Antivirus Firewall Software - Are You Giving Your Computer 100% Protection ?

With increasing use of the internet, the threat of virus attacks on computers has grown many fold. An infection from any source can wreak havoc on your computer. The best way to completely protect your computer from viruses, spyware, trojans and other malware is to shut it down or disconnect it from the internet but realistically this is not practical, therefore you really need to install antivirus firewall software.

Antivirus firewall software is a two in one software application which not only prevents rogue programs from invading the computer but also removes any such program which might have found its way into the computer. Just like a physical firewall prevents computer access from one area to another, firewall software also prevents port access but also blocks malware such as viruses, spyware, adware, trojans etc from invading the computer. The software also removes infections before they can cause too much damage.

Besides virus programs there are other programs which you need to protect your computer from. They include malware which has been created to invade ones computer with the specific task of locating and stealing one's personal information, adware that shows adverts, spyware which is intended to steal data from the computer's hard drive, worms which can replicate themselves and bots which are robotic programs and can run on their own usually at a pre determined time.

Malicious software similar to those mentioned above are fast turning into the most common form of internet crime, furthermore their detection is getting ever more difficult due to their increasingly complex nature.
Firewalls are customizable and can be used to add or remove port access filters depending on various conditions such as IP address, domain names and protocols, ports and specific words and phrases. While Windows comes with its own firewall, it is largely ineffective against major threats. This is the reason why antivirus firewall software becomes so important for keeping your data safe.

There are dozens of different companies where you can buy antivirus. Some of these software applications are sold individually (only antivirus or only firewall software), while some programs combine the two into a comprehensive security package. One thing is for sure, if you want to keep your data and identity safe, an antivirus firewall software application is a must.

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Antivirus Software - A Security For Your PC

Antivirus software is considered to be an important ingredient meant to secure your computer. There are many such experiences where the computes have to go through this unpleasant happening of getting infected with viruses. This causes a lot of annoyance for the user and it affects badly the working of the infected computers. This is the reason, antivirus software are said to be the best guard against the viruses, to stop the computer getting infected and becoming useless and annoying machine. Antivirus software no doubt, tends to be a trusted security for your computer.

There are different types of viruses that can attack the PC. Though, these viruses are not really like those that we human beings get from each other but these are equally contagious. These viruses can travel from one computer to the other if the connectivity happens between the two. The infected system spreads viruses like any thing and it becomes a great annoyance for the computer users to deal with a virus infected computer. This is the reason; it is always advised to install antivirus software as a security for your computer against all such risks.

Viruses are of different kinds ranging from mild ones to really dangerous and threatening ones. These malicious viruses are known from different names like Trojan, Worms etc that get to do a great harm to the computer which gets infected with theses. These viruses are basically a sort of executable codes that are being created with the purpose of stealing personal information like the passwords, IDs, account numbers; anything important. There are such viruses as well that have been designed in order to gain the full control of the infected computer.

Antivirus software tends to be of great significance when seen in this context. These antivirus software not only make the prevention possible rather do the task of cleaning as well. it means that by installing such software like Norton, MacAfee etc you can prevent the further access of the viruses to your computer and besides this, those viruses which have been able to get into your system can be exterminated by running a scan through these antivirus.

Monitoring emails, P2P downloads and internet connections are also some of the tasks that these antivirus software performs. This is the reason, it s always advised not to open unsolicited emails as those can be embedded with certain viruses that can be harmful for your computer. It is advised that you should run a scan on regular basis in order to make sure that your computer is safe from the infection of malicious viruses. So, it becomes very necessary to install antivirus software for the security of your PC.

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Ensuring That Your Antivirus Is Functional

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[4\PZX54(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.

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Anti Virus Software for Your Computer - Tips to Help You Choose

In today's world computers have become one of the main assets in all fields to make tasks simpler, efficient and organized. Computers store data and run applications. Viruses and spyware were created to steal personal data like Bank account numbers, passwords, security keys, personal information etc. Viruses spread through the internet, emails, pen drives, DVDs, external hard disk etc. Anti Virus software detect viruses and spyware and block them and move them to quarantine so that they don't harm your computer and steal your data, thus keeping your personal information safe. Nowadays online banking has become a trend, imagine how unsafe one can be without antivirus software. Antivirus software can safeguard your information.

Antivirus software used to be a luxury once upon a time but nowadays they have become a necessity. Since there are many types of software available in the market it becomes difficult to select the best antivirus.

The following are simple guidelines that would help and assist you in purchasing an antivirus software:

1. The antivirus software should be compatible with your computer system. Compatible in the sense your computer should be able to run the software with ease and hence not overloading the system. No matter how good an antivirus is if it doesn't run on your system it is of no use. Before purchasing one you should cross check its requirements with your computers configuration.

2. You should try and give importance to that software which gives a good background protection. Background protection is that protection which involves the detection of virus when the full computer scan is off and is able to delete them.

3. Buy that antivirus which has a disaster recovery feature. In case of an attack by a highly rated virus the computer system may crash. Disaster recovery will take a backup of your data and recovery your computer to an earlier date.

4. Viruses and spyware are created and spread on a day to day basis. Therefore it becomes crucial for antivirus to be updated to detect them. Hence you should purchase that software that updates their virus database daily.

5. Look for that antivirus which has a firewall protection. A firewall shields your PC from threats especially when you are connected to the internet.

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