Most people will look at you with a mixture of shock and horror if you tell them you run a windows operating system without an anti-virus program. It has been drilled into user’s heads that without anti-virus, Microsoft’s lovely operating systems will self-implode while simultaneously bursting out credit card numbers and World of Warcraft account keys to the evil doers of the Internet. Entertaining as that imagery may be, it is wrong.
This apprehension about viruses feeds millions of dollars into somewhat dubious anti-virus companies. People rely on these third party programs to protect them, when really, they are the ones who are primarily responsible for getting viruses on their computer in the first place.
In modern times, viruses and trojans that are maliciously sent out through the net at random are extremely rare. Most are blocked by a windows firewall, others by a router firewall, and others simply do not exist. Modern viruses and problems created by them manifest themselves through user manipulation.
Take phishing for example. Phishing is a new term used to describe web sites that will pose to be something they are not. A web site that looks and sounds like Paypal, but is not, is a phishing web site created to trick users into giving it valuable information about their personal lives.
Other viruses are only able to get onto a computer by a user accidentally downloading an infected file, usually a .exe file, and running it on his or her computer. These files are found more commonly from torrents and peer-to-peer downloading programs, such as BearShare.
Avoiding these pitfalls and traps of the online world requires only a bit of knowledge and common sense. Using Firefox is a great first step to protecting yourself. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is full of holes that web sites can take advantage of, and Microsoft is notoriously slow in fixing them. In contrast, Firefox pushes out updates to its software quicker than any other web browser. It also has a built in anti-phishing system which will alert you when you accidentally travel to a known phising web site. Furthermore, avoid downloading files from unknown sources. Stick to the brand name web sites such as CNET and Microsoft for downloads when at all possible.
What this all has to do with anti-virus is simple. That is, anti-virus software is simply not worth the money. Norton and McAffee, two of the most popular anti-virus softwares on the market, are both resource hogs and expensive. Avoiding viruses yourself is an easy way to bypass the need for anti-virus software. If you still feel the need to have a little extra security for peace of mind while on your computer, there are other great, less-known alternatives available.
Some anti-virus software is free, such as AVG Free-edition. It protects and scans against all viruses, worms, trojans, etc. and continually out performs Norton and McAffee. However, the free edition does not have many advanced features.
Others, such as BitDefender and Kaspersky Antivirus, will provide protection against malware, adware, and even scan your e-mails. NOD32 is another intuitive piece of software that boasts a much smaller footprint on your computer, using far fewer system resources than others.
No matter what you choose to do with your computer, with or without anti-virus, you are the greatest factor in whether you own a computer riddled with viruses – or not.