How did I get that infection, continued

Last week, we discussed how infections are commonly spread, and more importantly, why they can slip past antivirus programs.  Let us now take some time to discuss how you can reduce the risk of infection.

The absolute most effective technique for avoiding infection is to be extremely careful what you click on.  Ages-old advice was to not open emails from people you do not know, or not open attachments in those messages.  That was for a time when infections spread through email and, largely, is out of date.  Modern infections spread through the Internet and infected web sites.  That in mind, when visiting an unfamiliar site, be very careful of what you click and pay particular attention if the site attempts to run any add ons.  Keep your surfing to known and trusted sites whenever possible, as these are not foolproof but will greatly reduce your online risk.

Next, make sure your antivirus software is up to date and current.  To be at its most effective, antivirus needs to have its most current virus definitions, so it knows to 'look for' the most current infections.  If you do not know how to check this, contact your IT provider.  Trust us, we would rather spend a few minutes show you how to check your antivirus or getting you set up with current antivirus than we would clean an infection after the fact.

Also, make sure your operating system is fully patched.  You know that Windows Update warning that pops up when you log in?  Yes, that is what we are talking about.  Not only does Microsoft go through and attempt to fix bugs, but they are also patching security loopholes.  Do not underestimate how important this is!  Did you know that the Blaster Worm which made the news in 2009 had exploited a weakness which Microsoft had patched months earlier?  The entire infection was preventable for anybody who had already taken advantage of a service which Microsoft provides for free!  This applies to Apple products too - you may notice that Apple very quietly stopped advertising that they do not need antivirus software?  This is because of the increasing number of infections that are being discovered which target OSX.

Lastly, make sure your third party software is fully patched as well.  We are talking about those little popups you get in the lower right hand corner of your screen asking you to run an Adobe or Java update.  Do not ignore them!  Most of the time, those companies are patching security loopholes in their programs.  Plus, if you run the updates, they will stop popping up and bugging you until the next one comes along.

For our CommonFocus customers, we would like to inform you that these are all services which are included with CommonFocus service.  We are monitoring your antivirus and ensuring it is up to date & running, as well as controlling and deploying both your Microsoft patches and your third party patches as well.  If you are not currently a CommonFocus customer but would like to explore becoming one, contact our very own Nick Stevenson at nstevenson@pointsolve.com or 866-336-3106 ext 2.