For more than 10 years I have been cleaning up computers in the Quinte area.
It gives me great satisfaction to know I can make someone’s life easier by doing the things which are everyday and simple to me, but fast changing and complicated to you. When I do a clean-up on your computer, I know that when I leave it is as safe as it can be, and is running as fast as it can be.
And then a new day dawns.
You are constantly bombarded with attacks. Whether through exploits of bugs in software like Windows and Java, compromised emails and websites or “social engineering” (fancy term for tricking you into letting the malware in), the war for your eyeballs and money is relentless.
As an example, today I received an email from Ken Dwight, The Virus Doctor. Ken offers Virus Remediation courses out of his offices in Houston, Texas. I took his course earlier this year and he knows his stuff.
Ken wrote to me about a recently discovered virus which has him, and me, very concerned. Why?
a) People were infected by going to a legitimate website (which itself had been infected, unbeknownst to the owner)
b) They were infected without taking any action
c) No anti-virus software, as of today, catches it -- none of them!
You can read more about this particular virus here: http://www.thevirusdoc.com/blog/my-first-ever-virus-alert.
What does this mean for you?
You might have a good, up-to-date antivirus program, but even that is not enough. No antivirus program is perfect and unfortunately, a large number of infections are due to the computer user allowing the virus in.
And you might be good at keeping your computer up-to-date, but every day, there is a new threat and soon after, a new “fix” to go with it. In the virus described above, it got into the target computers through bugs in the Java and Adobe products on those target computers.
So what is a person supposed to do?
The answer is simple to state:
- Have a good anti-virus program and make sure it is always up-to-date
- Make sure your software is up-to-date (including Windows, Java, Adobe, Outlook, Word . . . the list goes on and on)
- Be suspicious and read everything carefully
- Have all your data backed up securely -- in case all else fails -- because no anti-virus is perfect!
That was simple to state, however doing it might not be for you. It has become clear to me that the only way my customers can stay safe, is if we are constantly monitoring the state of your computer, keeping it up-to-date, tuned up, backed up and taking proactive actions as news come in – like an IT department does in a large business.
(Know what one of the best things about keeping a computer in tip-top security shape? It makes them run faster too!)
Due to the explosion of cloud based technologies and services, and increases in Internet speeds, I have been able to put together a reasonably priced package for homes and small businesses which does just that. If you are interested in it, email me at service@call-a-geek.com, give me a call at 613-967-9648 or text me at that same number.
I sincerely hope this have been helpful and not just scary.
Cheers,
Kerry
