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Thursday November 20 2008

Using the Internet Safely

There is plenty of good advice on the internet about how to use the web safely. This is our brief guide to good habits.

Antivirus

Make sure you have good antivirus software.  Our current recommendation for home and business users for desktop PC use is Steganos Antivirus.  It is inexpensive, based on the extremely effective Kaspersky antivirus engine, and can be volume licensed by businesses looking to keep costs down.  In major reviews it often performs better than other leading brands such as McAfee and Symantec Norton. (We are not a Steganos partner and do not benefit from sales or recommendations.)

Make sure your antivirus system is set to auto-update itself regularly, has its "auto protect" features switched on (checking for viruses all the time) and run a check at least once a week, preferably daily.  Do not be tempted to switch virus protection off.

Adware, Spyware etc

While antivirus systems detect and remove dangerous and malicious code, there is also the worry of various kinds of spyware or "adware". These do not necessarily set out to do damage on your PC, nor commit fraud, but they consume system resources, slow machines down, compromise your privacy and in some cases cause serious unwanted behaviour.

We recommend supplementing your antivirus system with an anti-spyware or anti-adware solution.

Our favourite at the moment is LavaSoft's Ad-Aware. The free version is simple to install and use and very effective at identifying and removing spyware. Run it at least once a fortnight or more frequently if you can (especially if you have problems).

Note that there are many purported ant-spyware products and websites out there.  A huge number are in fact spyware themselves.  Check very carefully before downloading anything claiming to remove spyware.

Sometimes, while on the internet, you may see a pop up window saying something like "Spyware detected on your computer - Click here to remove it now".  Unless you recognise this as an authentic message from your antivirus or anti-adware system, it is best NOT to proceed. In fact, don't click anywhere on the window or any buttons or links it offers you; any of these could get you into trouble. It's best to simply close the window using the close button (the X at top right).

Risky Sites

We usually advise our business clients to ask their staff to avoid the following kinds of sites:  pornography, peer to peer networking (file sharing), gambling, "prescription free" medicines, free downloads such as music and screensavers, and 'joke' sites such as those offering candid pictures of celebrities or video clips of accidents.  Not all such sites are dangerous, but the majority of risky content and malicious software is to be found in these areas.