Spyware and Viruses

How Anti-Virus Software Works

Anti-Virus software is a program to run on your computer, often in the background and keeps malicious spyware and background viruses from attacking your hard drive.there are different techniques that the software will use to keep viruses off of your computer. The software will start to scan all your files you have saved so that it can search for known viruses that will match definitions in a dictionary made only to detect a virus. Having antivirus software protects your computer from getting infected from different kinds of Mal ware that can be embedded in e-mails, downloads, and even programs that you install your computer.

The software will identify suspicious behavior from any computer program that might show signs of infection. The analysis may also include data captures,port monitoring and other methods. Most commercial antivirus software starts off with the approach called the virus dictionary approach.

Basically what happens is your antivirus software is constantly updated with a latest in the dictionary that it carries of viruses. The software scans your computer looking for anything that matches the different files that it has in its list of different viruses. Once the computer software comes up against any of these files that match in its list or dictionary of viruses, the first thing it does is try to remove it from the file. If you cannot remove it from the file, it will quarantine it. By putting the virus in quarantine, it prevents it from spreading further onto your computer.

Because the virus dictionary approach relies on a file of viruses, you need to make sure that when you buy antivirus software it comes with unlimited virus updates. The world of spyware, viruses, and Mal ware is ever changing and evolving and it is up to a good software company to keep up to date with the different viruses that are out there. Most software will update itself with the latest viruses. But you need to make sure that you are updating frequently because once you stop, the odds are that a new virus out there can get on your computer.

Most versions of antivirus software now continue to run in the background of your computer. Especially if you are constantly online, you can get a virus just by visiting a webpage. There are computer hackers out there that can install a virus into your computer from the webpage you are visiting. With the current antivirus software that is out there, if it’s running in the background it will catch the attempt to install the virus, remove it, or quarantine it.

You can buy antivirus software, or you can actually download free versions off of the Internet. Now this may sound funny because downloading something off of the Internet could have a virus on it, but there are websites that have high authority and are trusted to provide freeware that is constantly updated. If your computer is new, you may actually are ready have antivirus software preloaded in the operating system.

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Why Should You Buy Antivirus Software?

Before we discuss antivirus software it is important to understand what a virus is. A virus basically comprises a small program, a macro or a script designed to interfere with the normal functioning of a computer in various ways. At the grass root level these mischievous entities gain entry into our computers through external storage devices such as floppies, compact discs etc. However, with the advent of the internet, viruses now have a much easier way to infiltrate our PCs. All that the warped mind of a virus programmer has to do now is write the necessary code and introduce it into the internet system via an e-mail or other web enabled procedure. The online network means the virus can infiltrate literally billions of PCs in a short period of time. Days, or perhaps weeks later, the virus gets identified and a battery of coders or software professionals get down to building the vaccine to quell the code. Another change to the virus landscape is that they are now largely used to profit financially by stealing valuable information whereas before maximum disruption was the aim.

Pleasure of proving someone wrong

Software companies often come out with inflated claims about the security of their latest creations which exaggerations of virus proof protection all to common. They claim that it is impregnable and that users will enjoy an uninterrupted experience when using the software. This is what generally kicks off the war. World over, there are people, mostly teenagers and those in their twenties who fancy breaking into the secure environment created by the big players in the software industry. They may not do this for any monetary gains, but to derive pleasure from being able to unsettle the claims made by the big names.

Best antivirus downloads. Are free ones ok?
In order to combat viruses it has now become necessary for PCs users to protect themselves and not rely on their operating system and software to do it all. In response to this need there is naturally a large number of anti virus downloads available on the internet; some are good, some are bad and some will do you more harm than the original virus. You will also need to decide if you need to buy antivirus software or just get a free version.

Like with most things, those that charge a fee are usually better although this is not always the case. However, it is worth noting that a major impediment with several free downloads is that many of them do not have an uninstall facility. This means that once you have chosen to install the free anti virus program and you will find it difficult to migrate to another version later. You will either have to leave both on your hard drive or reformat your hard disk.

Another important factor is the lack of continuing support from the free providers, particularly regular updates. Viruses keep sprouting every second and if the provider does not update the software for the new viruses almost on daily basis, your computer security may be compromised. You should consider these two points carefully before deciding you want to save a bit of money and opt for the free versions.

Carl Robinson is a software reviewer from the UK. He writes a series of antivirus software articles for Best Antivirus Downloads

Should You Buy Antivirus Software Or Get A Free Version?

Computers have become so important in so many parts of our personal and professional life that it is very important to safeguard the data stored in them against viruses which are designed to destroy or steal it.

However, many people take this very lightly and never think twice about the damage that can be caused by such viruses. Others may consider antivirus software but then opt for a free version rather than paying for it. What they do not realize is that even these free antivirus downloads might be spam or can inject virus into the system.

The free versions that are not malicious in their intent may however be very ineffective in detecting and destroying viruses. Much antivirus freeware is outdated and not powerful enough to fight the virus or remove it fully from the system.

Keeping this in mind many software companies are trying to cash in on the demand for a good antivirus software. So they introduce antivirus software which is powerful enough to fight any form of virus and it also provided one year free upgrade after which time the user can update the virus for a small additional fee. This software is normally moderately priced ($25 – $65) and can provide a complete solution for your systems security and safeguard the data from virus threats.

When you become a paid customer of an antivirus program you are entitled to certain special benefits which you are devoid of when you download free antivirus software. You will need to pay for customer support, possible after a short period of free support, but the most serious disadvantage is that the software is not automatically updated regularly. This prevents it being effective against new viruses which come on coming day after day.

