November 16, 2007...2:00 pm
Free Fridays #1 Anti-virus Software
Without a doubt, one of the most important pieces of software for your computer is anti-virus protection. It’s crucial to keep it up to date as new threats are discovered on a daily basis. Nowadays there’s no excuse not to have up to date anti-virus software as there are a number of very good free products available which automatically update and keep your computer safe.
There are two excellent options available for Windows which I’ve used in the past. Both can be downloaded and installed free for non-commercial purposes. They are provided free of charge on the basis that you may choose to use the paid for version in your office or upgrade to their suite of products that provide additional software such as anti-spyware programmes and firewalls, and priority technical support.
However, for the average home user, both Avast Home Edition or AVG Anti-Virus Free should be sufficient. The key is to keep the software up to date. New information about viruses is usually released by the software writers every day so you should set your anti-virus package to check for updates every few hours.
I currently use Avast on my PC at home which you can download from their site Avast! 4 Home Edition
AVG is available for download at AVG Anti-Virus Free
AVG also supply AVG free Anti-Rootkit software This is a scanner that you can run to detect a particularly nasty kind of programme called a rootkit that can lurk on your machine undetected. Download it and run it, but be aware that it can take a long time to run.
And for the Apple users…
Most Apple users don’t think that they need anti-virus software, but as Apple’s market share continues to grow they may start to become targeted specifically. I use a completely free package on my iMac called ClamXAV which is is built upon a an open source project called Clam AV and is available from available from www.clamxav.com
You Need To Do Your Bit As Well
Don’t just rely on the anti-virus software to protect you though. Take sensible precautions like not opening email attachments from people you don’t know or that have offers that seem to good to be true. Don’t surf in the darker corners of the internet and don’t use copies of software that should be paid for. You don’t know where it’s been!
Personally I think that all Anti-virus software should be free of charge so that we can ensure all personal computers are protected against malware. Some people would argue that this would stifle competition in the market, but writing anti-virus software is a continual battle against those that create viruses for criminal purposes.
Surely that is competition enough!
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