Protecting your computer from
a virus is getting harder and harder each day.
While it may border on the paranoid, it goes without saying that you
can’t leave your guard down for one second.
Even corporate giant Microsoft has found its own systems compromised on
more than one occasion.
Remember the “good old days”,
before the advent of the Internet and downloadable programs? Life was simple then in terms of computer
viruses. With the primary way in which a
virus could be transmitted being limited to floppy disks, the ability to catch
and eradicate the virus was a lot easier.
By today’s standards, it used to
take quite a while before a virus was able to infect a computer and slow down the
system. The antivirus software of that
time was typically able to identify and eradicate viruses before they caused
too much damage. Additionally, computer
users were pretty savvy on how to protect themselves in terms of scanning all
floppy disks before copying them to our desktop.
The Internet helped change
all that. The Internet provided a
conduit by which viruses could move from host to host with lightening
speed. No longer could a computer user
just worry about floppy disks as points of entry, but they now had to worry
about email, email attachments, peer-to-peer file sharing, instant messaging,
and software downloads. Today’s viruses
can attack through multiple entry points, spread without human intervention,
and take full advantage of vulnerabilities within a system or program. With technology advancing everyday, and the
convergence of computers with other mobile devices, the potential of new types
of threats also increase.
Protecting Your Computer
Luckily, the advancement of antivirus software has kept pace with current virus threats. Antivirus software is essential to a computer’s ability to fend off viruses and other malicious programs. These products are designed to protect against the ability of a virus to enter a computer through email, web browsers, file servers and desktops. Additionally, these programs offer a centralized control feature that handle deployment, configuration and updating.A computer user should remain diligent and follow a few simple steps to protect against the threat of a virus:
1. Evaluate your current computer security system.
With the threat of a new generation of viruses able to attack in a multitude of ways, the approach of having just one antivirus software version has become outdated. You need to be confident that you have protected all aspects of your computer system from the desktop to the network, and from the gateway to the server. Consider a more comprehensive security system which includes several features including antivirus, firewall, content filtering, and intrusion detection. This type of system will make it more difficult for the virus to penetrate your system.
2. Only install antivirus software created by a well-known, reputable company.
Because new viruses erupt daily, it is important that you regularly update your antivirus software. Become familiar with the software’s real-time scan feature and configure it to start automatically each time you boot your computer. This will protect your system by automatically checking your computer each time it is powered up.
3. Make it a habit to always scan all new programs or files no matter from where they originate.
4. Exercise caution when opening binary, Word, or Excel documents of unknown sources especially if they were received during an online chat or as an attachment to an email.
5. Perform regular backups in case your system is corrupted. It may be the only way to recover your data if infected.
Recommended Antivirus Software

Here are a few programs which
typically receive high marks in terms of cost, effectiveness, ease of use, and
customer service.
Norton AntiVirus 2013 1 PC 1 Year- The cheapest and Powerful antivirus for your computer ,
Buy this antivirus for Rs. 700. For Reviewat8 readers you get flat 63% , So buy now at Rs.255.
K7 Total Security – This software gives your computer complete protection from
all kind of viruses and spy ware. With its latest Firewall and System
Monitoring gives your computer an Extra coverage than you imagine.
BitDefender provides antivirus protection, as well as
Peer-2-Peer Applications protection, full email protection, and heuristics in a
virtual environment. This provides a new
security layer that keeps the operating system safe from unknown viruses by
detecting malicious pieces of code for which signatures have not been released
yet.
Rs. 499 68% OFF

Kaspersky Anti-Virus program is simple to install and use. The user only needs to choose from three levels of protection. It allows updates as frequently as every hour while promising not to disrupt your computer. The program also offers a two-tier email protection feature and round-the-clock technical support
Rs. 549 27% OFF
PC-cillin Internet
Security combines antivirus security
and a personal firewall—for comprehensive protection against viruses, worms,
Trojans, and hackers. It also detects and removes spyware and blocks spam. It
even guards against identity theft by blocking phishing and pharming attacks.
AVG
Anti-Virus Free Edition is a free downloadable antivirus program that
has received high marks for its reliability.
In the past, free downloadable antivirus programs have been viewed
skeptically because of issues relating to its reliability. However, AVG from Grisoft, remains
one of the best-known free anti-virus programs available. While AVG can not be installed on a server operating
system and there is no technical support, it still makes a good choice for many
home computer users. The best part is
that since it is free, you can try it with no further obligation necessary.
Rs. 500 56% OFF
Rs. 219