Issue 23.15
I was reviewing the articles I have written over the last few months and found that a number of them deal with the more frequent and more devastating viruses and malware (including ransomware) that have been infecting people’s computers. It seems that every time the anti-virus and anti-malware programs find a fix for one problem, a newer and more intrusive problem pops up.
Let me be clear about one aspect of this – If you have a good anti-virus and a good anti-malware program on your computer and keep them up to date, you will likely not have many of these problems as long as you stay away from suspect sites and downloads. I have used my computer on average 7 hours a day for many years and have downloaded hundreds of drivers, updates and programs for myself and my customers. I have only been hit twice and have been able to quickly destroy or quarantine the two programs that I allowed in – in one case I knew I had made a mistake as soon as I clicked the download button because I got in a hurry and clicked before I checked the link address to see if it was legitimate. I have used two free programs to achieve this – AVG Antivirus and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. There are other good free and commercial programs out there as well and both of the ones I use have commercial versions that they are constantly trying to get me to upgrade.
On the other hand, my wife’s computer recently had a bout of ransomware. I fixed it, but while trying to investigate how it had been infected, I found that, even though she had the same protection I did, she had let our grandchildren use her computer and they had been downloading a number of You-Tube and game files that were from suspect sources and were likely the source of her trouble.
It used to be that, if you had a Linux or Apple computer, you did not have to worry about viruses at all. They were so rare as to be almost non-existent. While that has changed and there are some destructive programs now aimed at these two Operating Systems, it is on nowhere near the scale that the Windows based computers have to deal with. The most authoritative source I could find on viruses and Apple indicates that, as long as you keep your OS up to date, you will not have trouble with viruses unless you download cracked (programs that have purposely been altered to make them easier to modify) or pirated (illegal copies) versions.
Linux is a little more vulnerable because it is by nature open source. This means that the creators of the various versions (I like Linux Mint myself) leave the Operating System open so you can modify how it looks and operates and share your changes with others. That would seem to make it much more vulnerable but it has not worked that way so far. People who use Linux are more likely computer savvy and are also more careful about what they expose their system to. The people in charge of these projects are pretty good at sifting these variations before offering them to the public and the interest of hackers and virus creators is not as great because less people use Linux than the other popular Operating Systems.
I personally don’t think it necessary to throw out your Windows based computers – just protect them with good software and be wise about the things you let in through downloads and websites you visit. The most common “poisoned” sites are those that offer porn, pirated software and other free stuff that should not be free. Be careful and sensible – and always remember to back up anything on your computer that is important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 33 years, 26 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.