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Free antivirus may be good for wallet, but not for the home computer
By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
Published on Sunday, Jun 28, 2009
Sometimes it pays to change plans and delay things.
Two weeks ago, I wrote a column about annoying forwarded e-mails and how people should really do their research to see whether they're true (they're usually not) before forwarding them to everyone they know. I also wrote about the possible problems e-mails could cause your computer if a malicious file is attached to it or the e-mail directs you to a Web site that could silently download bad things onto your computer.
I promised the following week to talk a bit more about how to protect your computer by avoiding malicious Internet software and having up-to-date antivirus protection.
But last week, I needed to change plans and write about a more immediate issue in electricity rates.
So that brings me to this week. I needed to follow up with Steven Sundermeier, president of Medina-based anti-virus vendor Central Command, to ask him a question.
We had been talking about the difference between free anti-virus protection programs available on the Internet and paying for an anti-virus program. Sundermeier's company makes an anti-virus program called Vexira and its market is mostly geared toward protecting school districts. The company serves 130 school districts in Ohio, though the program also can work on home computers.
Sundermeier was explaining that while there are probably good free anti-virus software programs available, people need to be careful.
Usually, free versions of anti-virus software are stripped-down versions of a paid program the particular company is also offering. Sundermeier said it's important to make sure the company is sending constant updates to fight against new threats daily and is protecting against spyware and malware, which are malicious software.
''We are updating 70 to 1,000 updates a day,'' he said.
This week, I was telling Sundermeier how I was debating switching from a paid anti-virus program that had just expired to a free anti-virus program that a
computer-minded friend had recommended and that I had seen good reviews of on the Internet from trusted sources.
Sundermeier said that particular program was probably OK, but worried that if readers search on the Web for free anti-virus without doing proper research, they could end up with fake programs that could cause problems.
That's when Sundermeier offered to set up a free one-year license for my readers of his company's Vexira anti-virus program, which usually sells for $34.95. He said he'd rather people have full protection and his company doesn't really go after the personal home computer market anyway, though the program is the same that protects school districts. So to the company, it's not more work, he said.
Here's the link: http://www.centralcommand.com/abj.html.
I've already downloaded my version on my home computer and updated the software, which took effect after I rebooted the computer. The one-year period will end next June 28. At that time, you can decide whether you want to pay for the program to continue it. There are directions on the Web page of how to install it (make sure you take note of the registration information) and a link for frequently asked questions.
Having the Vexira or a good anti-virus protection should protect you against bad things out there on the Internet, but every day, there are also new threats the companies are fighting. So it still behooves you to protect yourself by using common sense and sometimes doing some research.
Sometimes you can innocently open the door for a scammer or malicious software.
A reader a few weeks ago e-mailed me that she had inadvertently fallen for a scam and actually paid for a fake anti-virus program that popped up on her screen and told her she wasn't protected. These are called ''rogue applications,'' Sundermeier said, and are a fairly new but prolific problem.
''Somewhere they went to a Web site that they probably shouldn't have and a piece of adware gets installed. They're getting adware that's popping up with blinking lights that your machine is infected,'' he said.
That's pretty much what happened to this woman. She admitted that for some reason, she had turned off her anti-virus protection and didn't have it on. If she did have it on, the program probably would have prevented the problem.
The woman is a user of Facebook, the popular social-networking site. She saw a friend had posted a link to a video and clicked on it. A few clicks later, she said, she noticed when she turned on her computer the next time, a message popped up saying her computer had a virus and she should click on the box to buy an anti-virus protection. She clicked on it and used her bank card.
Fortunately for her, the bank security division called her and informed her she might have used her card at a fraudulent site, so she canceled her card and removed the program from the computer.
There's a few lessons to learn from her experience. Sundermeier said the ''rogue applications'' make people think they're anti-virus programs but they are just trying to get you to pay for the fake program. The programs themselves sometimes aren't going to do anything to your computer; they're just designed to scam you out of your money, he said. Sometimes they even make themselves look like they're coming from a legitimate source, such as Central Command or another company. Company officials get contacted asking if they're involved, Sundermeier said.
