Tag Archives: computer
Antivirus Software…Educate Yourself
Todays computer users are for the most part unaware that their computers come prepackaged with Antivirus Software that they can use to keep their computers safe from things like malware, spyware and even those nasty little viruses that seem to find their way onto a computer no matter what you do. Even those that are aware such software exists on their machines rarely know how to utilize them. I have often wondered, especially since most computers come with a limited trial version of a paid program, whether or not the companies that publish these programs want their users to have any success when using their applications.
All to often Antivirus Software is, for the average user, difficult to operate and is often left un-updated due to a general lack of education and knowledge about the product. In order to keep these programs functional they need to be updated on a regular basis so that they can detect and remove threats as well as keep your computers safe from things like zero day attacks and whatnot. Sadly a user aware that they do have such applications at hand find that updating the program is far to complex and will therefore allow the program to remain out of date, rendering the program useless.
This causes users to encounter and have multiple problems with viruses and the ever annoying spyware thats always waiting to infect an unsuspecting, and unprotected computer. In extreme cases some of these people will become victims of data file theft or in a worst case scenario, identity theft. It is for these reasons that one can only hope that antivirus programs become easier to use at some point in time.
As a person who fancies himself tech savvy Id like to see antivirus software become much more user friendly if for no other reason that to give me a break from the monotony of ridding family members computers of infections. This has consumed more than just a few weekends of my time and Id like to see something get published that has an easy to navigate user interface and updates just as easily. Id also like to see publishers begin polling average people to determine what their true level of computer knowledge is. It is my opinion that this would allow them to see very clearly just how difficult it is to use some of these antivirus programs.
There is another side of me that believes partial blame must lie with those who buy computers. You dont buy a car before you know how to drive or even before you have plans to learn to drive. Id like to see this same rule applied to the world of computers, especially since they have now become common place in the home. It is very rare that I see anyone, even my own family members ask for help in learning how to operate a program, or with desire to learn more about their machines and how to keep them safe.
In actuality Im surprised by the languid approach both sides have taken as threats to computers and private information is so high these days that there is rarely a day when you dont read about some type of new threat or about someone who had their files and/or their identity stolen. Lets face it if youre operating a computer without being at least semi-proficient with an antivirus application youre going to be in trouble. Even if your identity is never stolen you will likely still encounter all the problems caused by spyware and malware. In most cases your computers processing power and memory will be eaten up by these nuisances and causes you many a headache.
If youre a computer novice or find that youre just not to comfortable around things like antivirus programs then take the time to educate yourself so that you can protect not just your machine but your data and files as well. If youre on the other side of the fence and are a publisher of antivirus software find ways to keep the high level of functionality you currently have all the while keeping in mind that not everyone who uses your products are going to know what theyre doing. Easy to use and comprehensive security measures are the way to go.
Church Virus Protection – 10 Ways To Improve Your Data Security
This day in age many churches are utilizing the resources the internet has to offer to spread the word and information on events to their partition, but they are unaware of the danger that their office computer is in from viruses and spyware attacks that are commonplace in the digital world.
If a church office computer contracts one of these viruses that data stored on your churches computer files can be compromised, stolen, or lost without virus protection in place. Statics show 80% of the time the church in question has not implemented any virus protection at all.
While these kind of attacks happen more often then most are aware of there are a few things that can be done to assure that your churches files and information is protected.
In order to help improve your church virus protection here are 10 ways to prevent hackers from infiltrating your system.
Install reliable anti-virus software (this is the best way to prevent viruses)
Never automatically open email attachments. Many times hackers will send a virus via email. All you have to do is open this email and your are infected
Scan all incoming email attachments before opening them. Anti-Virus protection will be able to alert you if any suspicious code exist within the attachment that could endanger your church data security
Configure anti-virus software to automatically boot when you start you computer. This works well because you will never forget to turn on the ant-virus software.
Update your anti-virus software frequently. By doing this church is assured protection from new viruses that arise.
Do not download programs from the Web from sites that you do not trust especially freeware or shareware sites, which are notorious for containing malicious scripts.
Do not boot with a disk in the drive. If the computer is booted with a disk in the drive it will automatically loads the disk. If the disk is infected it will load on to the computer without the option to scan it.
Do not share disk or usb memory drives. You do not know what or where the other person has been downloading from and you may get exposed.
You should always scan disks before using them. Anti-virus software will be able to determine whether or not a disk has been infected or not and in most cases remove the files that are corrupt.
Use common sense when using the internet. If you feel there is something wrong with a site or receive an email from someone you are not sure of their intent then chances are something is not right.
Following these 10 steps will substantially improve your church virus protection. By preventing a virus to infect your PC you protect your church and all your members. No church wants to find out that a malicious virus has wiped out all the office records. Utilizing these 10 steps will assure that this never happens.
Church Virus Protection – 10 Ways To Improve Your Data Security
This day in age many churches are utilizing the resources the internet has to offer to spread the word and information on events to their partition, but they are unaware of the danger that their office computer is in from viruses and spyware attacks that are commonplace in the digital world.
If a church office computer contracts one of these viruses that data stored on your churches computer files can be compromised, stolen, or lost without virus protection in place. Statics show 80% of the time the church in question has not implemented any virus protection at all.
While these kind of attacks happen more often then most are aware of there are a few things that can be done to assure that your churches files and information is protected.
In order to help improve your church virus protection here are 10 ways to prevent hackers from infiltrating your system.
Install reliable anti-virus software (this is the best way to prevent viruses)
Never automatically open email attachments. Many times hackers will send a virus via email. All you have to do is open this email and your are infected
Scan all incoming email attachments before opening them. Anti-Virus protection will be able to alert you if any suspicious code exist within the attachment that could endanger your church data security
Configure anti-virus software to automatically boot when you start you computer. This works well because you will never forget to turn on the ant-virus software.
Update your anti-virus software frequently. By doing this church is assured protection from new viruses that arise.
Do not download programs from the Web from sites that you do not trust especially freeware or shareware sites, which are notorious for containing malicious scripts.
Do not boot with a disk in the drive. If the computer is booted with a disk in the drive it will automatically loads the disk. If the disk is infected it will load on to the computer without the option to scan it.
Do not share disk or usb memory drives. You do not know what or where the other person has been downloading from and you may get exposed.
You should always scan disks before using them. Anti-virus software will be able to determine whether or not a disk has been infected or not and in most cases remove the files that are corrupt.
Use common sense when using the internet. If you feel there is something wrong with a site or receive an email from someone you are not sure of their intent then chances are something is not right.
Following these 10 steps will substantially improve your church virus protection. By preventing a virus to infect your PC you protect your church and all your members. No church wants to find out that a malicious virus has wiped out all the office records. Utilizing these 10 steps will assure that this never happens.