Whereas when you buy antivirus software the software company is responsible for all your queries related to the software and its functioning. As the competition among the antivirus software companies increases more are offering increasing functionality (i.e. antiadware, privacy features etc) and better value. Free 24/7 live support is also becoming offered by some of the big players. Moreover the software that you buy will entitle you for a free upgrades for at least one year and after that you need to pay only a small fee to upgrade and continue using the software.

Therefore many benefits are experienced when a user opts for a paid antivirus software. Now, this may come as no surprise but it is all too common for people to pay more in the long term by taking the cheap short term option.

Carl Robinson is a software reviewer from the UK. He writes a series of antivirus software articles for Best Antivirus Downloads

Which Is The Best Antivirus Software?

Before purchasing of downloading antivirus software there are some features that should look out for. We believe the key factors determining the quality of antivirus software is:

1. Its effectiveness at removing viruses (check independent tests for unbiased results)
2. Its ease of use (normally down to its user interface)
3. Its value for money
4. Its customer and technical support (should be free and 24/7 ideally)
5. Its regularity of updates
6. Its drain on system resources
7. Its compatibility

When all the major criteria were investigated we found that Kaspersky antivirus 7.0 to be the best all round antivirus software on the market day. However, it may not meet your requirements so it is important to do your own investigation using the criteria above. Our findings of some of the top sellers are below. Hopefully this will give you some guidance of what is out there at the moment and what may suit you.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0
The virus detection technology that drives this software has performed very well in independent tests and gained a strong reputation within the industry. The technical support is excellent and the user interface intuitive.

The other main advantages with it are the parental control features which are not present in other software (great for you parents out there) and the password protected privacy control. We found that it had minimal effect on PC performance (apart from the first scan which did slow things down). Finally, and very importantly it carried out automated hourly updates and real time internet scanning.

The downsides were its price $59.99 and the time it took to do the initial scan.

BitDefender Antivirus 2008
Another very effective piece of antivirus software is BitDefender. its scanning engines are ICSA Labs certifies and it also adds the added bonus of antispyware and antiadware. Gamers should be pleased with the new gamer version which stops annoying pop ups during game play.

A key advantage of this software over others is the rootkit detection and removal feature. Again this is something that sets it over and above the competition. Free 24/7 support and a reasonable price ($24.95) make it a real contender to Kaspersky antvirus 7.0. The downsides to this version are the lack of advanced configuration options which will frustrate the more advanced user. The scans were also on the lengthy side.

Norton Antivirus 2008
Despite having a strong brand and many years of experience developing antivirus software we think Norton Antivirus 2008 to be one of the worst on the market. It does the basics ok but there are too many problems with it to be competitive. For example, there seems to be an assumption only IE users exist. Help terms are geared towards IE users and Browser Defender does not work with any other browsers.

It is a massive 300MB, that is nearly 6 times the size of Kaspersky anti-virus 7.0. The limited performance does not justify this size. It slowed down our machine measurably. The interface was awful and configuring settings was a real pain. Finally, the anti-spyware was not very effective.

These are just three of the big players. Please do your research as the best known are not always the best.

Carl Robinson is a software reviewer from the UK. He writes a series of antivirus software articles for Best Antivirus Downloads

What Is Adware And Should You Care?

Adware is as annoying as spyware for computer users. What is adware? Adware stands for advertising supported software, it is a software that can automatically play, displays, or downloads ads to your computer after a software has been installed that contains the adware, or even when you are using that specific downloaded application. Certain adware as a matter of fact can be classified as spyware, because it is privacy invasive software.

How does Adware work? Well the advertising functions are built into or perhaps bundled with another software, this software will mark or make notes as to what internet sites you have gone too, and it will go off of this information to pop up advertisements on your computer that match the sites you have visited.

Why do people create Adware? Well sometimes the developer of the software will put in the adware because it is a way to allow him or her to recover the cost of developing the software. At times this may also allow the developer to offer their software for free or a reduced price.

In fact at times the income the developer earns off of these ads may motivate them to create more software with the adware bundled in, or upgrade the current software. Of course when these advertisements pop up on your computer you’re not thinking of the money the developer made, you just thinking how annoying these interruptions are to your work or fun.

Adware can also be known as shareware, although there are shareware that does not have adware bundled with it. The shareware that is advertising supported is adware, while a shareware program that is not supported by ads is just normal shareware. At times a way for the developers to make more money they will offer a registered copy of the shareware and it will promise no advertisements.

Just a few samples of some of the better known programs that have adware bundled with the downloads are as follows:

Adobe Reader
Kazaa
AOL Instant Messenger
Yahoo Messenger
Bonzi buddy
Messenger Plus! Live
Smiley Central
Burn4Free
Comet Cursor
RealPlayer
Gator
Hotbar
Incredimail
WeatherBug
Windows Live Messenger
Zwinky

This is only a partial list of programs, but you can tell some of the more popular downloads have adware bundled with them. So basically be careful at what you download or get an adware remover. I found it amazing that some of these had adware attached to them, while others had messed with my old computer so I had a feeling that something was wrong with the download.

How many people have Yahoo messenger though? Millions if not billions of people, and I bet none of them was aware of the adware being bundled with it. Same with AOL Messenger, again billions have this program downloaded onto their computer, where they aware of the adware?

The biggest surprise I felt was Adobe Reader, I really wouldn’t have guessed that being bundled with adware. It just goes to show you, you truly never know what all you are downloading.

As far as removing adware, there are several programs that will detect and remove adware. In fact some of these choices have the option of removing both adware and spyware. Two horrible things that you can remove at once that is great!

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