that your antivirus software is out of date.  Even if the email appears to come directly from the publisher of your antivirus software.

It’s prudent to beware of “official”-looking emails that ask you for your account number.  If you think the email is legit, DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK.  Instead, open your account the way you normally would (enter the address for the site’s main page into your browser’s address bar, and log in).  The main page should point you to any issues you should be aware of.

Question:

I have an error message on my screen, and my IT provider wants me to send him a “screen shot” of the error message.  How do I do this?

Answer:

Many IT people prefer to see the error message for themselves, as sometimes things are lost in translation.  By sending your IT provider a “screen shot”, or picture of the image on your screen, he/she can see the exact error message for themselves.

Providing a screen shot is as simple as pressing the “PRTSCN” key, found on your keyboard, usually by the backspace key.   Then paste the image into a document by pressing “CNTRL” & “V” (at the same time).  This will provide an image of the entire screen.

If you want to provide an image of a portion of your screen, click “START”.  Then type “Snip” into the search field.  Click the “Snipping Tool” when it appears.  This way you can choose the shape (free-form or rectangular) and size (window, or full-screen) of the screenshot.