WHY ANTI-VIRUS IS VERY IMPORTANT - FIND OUT MORE NOW

INTRODUCTION

What happens is that these emails are part of phishing schemes. Phishing generally means that someone sends you fake or bogus emails with bad links in them. These links invite you to click on their bogus sites (i.e. not government sites at all) and submit some of your personal (confidential) information: maybe your complete name, social security number, etc. Some emails even have spyware attachments on them.

Identity thieves, or thieves who focus on identity theft issues, send out thousands of fake emails almost on a regular basis any more, saying they’re representing government entities. So heads up if you receive emails saying they’re from the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, Internal Revenue Service or other government agency or department. Spyware is computer software that is installed stealthily on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's knowledge or consent.

THESE EMAILS MAY BE TRYING TO TRICK YOU.

One government department alone, the Treasury Department, reported* receiving over 23,000 complaints about IRS-related phishing schemes since November 2005. Most involve hoax emails telling recipients that they have a pending tax refund and are under investigation.

Do not click on links inside emails from government agencies. 

Government agencies rarely communicate via email, and if they do, it’s in response to something you initiated most often. They communicate via postal mail.

Windows posts updates regularly, especially security patches. Make sure you download these or at least check monthly for updates. Mark your Outlook or other calendar and check regularly. So, arm yourself: your computer and email for identity theft protection. Better safe than sorry!

Most agencies are list on the web nowadays with contact information readily available.  If you receive communications that you are unsure of, call the agency first to see if the emails are legitimate.

Do not click on or save attachments that come with government emails. Delete these files. Unfortunately, sometimes even the best security isn’t good enough. Computers are expensive, and it makes sense to protect your investment from anything that could harm it.

Or maybe your computer just decided to crash one day. Back on Track was created with situations like these in mind, to help repair the damage that has been done to your PC.

I really can’t rave enough about Back on Track. You don’t even need a Boot Disk for it to work, so there’s nothing to forget to make or to lose. If you have a computer that has information on it you’d rather not lose, I highly recommend Back on Track. From doctoral dissertations to Snood high scores, Back on Track has you covered.

They will reach your system by exploiting security holes or are packaged with user-installed software, such as LimeWire. Spyware is often hidden alongside other programs, and you may unknowingly install spyware when you download a program from the Internet or install software from disks.

The scariest part of being attacked is the privacy implication virus spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.

ANTI VIRUS-MORE INFORMATION FOR YOU TO ENJOY

Spyware is computer software that is installed stealthily on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's knowledge or consent. Unlike a computer virus, spyware does not directly spread in the manner of a worm. Generally, an infected system does not attempt to transmit the infection to other computers; the issue is contained to your local system. 

Spyware normally interferes with networking software, which commonly causes difficulty connecting to the Internet. Spyware, along with other threats, has led some Windows users to move to other platforms such as Linux or Apple Macintosh, which are less attractive targets for malware. However, these platforms are not full-proof so don't fall into an out of sight trap. They will reach your system by exploiting security holes or are packaged with user-installed software, such as LimeWire.

Spyware is often hidden alongside other programs, and you may unknowingly install spyware when you download a program from the Internet or install software from disks.

The scariest part of being attacked is the privacy implications, as spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.

Not only can spyware programs collect various types of personal information, but they can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, redirecting Web browser activity, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party.

Microsoft has an entire Windows Update site devoted to automatically updating users' systems with all the latest fixes and patches for a wide range of Microsoft software, including Windows, Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access), and Internet Explorer. 

Anti-spyware software programs can be used solely for detection and removal of spyware software that has already been installed onto your computer. Anti-virus software can detect many but not all forms of malicious software before they have a chance to affect your computer. Anti-spyware applications must also be able to remove programs on reboot for spyware/adware that refuses to be removed through normal processes. Of course, anti-spyware applications alone can't protect you entirely from unwanted spyware and adware.

For example, recent test results show that bundled software (WhenUSave) is ignored by popular anti-spyware program AdAware, (but removed as spyware by most scanners) because it is part of the popular (but recently decommissioned) Edonkey client. To address this dilemma, the Anti-Spyware Coalition has been working on building consensus within the anti-spyware industry as to what is and isn't acceptable software behavior.

Another form of spyware is Adware, it's similar to viruses in that they can be malicious in nature, however the focus now is money as people are now profiting from these threats making them more and more popular.

Anti-virus programs are so very important so all of you using the internet daily should most definitely check it out more thoroughly very soon.

THE BENEFIT OF AI IN CYBERSECURITY: PREVENTING MALWARE ATTACKS

With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence, there has been increases in cybersecurity through sensing threats in real time, analyzing vast data circles for irregularities, and adapting to new malware. AI can predict attacks, automate responses, and reduce human error, offering a robust defense against evolving cyber threats. So, you can explore the option to go AI route where you pay just little while some are free with a time frame before you are made to subscribe thereby giving you time to test-run it before placing a price.

Key Benefits of AI in Malware Prevention: 

·       Predictive Analysis: Identifies threats before they occur.

·       Reduced Human Error: AI enhances accuracy in threat assessment.

·       Real-Time Threat Detection: AI spots unusual behavior instantly.

·       Behavioral Analysis: Detects malware using pattern recognition.

·       Automated Response: Quickly isolates and neutralizes threats.

Here are a few recommended AI driven Softwares but please I encourage you to do your due diligence before deciding on which of them to use:

·       Cylance PROTECT (by BlackBerry)

·       CrowdStrike Falcon

·       Sophos Intercept X

·       Darktrace

·       Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING AN ANTI-VIRUS ON YOUR COMPUTER

All of us who have computers probably have an anti-virus of some kind on it. One thing you may not know is that a lot of times those anti-virus protection for your computer comes only for a limited amount of time. I always thought I had an anti-virus protection on my computer. I would keep getting a pop up saying your subscription needs to be renewed. I always ignored it because I didn't know what it was for. It turned out that was my Mcfee Anti-Virus protection and I no longer had it on my computer because I didn't renew it. 

I was running my fairly new computer with no Anti-virus on it. I did not know it was so important to have it until my step-daughter told me her computer had crashed. I asked why that happened, because she lost a lot of her work that was stored in her computer. She told me it was full of viruses because she didn't have the proper anti-virus protection on it. I think it is kind of funny that a computer can get a virus, but it is not funny at all. There are so many people that hack into other peoples’ computers and cause all kinds of viruses on your computer.

After I was told about this I really wasn't sure how to get

 on my computer. I thought they would cost a lot of money, but it turns out there is many free sites that you can download for free. These free anti-virus protection works just as well as the ones you have to pay money for. One thing I also learned is to clear out the cookies on your computer. It will cause your computer to slow down if you have a lot of things stored in it. Without the anti-virus protection, you must realize with all the information you have stored can be hacked into.

To get to your cookies on your computer just go to start on your desktop and then go to run. A box will come up and just type in cookies and browse and that will pull up every site you have gone to while you have had your computer. You can delete all that stuff except where it says index. It won't let you delete that out. So, it doesn't take so long to delete you can highlight everything and hit delete on your keyboard and everything you highlighted will be deleted automatically.

You may think all of this really doesn't matter but it is very important to have an anti-virus protection plan on your computer and to keep your cache cleaned out so you don't get viruses that will make your computer crash. You also have a lot less worry about with all the talk about identification fraud. Identification fraud can absolutely ruin and your family's life.