Free Software And Knowledge

Seeing as how I’ve been around computers my whole life, been working on them since I was about 12, and am majoring in Network Security and Computer Forensics, I’ve decided to bestow upon you free software and knowledge (as well as really long sentences).

First, we need to make sure you have a decent anti virus and spyware protection. I was recently turned on to Avira Anti-Virus, and I must say I really like it. It’s simple to use, and it’s free! Avira has a Guard that, when set to Active, will scan all files coming into your PC for a virus, and stop any bad files before they can infect you. It will make a system beep, and pop up a list of actions to take with the suspected file. Make sure to keep the program updated so that your computer can be protected against the newest threats.

Next, you’ll need some good spyware protection. I’ve been using Spybot Search & Destroy for a few years now, and I think it’s probably my favorite. I’ve tried other anti-spyware programs, but this one just seemed to last longer on my computer. As soon as you download the program, download any updates that may be available, then immunize before you search for issues.

I suggest that you check for updates atleast once a day on both the anti-virus and the anti-spyware. Also, you should periodically scan your system for threats. How often you’re on the Internet downloading things, will determine how often you should probably scan your system. If you’re a casual user, you can get away with scanning once a week to twice a month, but still check for updates every day. For those of you who like to live on the Internet (like I’ve been known to do) and download tons of stuff, you might want to scan your computer every two or three days. You never know what can sneak in when you’re not paying attention.

Recently, my Computer Forensics professor showed the class a neat little site with tons of free software. Open Source Windows is a site that has great free software that isn’t loaded up with any viruses or spyware. There’s stuff for webbrowsing (Mozilla Firefox), email (Mozilla Thunderbird), chat clients (Pidgin), RSS feeds (RSS Owl), to photo editing software (GIMP, Paint.net, Inkscape), 3D modeling (Blender), games and many more things.  Check out the screensaver Electric Sheep, it’s visually stunning!

Next time I do a technology blog, I believe I’ll do a phishing/internet security awareness article.

~ by rewalker3 on October 12, 2008.