That’s a very good question, and one we get asked all the time. Most people believe that they’re totally protected because they have an anti-virus program installed. Unfortunately, that’s not always true.
We have over the years recommended a number of different solutions to help protect our clients from the bad element out there, looking to infect, infiltrate or just plain annoy them. The one thing that has always been true is it takes more than just your antivirus software to protect you to any level that even comes close to a total solution.
It takes a team effort by Antivirus Companies, Hardware and Software Vendors, IT Experts and You to avoid this onslaught, and even all working together we don’t stand a chance of being fully protected.
Why? Because the attack can come from any number of sources looking to exploit vulnerabilities and security holes in hardware, software and the human factor.
First up you need to be protected, hardware and software patching and updates must be always updating and you need to know what to avoid. On review most people fail this first step…
Some have no antivirus software, some have the software but don’t update it enough. Many feel that patching processes slow their systems or impact on the work day, so they turn them off. Some don’t bother to restart after updates install. Some people go to all the wrong places looking for pirate software, music or movies.
But it’s possible to be doing all the right things and still get infected… There is simply no guaranteed antivirus package and no matter what you do, something may get through.
The good news is you can minimise your risk by following a few simple rules.
- Have an installed, active and updated antivirus program
- Understand what updates/patches are and do them
- Avoid opening emails or attachments that you didn’t ask for or expect
- Don’t OK warnings or popups without understanding what they are for
- Avoid pirate and file sharing sites
- Don’t click on extra site advertising and pop-up ads
- When downloading use trusted sites only
- #1 rule – always have current backups
As your IT Experts we can take the guesswork out of staying protected, keeping your backups up to date and solving problems if you do get infected.
Some extra links:
How to recognize phishing email messages, links, or phone calls
Six tips to help you stay safer online
New research shows rise in “deceptive downloads”
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