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In this article Richard Greenane explains which software you should update to minimise the risk from viruses and other security threats.
Recent outbreaks of viruses such as "Sasser" have played havoc with many systems across the world. This virus spreads itself through the internet without the use of email. Therefore a number of precautions are necessary before you are protected from it.
Having virus software that regularly scans your hard drive should detect such threats but your virus software must be kept up-to-date for this to be effective. If you are using Symantec anti-virus then you can click "Live Update" and this download the required updates from the internet. We recommend to our clients that they do this on a weekly basis. For clients with more than 5 desktops, we recommend the corporate edition for the virus software because updates can be managed centrally from a server.
The virus Sasser is designed to exploit a bug that exists in standard windows installations. This bug was found a long time ago and corrected by Microsoft, however not many people bother to update Windows fasely believing that just updating the virus software will keep them protected. This is why so many people were infected with Sasser. If you update Windows regularly then most exploits will be fixed before a virus has a chance to infect you. To update windows open "Internet Explorer" and go online. Select Tools (in the the menu) and go down to "Windows Update". This will open a web page that will scan you copy of Windows to see which updates you need. Microsoft release three main types of update:
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Critical Updates: You should always install these.
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Drivers: Sometimes these add new features to your existing hardware. Other times they fixture minor glitches in hardware performance.
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Windows: These updates add new features to Windows such as media players, non critical service packs etc.
You will only need to select the Critical Updates but if you have a faster connection you can pick the feature updates too. Driver updates are non-essential and should be updated with caution (this is because they can sometimes cause more problems, the golden rule with drivers is....If it is not broken, don't fix it).
Firewalls: A firewall is a piece of software or device that prevents connection to your computer from the outside. Firewalls are especially important if you have a DSL connection as you computer is permanently connected to the internet and gives ample time for a hacker to attack your system. Most people think that as they are not important, they will not be attacked by a hacker, however this could not be further from the truth. Hackers often attack less secure systems which they then use to attack a more secure target (such as a government installation). This separates the hacker from the attack and makes it more difficult to be traced. Windows XP has a firewall built in to it and should be activated by default, however this is no substitute for a hardware based firewall. These are complicated to set up and should be done by a professional. Home users can download several software firewall products such as ZoneAlarm
If you go through these procedures once a week then you will seldom get virus problems. SupportsIT can, of course, offer you all ofthese services. You can reach us on 01 884 7962.
About the author: Richard Greenane has been working with computers for most of his life. Richard has a B.Sc degree in Cybernetics and a M.Sc in Computer Science from Trinity College. Although passionate about his trade, he is not a jargon junky like many of his peers and is happy to teach clients while he is fixing their computer. Richard prefers disaster prevention over cure, although he says that "cure pays more!" |
