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ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Installing an Anti-virus program is a good idea but before you pay out good money, consider the following points

  • Many programs purport to be free but very often this is a FREE DOWNLOAD, not a free program.
  • Be wary when you pay. Without realising it, you might be giving permission to the seller to renew automatically in perpetuity. This can occur even if you pay by PayPal. Check your PayPal settings frequently to see whether there are any unwanted Direct Debits. Avangate, sellers of BitDefender, have many complaints relating to this.
  • Before renewing, check the prices for buying a new program. Amazon.co.uk is a good source. I discovered that renewing a particular program cost £56 whereas the price for a new legal programs was under £20.
  • No program sellers likes to see you go. After the expiration date, the chances are that you will be made some very attractive offers.
  • Consider buying a program which gives you security when paying on-line. These load in a firebox and therefore should be free from attack. In any case, use a virtual QWERTY keyboard such as freeVK. These defeat the keyboard logger viruses/Trojans which can record everything you enter from your computer keyboard.
  • Consult the reviewing web-sites and make up your mind whether they are impartial.
  • Some programs which you can download might contain viruses. Run the virus checker on them before installing.
  • Remember that when you backup your computer, if there is a virus hiding somewhere, you will backup that virus as well. Scan for viruses before you backup.
  • In generalgotyer, I read e-mails as text only. An e-mail presented as a pretty message could contain an invisible picture with a script to send your details to where you don’t want. If you have read this far, you will just have passed a gif without seeing it! There is no script attached to this picture.
  • Delete dodgy-looking e-mails immediately. Do not open them. If something looks genuine, look carefully at the name of the sender and your e-mall address to which it is being sent. If in doubt, run the virus checker.
  • It is a myth that Apple computers cannot be infected by a virus.
  • Consider buying a program which protects all of your devices; laptop, desktop, Mobile and tablet.