June 18, 2014

It seems like a new virus or other security threat is being announced every day.  Heartbleed. Cryptolocker.  And they seem to keep coming back, bigger and badder than before.  It’s enough to want some of us to stop using the Internet altogether and to stay offline for good!  But that is probably unrealistic for many of us who depend on the Internet for day-to-day communication, such as email and social media, online banking, shopping, and more.  So what is the average computer user or business supposed to do?

DETECTION & PREVENTION, OR GHOST HUNTING?

Antivirus is dead – said a Brian Dye, Symantec’s senior vice president for information security, for a The Wall Street Journal interview.  Today’s security reality is that antivirus (AV) programs are just one piece of the puzzle.  According to security provider FireEye, 82 percent of all malware it detects stays active for a mere hour, and 70 percent of all threats only surface once, as malware authors rapidly change their software to skirt detection from traditional antivirus solutions.  “The function signature-based AV serves has become more akin to ghost hunting than threat detection and prevention,” the firm says.

According to McAfee – a leading antivirus – 150,000 new pieces of malware are released every day around the world.  To understand how that affects you, you need to understand how antivirus programs work.  Typically, a new virus is released in the world.  Somebody will get infected.  The infection is then reported to the main antivirus companies and the virus payload is analyzed.  The antivirus companies then release security patches, which are pushed down to your computer – hopefully at least daily – but depending on your settings could be weekly or longer.  This delay causes traditional antiviruses to detect only 45% of all attacks, according to Symantec.

A good security program should comprise of a trusted antivirus program but, in addition, have tools that protect against spam and phishing attempts, malicious websites, and social media threats.  Many antivirus programs now have an internet security product that addresses those issues.  Does yours?

ANTIVIRUS OPTIONS

According to PC Magazine (April 2014), three products share the Editor’s Choice honor for best overall antivirus based on five important categories: 1. detection, 2. cleaning, 3. protection, 4. false positives, and 5. performance.: Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (2014), Norton AntiVirus (2014), and Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus (2014).  With its impressive sweep of the independent labs, Kaspersky Anti-Virus (2014) is another very good choice.

AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014 is PC Magazine’s current Editors’ Choice for free antivirus.  It shares the top score on malware blocking test with four others, among them Avira Free AntiVirus (2014) and FortiClient 5.0 (also free). If you can’t even get antivirus installed, give Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.0 a try. It’s PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice for free, cleanup-only antivirus.  Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372364,00.asp

In other words, antivirus isn’t quite dead, despite the bold words of Symantec’s VP—it’s still important to have AV protecting your PC.  Only now, AV is just one of many tools needed to keep your computer safe against increasingly savvy attackers.

EBERNIE RECOMMENDS WEBROOT

eBernie, Inc. recommends Webroot as a comprehensive security package, for consumers and businesses of all sizes.  Webroot SecureAnywhere® Business – Endpoint Protection offers a revolutionary approach to malware protection.  It brings together Webroot’s innovative file pattern and predictive behavior recognition technology, with the almost limitless power of cloud computing, to stop known threats and prevent unknown zero-day attacks more effectively than anything else.

Using the world’s lightest and fastest endpoint security Agent, scans are unbelievably fast (normally less than 30 seconds) and they never slow end-users down.  And, because detection is truly real-time it is always up-to-date, and provides protection against all the latest threats and attacks without any of the hassles of managing daily signature or definition file updates.

Don’t depend on definition files.  Your computer actively checks the program’s cloud database every time you got to a website or open a file.  That means that all Webroot users are contributing in identify new viruses almost instantly.  Also, when a new suspicious file is detected the Webroot client on your computer monitors everything that process is doing. If it is determined that it is malicious, Webroot will automatically roll back any files affected.  For e.g., if a client is infected with a new variant of Cryptolocker and the virus encrypts your documents, Webroot will restore your computer to before the encryption occurred – including files, registry settings, etc.

WHAT ABOUT APPLE COMPUTERS?

It’s true that malware attacks are less common on the Mac® OS X platform than on the PC, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that PCs are more susceptible than their counterparts, according to Webroot.  Tony Bradley, a writer for PCWorld, argued in May 2011 that “the real reason that Macs aren’t plagued by more malware is that the platform represents such negligible market share that it’s not worth the effort for malware developers.”  However, Mac-targeted attacks are occurring , perhaps even on the rise, as the popularity of Apple grows.  Many of the AV programs mentioned in this article also support Macs.

“If you are running your computer without an antivirus program, it’s like driving a car without a seat belt,” stated Bernie Orglmeister, President and Senior Project Engineer, eBernie, Inc.  “With no AV, you are essentially exposing all your data – including customer data or your personal banking or credit card information — to a variety of threats.  In addition, if your business is held to a higher standard by regulatory bodies which require compliance by HIPAA or SOX, for example, then you need to stay on top of these security issues – for your benefit and for the benefit of your customers.”

Please note, there are many good AV programs available but none will keep your computer or device 100% safe.  Just because your program of choice may not be included in this article, does not mean it’s not a good program.  In fact, we encourage you to comment below on your experiences – what’s worked, what hasn’t?  If you would like to review the AV option(s) for your business environment, or are currently experiencing a security threat, please contact eBernie, Inc. or your favorite IT provider.  Subscribe to Webroot by contacting eBernie, Inc. by June 30, 2014, and receive discounted rates.  Call 610.590.5006 x1 or email info@ebernieinc.com.

ABOUT US 

eBernie, Inc. is an Information Technology (I.T.) consulting firm dedicated to providing professional services or strategic solutions for businesses and organizations, from one to 100 employees, since 2007. You can trust us to deliver the level of managed services your business needs, ensuring a stable and secure I.T. environment.  Our proactive services model will eliminate business disruptions and give you peace of mind knowing that your networks are secure and operational. As a result, you get to focus on your core business while we handle the technology challenges and opportunities.

Contact Us Today:  Bernie Orglmeister, President & Senior Project Engineer: 610.590.5006 x1 or info@ebernieinc.com “My name is in the company name, so it’s important that our clients – no matter how big or small – receive the top-notch service that I’m proud to put my name behind.”