With the large number of users on Facebook, Sundermeier said it's important to know that not all applications or things on Facebook can be safe. They're usually just programs that someone has designed and put on Facebook.
There have been plenty of scam applications on Facebook (and times when it appears a friend tells you to look at a video, such as in my reader's case, when the person really didn't request it). Even a simple Google search on an application name and Facebook might give you clues if it's a known scam and you should stay away from it, Sundermeier said.
Protecting kids online
Sundermeier and I also discussed online protection of kids as they surf the Internet. You'll want to protect both your computer and your kids.
There are programs that you can buy, but Sundermeier and I discussed things that are already on a PC with Windows and Internet Explorer.
Sundermeier suggests parents set up different user accounts (you can do this through your Control Panel) and give kids a limited user account instead of an administrator account, which means they can't change settings on your computer.
You can also set up security precautions on Internet Explorer by going to ''Tools,'' then ''Internet Options.'' Under ''Content,'' you can enable the ''Content Advisor,'' which allows you to limit access to sites that might have content such as alcohol, abuse, drugs, etc. You can also set up ''Approved Sites'' that the kids can go on.
However, Sundermeier warns — and I can tell you from trying it this week — there's a fine balance between setting up those blocks and the parents' sanity. Unfortunately, there's no way to limit only your kids' Internet usage, so you are limiting the Web surfing of the adults, too, and I'm not talking about limiting bad content but possible everyday usage.
For instance, I set up the Content Advisor to not allow any of the various bad content. But in testing it, I was still able to Google for some unwanted words. So then I listed approved sites that I knew my 9-year-old daughter likes to go to, plus our America Online Web page so we could get our e-mail.
I spent that morning trying to work at home and doing normal computer searches, plus checking e-mail. At first, it seemed great. If there was a site that I hadn't yet ''approved,'' I just had to type in my password and allow it.
But after about an hour or two, it got old. I had to type the darn password for nearly every single page, including pages within my AOL e-mail to even type an e-mail out. I ended up disabling the content adviser. My daughter asks to go on the computer pretty rarely, so when she does, we'll just monitor her. Frankly, it wasn't worth the headache to my computer usage to protect my kids on their rare occasions on the computer.
That's when I called Sundermeier to ask whether there was a better way.
He had told me the previous week that there was a balance in applying the settings, and even his relatives have complained about protections set up.
''Lots of times, people basically give up after a day or two,'' he said. ''It's a fine balance. I think it's a balance worth taking.''
I might try it again and play around a little more with the settings. I'm still in search of that fine balance.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.
Sometimes it pays to change plans and delay things.
Two weeks ago, I wrote a column about annoying forwarded e-mails and how people should really do their research to see whether they're true (they're usually not) before forwarding them to everyone they know. I also wrote about the possible problems e-mails could cause your computer if a malicious file is attached to it or the e-mail directs you to a Web site that could silently download bad things onto your computer.
I promised the following week to talk a bit more about how to protect your computer by avoiding malicious Internet software and having up-to-date antivirus protection.
But last week, I needed to change plans and write about a more immediate issue in electricity rates.
So that brings me to this week. I needed to follow up with Steven Sundermeier, president of Medina-based anti-virus vendor Central Command, to ask him a question.
We had been talking about the difference between free anti-virus protection programs available on the Internet and paying for an anti-virus program. Sundermeier's company makes an anti-virus program called Vexira and its market is mostly geared toward protecting school districts. The company serves 130 school districts in Ohio, though the program also can work on home computers.
Sundermeier was explaining that while there are probably good free anti-virus software programs available, people need to be careful.
Usually, free versions of anti-virus software are stripped-down versions of a paid program the particular company is also offering. Sundermeier said it's important to make sure the company is sending constant updates to fight against new threats daily and is protecting against spyware and malware, which are malicious software.
''We are updating 70 to 1,000 updates a day,'' he said.
