Security And Eset

 

After watching Thor in IMAX 3D, the reason I’m still awake at this hour, I was reminded of Security software. I should probably blame Loki for the mischief and the thoughts that keep me awake. Seriously though, whether you run Windows, Apple, Linux, Unix, etc. your going to need a solid security software to protect your operating system. But choosing one is tough for many consumers and businesses. There are many on the market, but few that perform.

The way most vendors operate is to constantly update a list that looks for and blocks attacks. This worked well for many years, but now malware is constantly changing tactics and it gets increasingly more difficult to keep up. The solution is to be proactive, by trying to catch them in the act or by characteristics and other means. This allows some vendors to prevent a malware or virus infection even if that malware/ virus is new and never been detected prior.

On a quick side note, I would like to point out that a virus is a form of malware. malware is a general term for software that performs malicious acts on your computer. I point this out to help educate as I often get customers who have never heard the term malware or don’t know what it is. Often enough I will inform a customer that their computer is infected with malware and have to educate them. Not that I mind, I hope that through education and safe practices we can one day all but eliminate malware infections.

One rule for e-mail and surfing is never open or click on something you are unfamiliar with. Granted this isn’t always possible and curiosity often gets the best of us. Which makes my second rule all the more important.  Run a effective antivirus / security software on all your computers. This includes Apple and computers that do not connect to the internet. The exception would be a computer that is not connected to the internet or any network, nor does it ever have any storage devices or mediums connected. Such mediums could be a memory card, cd, dvd, external hard drive, usb drive, etc. And even then I would recommend security software.

As far as security software goes I can only recommend one vendor, Eset. Eset makes the only security software that has never missed an ‘in the wild’ virus. I currently use their Smart Security software and prior years I used their NOD32 Antivirus. Both are in version 4 and Smart security adds even more protection than the stand alone NOD32 Antivirus. Both are light on system resources, very fast, and the most effective security solutions I have ever used and tested. And that includes Norton, MacAfee, AVG, and more. In fact Eset consistently is top dog in the Virus Bulletin tests. And that is an amazing feat.

And as effective as version 4 of their now in beta with version 5. Pavel Luka, ESET's Chief Technology Officer comments: "At the same time these new ESET products provide all the proven features and technology that have made the previous product a success. In Version 5, ESET offers a comprehensive security package that safeguards PCs from all types of malware, hacker attacks and e-mail threats."

They have added new features to make our computing experience not only safer, but the experience of safe guarding our machines is now easy too! Here are some of the new features as posted on their website:

• Enhanced Media Control — Blocks threats trying to get through to the system via removable media. ESET Smart Security 5 and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 automatically prompt users to scan the content of all USB flash drives, CDs and DVDs. Users can block specific media based on a range of parameters like the device ID, media type, and serial number.
• ESET Cloud-Powered Reputation — Enhanced detection power and scanning speed using advanced reputation service and ESET malware collection and analysis.
• Optimized Startup Procedure — ESET Smart Security 5 and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 let users start working on computer immediately after boot-up, without compromising security.
• Gamer Mode — When in full-screen mode, ESET Smart Security 5 and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 automatically switch to silent mode to save system resources, so users can enjoy playing computer games or concentrate on important work tasks without distractions from pop-up messages.
• Improved Graphic User Interface — The graphical environment has undergone a number of usability and design modifications aiming to enhance the overall user experience.

Now if that is not enough, they also recently release a beta for their Mobile Security for Android smartphones and tablets. This adds to their solution already available for Windows Mobile and Symbian. And that’s not all they also released their NOD32 Antivirus for Linux. This allows to now get the best protection whether we run Linux, Windows, or OS X. What do you think?