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Ensuring That Your Antivirus Is Functional

September 16th, 2010

What good would it serve you to have the best antivirus firewall software installed on your computer but not having it work? It is crucial that you test your antivirus installation and check that it does work.

An antivirus firewall software program is very important in your computer as it serves as your protector against computer threats. Continuous threat detection is a must to ensure that your system and your personal information is malware free and possible identity theft is very slim. That is why the best antivirus should always be functional to be able to do its task.

After installation, some antiviruses may not automatically detect or scan certain files, so it is best to make sure whether your antivirus does work or not. There may also be times when you just realize that the antivirus that you have been relying on actually stopped working. Checking the functionality of your antivirus program is quick and easy. Read on for tips on how to check.

The European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research (EICAR) has set a standard way for testing the functionality of any antivirus software product. The process requires the creation of a dummy virus, which is not an actual virus. It just contains a string of characters that, when examined by an antivirus program, will be detected as a real virus.

To create the dummy virus file (called the EICAR anti-malware test file), you need to open your favorite text editor. Yes, the test file is in plain text. Use Notepad or some other text editor. Copy and paste the following string of characters: X5O!P%@AP[4PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H* into your new text file, making sure you don’t insert additional characters, spaces, or line breaks into the string. Save the file not as plain text. Instead, try a different extension such as COM or EXE. Most antiviruses exclude plain text files in scanning for viruses, so it is important that you save the test file with a different file extension.

If your antivirus has real-time protection enabled, it should be able to automatically detect this dummy virus. But, in case you disabled the real time protection of your antivirus, then manually run a scan for this specific file. You will know that your antivirus program is working if it detects the EICAR anti-malware test file.

Remember that even if your antivirus is considered the best antivirus firewall software in town, it will be helpless in protecting you from malware if it is non-functional. Therefore, always use the EICAR anti-malware test to check for functionality.

Norton Internet Suite 2010 Revisited

September 15th, 2010

Symantec’s Norton Internet Security 2010 has proved that it is one of the best antivirus firewall software programs there is. Its promise to focus more in providing overall protection has been fulfilled effectively time and time again.

Long-held to be one of the best antivirus programs around, Norton Internet Security is so easy to install. Updating the software’s virus database is just as easy, too. With just a click of a button, the program updates will be installed in your computer in almost four minutes only. If it detects any problem, it will fix the problem automatically and immediately. In case the LiveUpdate feature of the program does not work, it will provide the user technical support through live chat. It also has a privacy protection that will protect you from possible identity theft.

Norton Internet Suite 2010 has a reliable antispam feature that can block and detect possible spam that may enter your system. Its antispam feature has been improved and currently now filters POP3 e-mails and seamlessly integrates with MS Outlook and MS Outlook Express.

Also, it has a Parental Control feature that is Web-based and is, therefore, compatible with all computers and platforms. Users can manage the feature with any computer connected to the Internet. The OnlineFamily.Norton is a free parental control feature of Norton Internet Security 2010.

A thorough malware protection scan is faster in Norton Internet Suite 2010 than in the previous versions. At first the scan may take an hour or two. The subsequent scans, however, will take lesser time; only the initial scan will take some considerable time. This is due to Norton’s intelligent scanning, which skips files that do not have any changes since the last scan. For removing malware, Norton got a score of 8 out of 10 from most benchmarking tests, reviews, and critiques of security software experts. It got a score of 7 for the test on the detection and removal of keyloggers.

When you browse the Web, Norton will warn you through its Site Safety feature if it detects websites that may contain malware. In case the user will be able to download a malware, Download Insight will be able to detect it. If a certain suspicious file begins to attack the system, the SONAR will prevent it from doing any further harm to your computer. AutoProtect will collect some samples of a suspicious file in case you download possible malware. Another good thing about the Norton Internet Security is that scanning your computer will not slow down your system despite Norton’s multilayered security protection.

So many big players are now competing in the security software arena and improving their programs’ features. But, among them, this antivirus really stands out and has really gotten even better. No doubt that Norton Internet Security 2010 is one of the leading and the best antivirus software programs there is.

Kaspersky Internet Security Revisited

September 14th, 2010

If you are looking for the best antivirus firewall software to meet your computer and Web security needs, you might want to consider Kaspersky Internet Security.

Particularly if you require the best antivirus that is well-organized, intuitive, and easy to use, Kaspersky Internet Security may be the solution for you. Navigation is quite easy, as you can see the various configurable program options or features on the program window’s left and right panes. The features of the program are divided according to logical themes or topics such as My Protection, My Update Center, and so on.

Kaspersky Internet Security is quite effective in preventing spyware from entering your computer. It automatically disables links that point to possible malware and removes installations that contains spyware. It is also good in blocking pop-up windows, thus decreasing the potential of spyware invasion.

Surfing the Net becomes much safer using this program because of its email scanner, a built-in firewall, and protection of your Windows registry settings. Kaspersky effectively detects every virus that enters a computer. Moreover, its real time scanner does not slow down the performance of your system while you are using your computer.

The built-in firewall of Kaspersky has gotten even better because it can protect your WiFi and VPN (Virtual Private Network) connections effectively. The firewall is also easy to set up and you can actually set a specific port for filtering any type of data.

Other great features are the Kaspersky Safe Run feature, the URL Advisor, and the Auto-Run Disable function. The Auto-Run Disable function will automatically scan for possible malicious software form external storage devices such as USB drives, thus delaying an automatic opening of the device or executing batch scripts from the external drives. The Safe Run feature lets you use browsers and applications in a safe part of your computer which will let you examine them without harming the other data of your computer. The URL Advisor, quite simply, advises you of the potential security threats that hyperlinks may bring.

Kaspersky Internet Security has its own way of protecting you from identity theft by using a secret socket layer. It has a virtual keyboard that provides safety every time you login and type in your password.

A parental control feature is also included which serves well for computers used by the entire family. For the installation, the good thing about Kaspersky Internet Security is that it has very minimal system requirements, that is why it is not heavy on the computer system resource use.

Overall, Kaspersky Internet Security is reliable, easy to use, and one of the best antivirus firewall software programs. You are sure that if you have Kaspersky Internet Security, you are safe on the Net and you are well-protected from malicious software.

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