Internet Security: It’s not an oxymoron (just moronic)

One of the things I do for my company is new technology equipment deployment, software updating and installation, as well as technical support troubleshooting and repair. Because I get the unique pleasure of this particular responsibility, whenever it comes to cyber security and how to protect the user from the threats of the internet and general computer safety, I’ve picked up a number of ‘tricks-of-the-trade’ so to speak. Skip to the bottom for the TL:DR version.

First, general anti-virus software: Norton and McAfee are garbage. They come pre-installed on computers because they have contracts with major computer manufacturers to arrive pre-installed. With these softwares, if a user of a computer happens to click the wrong button at the wrong time, it can lock down a computer into un-usability and that user will take the equipment to a place like geek squad (Otherwise known as “let me google that for you”) to get ‘repaired’. Many computer savvy people know that the first thing you do with a new computer is to uninstall a lot of the pre-installed garbage-ware. Add Norton and McAfee to that list. Try Avast instead. I prefer Avast over many other security options available for two reasons: First, it’s free! so the price is right, and secondly, it has a feature that I have used many times to great success in the past as an IT guy…A boot-time scan. This feature allows the anti-virus to engage before the Operating System (OS) does, so it can detect and remove some of the more serious threats on the internet like Root Kits and System imbedded Trojans.

Another piece of software I really like is called Malwarebytes. While this software isn’t a comprehensive ‘fix everything’ solution (that one doesn’t exist yet), it can clean up a lot of the hidden muck slowing a computer down. Most Malware isn’t recognized as a virus because it doesn’t change core system settings or create security vulnerabilities in your system. Malware is more like a swamp of ads and software like search bars that install themselves on a users system to push a product. Malwarebytes recognizes and blocks/deletes most of them.

With general internet browsing, using an ad-blocker addon can really change your experience and make visiting websites a lot cleaner and more enjoyable. Now, I could debate for hours the benefits of Chrome vs Firefox vs Edge but I’m not going to. Instead I’ll just state I prefer Firefox because it allows a lot of addon customization like various ad-blocking addons and organizational tools, is open source and community developed/driven, and has been around long enough many websites have been optimized to run on Firefox. Chrome is a hidden resource hog and likes to continue to hog those resources even after you ‘close’ the program. Edge is fairly new and Microsoft’s supposed answer to losing the browser war. I’ve used it a few times and haven’t hated it like I hated Internet Explorer, but I’m not ready to recommend it either. Some of my favorite Firefox protection addons are Adblock Plus, FirefoxAdKiller, and uBlock.

Password security is important, especially with all the Big Data hacks that have been hitting the media. There are many secure ways to handle passwords, such as using a password generator website to create a random series of numbers and letters, and then letting a password addon on your browser manage all those. It’s not the MOST secure method, but for most users and small companies, it works just fine. The least secure method of password security is using the same exact password or variations of the same password for all your sites. It’s the most common method however because it requires people to remember less. Instead of this method, try to use a different password for every site, and keep an independent log of what password you assign to what site. Using this practice will help secure all of your logins if one of the sites you frequent gets hacked and there’s a data-breach. You won’t have to change ALL your passwords, just the password on that website.

TL:DR- Above are a few tips on how to protect yourself on line and keep your computer clean and safe as you browse the cesspool of the internet. Here are the links to the software:

Avast- http://download.cnet.com/Avast-Free-Antivirus/3000-2239_4-10019223.html Malwarebytes- http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Free/3000-8022_4-10804572.html Firefox- https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/?v=c

Justin Huereña Staff Blogger

#technology #internetsecurity #malwarebytes #security #trojans #operatingsystem #antivirus #norton #mcafee #avast #geeksquad #repaired #firefox #chrome #edge #adblockplus #firefoxadkiller #ublock