There's a
real battle going on in the cyberworld.
Spyware writers are
trying to outsmart all of us Internet users, while the
software protection writers are hard at work trying to keep
up with the hundreds of new worms and viruses that the
Spyware guys create.
Our challenge is to know where to go for help in
selecting the best security ware.
We are assailed from all sides with promises of dire
consequences if we don't buy 'this product' or 'that
product' to keep the spies out of our computers.
Many of us have heard horror stories about infected anti-spyware
programs -- ones that actually load Trojans, worms or
viruses when we install them, and then scare us with untrue
claims that we have been infected. (These are called False
Positives) |
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So, how can we protect our safety and security?
Here are a
few suggestions:
● Use Internet Service Providers who automatically screen our
email and intercept infected messages that contain viruses
or spam.
● Change our browser programs from Internet Explorer to less
vulnerable versions like
Firefox and Netscape 8.
● Probably one of the easiest moves for the lesser experienced
websurfer is to investigate and try the AOL Security
browser. It seems to have everything included except a
strong firewall.
● Read the reviews of Anti-spyware testers and select the ones
with the best ratings and highest recommendations. Do a
Google or Yahoo search for "anti-spyware reviews". You'll
find dozens of sources for published test results. The
magazines like PC WORLD™ and PC Magazine™ are very reliable
places. Check out three or four reviews and select the ones
with high ratings.
● Recommended security software titles that appear at the top
of more than one review should be reasonably safe programs
to try.
● A real benefit for us is that most of the top rated anti-spyware
and anti-virus programs are free, or available in Trial or
Demo versions.
Want second opinions?
If subscribing to newsletters and Blogs isn't your usual
surfing activity, you can do a search for security alert
newsletters or security alert blogs. For example, do a Yahoo
search for "security alert newsletter" (use the quotation
marks to get the most appropriate search results). Do the
same for a Yahoo or Google search on "security alert blog".
(Blogs are web logs).
There are many web masters, newsletter, and Blog publishers
who monitor the results published by the anti-spyware
reviewers. Most of them pass these information alerts on to
their readers and subscribers, often offering suggestions
and advice based on their own personal experiences and
expertise
Blogs are often much more current than many of the
newsletter since Blog authors often post their information
every couple of days - some even on a daily basis.
For the serious searchers of current information, this is a great benefit.
There aren't as many Blog sites as web sites yet, so it's
often much easier to find the information you're looking
for.
Don't be overwhelmed by all of the information you get.
After doing these searches and reviews once or twice, it'll be a simple task to select what
information you need to keep
yourself current.
For starters, it is generally accepted practice to select
and use
at least two anti-spyware programs.
Choose from
among the two or three that receive the highest
recommendations and ratings from the newsletter and Blog
authors. Be especially watchful for and select one of those
programs that provides 'Real Time' monitoring. (Which means
that they monitor and catch any incoming bugs that may try
to infect your machine while you are online).
Downloading instructions are nearly always present with the
reviews. If not, you'll find sites like c|net.com to be a
good source for download links.
Just don't forget to check for and update your security
software.
The spyware writers won't give you a break if you
forget. |
