When it comes to the Internet, you can never be too careful.
I learned that the hard way with a bit of a rude awakening this week. So I’ve decided to provide a warning to everyone — don’t let it happen to you.
I’ve had my PC protected by one of the basic but well-regarded anti-virus programs. It’s supposed to protect against spyware, adware and other nasty things.
I’ve had the program for a while, but it updates daily, so I’m thinking I’m fine.
That is, until I installed and started testing PC Tools’ Internet Security.
Installation took a bit of time because you have to uninstall all other anti-virus programs first. This isn’t unusual, because multiple programs sometimes can conflict, causing them to not work properly and leaving the computer vulnerable. So I uninstalled my regular program, with the full intention of reinstalling it once I was done with the PC Tools program. Then I installed Internet Security.
After the installation, it ran a basic scan, looking for viruses as expected, but also looking for other things: Spyware, little programs that do things like log keys or activity; malware, which can cause minor to serious computer malfunctions; and adware, programs installed by Web sites to track Web visits and tailor ads to fit your needs. That’s just some of what the program seeks in its scans.
Almost immediately, I got my rude awakening. Right after the scan started, a message popped up in the bottom portion of the scan window: 2 threats, 14 infections detected.
FOURTEEN infections. Ouch. So much for my beloved anti-virus program.
Luckily, PC Tools not only caught them, it explained what they were and where they were, and at my instruction, it cleaned them off. As it turned out, the infections were all adware, probably the lowest risk. But it explains how all those cruise ads kept popping up while I was planning my cruise in March. Those little programs tracked my visits to the cruise ship site and cruise forums, sent the information to a database and calculated that I would be most interested in cruise ads.
That’s nice, but a bit too intrusive for me. Luckily with one click, those little programs were gone. Just to be certain, I conducted another scan. Everything came out clear.
Internet Security does a lot more than get rid of ad spies. I found it to have a basic interface that was easy to navigate, easy to use and well detailed.
Internet Security is made up of four basic parts: Anti-Spyware, Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam and Firewall. The programs not only protect your browser, but also your e-mail and the computer. In other words, it covers everything.
There are three basic scans in this program: the Intelliscan, the Full Scan and the Custom Scan.
The Intelliscan is the default — it was the scan that found my 14 infections. It covers running programs, browser cookies, the startup folder, Windows registry, ActiveX (animation ) objects and browser settings. That covers the basic areas often infected by Internet-borne viruses and infections.
The Intelliscan is fine for day-to-day protection. But once a week or so, it’s not a bad idea to run the Full Scan. This one covers everything the Intelliscan does, plus it scans all the drives attached to the computer, including portable drives. While the Intelliscan found and cleaned off 14 infections, the first full scan found one more threat and two more infections.
Again... ouch.
The third scan is the Custom Scan, which allows you to choose which areas to be scanned. You can have it not only perform the Intelliscan duties, but customize it so it scans a particular drive each day as well.
Scans can be scheduled, set to automatically start when Windows is started or run manually. Any problems found can be quarantined before they’re cleaned. That way, if it is a threat, it can be isolated to minimize the harm. If it turns out to be a legitimate or wanted file, it can be returned to its place of origin.
One feature I really like with this software is the ability to create a restore point before scanning. Basically, it makes note of the computer and its files, then scans. If removing files after a scan messes up the computer, the computer can be returned to its original state quickly. It’s a nice little safeguard.
Another intriguing feature is the Malware Detective. This should be used if a malware, or virus, is suspected. The Detective will gather information and send it via the Internet to PC Tools, which will analyze the data and provide a possible solution if the software can’t readily provide one. This is good for clearing new or little known viruses.
There are so many ways to customize the features on this software that it can be overwhelming. For the novice, the default settings are fine. But the advanced user will be impressed by how easily the software can be tailored to the computer or to the user’s needs.
My only complaint is that the higher levels of protection did tend to slow the computer’s performance a bit. I especially noticed it when launching my Web browser. But it wasn’t so bad that I would do without it. Not after it found all those infections on my supposedly well-protected computer.
Let that be a lesson, kids. Keep an eagle eye on your anti-virus software. Try out other programs if you can. Your software may not be doing as good a job as you think. It’s better to find out by trying a new program, rather than by losing everything on your machine to a virus.
source: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Business/238808/
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