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Had a good scare lately?
My endless battle in trying to keep nasty viruses from invading
my computer has made me realize you can never be too safe! In fact,
I'm often reluctant to turn my computer on if my antivirus software
and firewall aren't installed.
Maybe I'm being paranoid, which old fuzzy-head on the right will
probably confirm, but I don't feel warm and comfy if I am exposed
to the endless array of trojans, worms and other creatures that
want to do harm to my computer or others.
I see my paranoia as a good thing! Attackers have yet to penetrate
my defenses and I can sleep at night knowing that no feindish hacker
will be be sucessful in his quest to turn my computer into a useless
hunk of metal.
The advent of broadband communications -- folks using cable and
DSL modems -- has made us all vulnerable to attack. And, for that
reason alone, I can't emphasize enough the necessity of everyone
that lives at least part of their lives on line be protected.
It's essential that anyone voyaging through the ethernet install
a first-class anti-virus program, such as Norton Anti-Virus, and
a decent firewall, which can be obtained free of charge from www.zonealarm.com.
Now, my muscle-headed offspring will try his darndest to convince
you that my rantings are the result of a fear campaign instituted
by the folks at Symantec and McAfee (the manufacturers of the two
biggest-selling anti-virus programs on the market). Don't believe
it!
My ravings have sprung from seeing endless attacks foiled by a
well-protected computer. This is war. And the only way we can win
is to have a strong defense!
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Avoid viruses like the plague (get it!?!?). There's
only one surefire way to do this. Don't be stupid.
The same people that catch computer viruses are the ones that forward
emails about Kentucky Fried Chicken using human parts in their 20pc
buckets. These are the same people that only risk losing pornographic
material when struck by a virus. So, if this happens to you then
just reinstall everything. It won't take long for you to build that
collection of MP3s back to where it once was.
There's a hard and fast rule here. Don't open any attachments in
email, or download any unknown programs without checking them out
first. Viruses have gotten smarter over the years and nowadays emails
may come from friends of yours saying "hey, check this out!".
That's exactly what you should do. Check with the person that sent
you the email before opening it. I'd be both flattered and worried
if my firend of 20 years sent me an email saying "I love you".
As far as firewall protection goes, well I'm all for it. Only use
it if you have an idea of what you're doing. If you're the type
that opens up attachments without a care or forwards on email after
email after email after email, then I'd say don't bother. You're
doomed anyway and you may as well open the door to allow more nasties
entrance into your computer system.
If you are smart, dashing, charming, witty and hairy like myself,
then I say go for it. Install away! Microsoft Windows XP has firewall
protection built in. The only problem with this is that it doesn't
tell you what it's protecting. Zonealarm is a better bet in this
case, a bit more configuraable but not clear of annoyances. If something
doesn't work and you have firewall protection on, turn it off and
try again.
With millions upon millions of Internet users to attack, I'd say
our chances are pretty good that we'll remain safe. I've been going
without protection for quite some time and I'm free of viruses.
It has been proven time and time again that protection gets in the
way. Things just run more smoothly without it -- and it feels better
in the end.
Seriously though, I have to agree with Mike. Virus protection is
necessary. It protects the stupid people from getting infected and
lines the pockets of companies like Symantec and McAfee. Send dear
old dad an email and ask how many shirts and hats he has from Symantec.
-- -- Virus-free Uncertified Employed Senior
Systems Administrator
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