This week, I was telling Sundermeier how I was debating switching from a paid anti-virus program that had just expired to a free anti-virus program that a
computer-minded friend had recommended and that I had seen good reviews of on the Internet from trusted sources.
Sundermeier said that particular program was probably OK, but worried that if readers search on the Web for free anti-virus without doing proper research, they could end up with fake programs that could cause problems.
That's when Sundermeier offered to set up a free one-year license for my readers of his company's Vexira anti-virus program, which usually sells for $34.95. He said he'd rather people have full protection and his company doesn't really go after the personal home computer market anyway, though the program is the same that protects school districts. So to the company, it's not more work, he said.
Here's the link: http://www.centralcommand.com/abj.html.
I've already downloaded my version on my home computer and updated the software, which took effect after I rebooted the computer. The one-year period will end next June 28. At that time, you can decide whether you want to pay for the program to continue it. There are directions on the Web page of how to install it (make sure you take note of the registration information) and a link for frequently asked questions.
Having the Vexira or a good anti-virus protection should protect you against bad things out there on the Internet, but every day, there are also new threats the companies are fighting. So it still behooves you to protect yourself by using common sense and sometimes doing some research.
Sometimes you can innocently open the door for a scammer or malicious software.
A reader a few weeks ago e-mailed me that she had inadvertently fallen for a scam and actually paid for a fake anti-virus program that popped up on her screen and told her she wasn't protected. These are called ''rogue applications,'' Sundermeier said, and are a fairly new but prolific problem.
''Somewhere they went to a Web site that they probably shouldn't have and a piece of adware gets installed. They're getting adware that's popping up with blinking lights that your machine is infected,'' he said.
That's pretty much what happened to this woman. She admitted that for some reason, she had turned off her anti-virus protection and didn't have it on. If she did have it on, the program probably would have prevented the problem.
The woman is a user of Facebook, the popular social-networking site. She saw a friend had posted a link to a video and clicked on it. A few clicks later, she said, she noticed when she turned on her computer the next time, a message popped up saying her computer had a virus and she should click on the box to buy an anti-virus protection. She clicked on it and used her bank card.
Fortunately for her, the bank security division called her and informed her she might have used her card at a fraudulent site, so she canceled her card and removed the program from the computer.
There's a few lessons to learn from her experience. Sundermeier said the ''rogue applications'' make people think they're anti-virus programs but they are just trying to get you to pay for the fake program. The programs themselves sometimes aren't going to do anything to your computer; they're just designed to scam you out of your money, he said. Sometimes they even make themselves look like they're coming from a legitimate source, such as Central Command or another company. Company officials get contacted asking if they're involved, Sundermeier said.
With the large number of users on Facebook, Sundermeier said it's important to know that not all applications or things on Facebook can be safe. They're usually just programs that someone has designed and put on Facebook.
There have been plenty of scam applications on Facebook (and times when it appears a friend tells you to look at a video, such as in my reader's case, when the person really didn't request it). Even a simple Google search on an application name and Facebook might give you clues if it's a known scam and you should stay away from it, Sundermeier said.
Protecting kids online
Sundermeier and I also discussed online protection of kids as they surf the Internet. You'll want to protect both your computer and your kids.
There are programs that you can buy, but Sundermeier and I discussed things that are already on a PC with Windows and Internet Explorer.
Sundermeier suggests parents set up different user accounts (you can do this through your Control Panel) and give kids a limited user account instead of an administrator account, which means they can't change settings on your computer.
You can also set up security precautions on Internet Explorer by going to ''Tools,'' then ''Internet Options.'' Under ''Content,'' you can enable the ''Content Advisor,'' which allows you to limit access to sites that might have content such as alcohol, abuse, drugs, etc. You can also set up ''Approved Sites'' that the kids can go on.
However, Sundermeier warns — and I can tell you from trying it this week — there's a fine balance between setting up those blocks and the parents' sanity. Unfortunately, there's no way to limit only your kids' Internet usage, so you are limiting the Web surfing of the adults, too, and I'm not talking about limiting bad content but possible everyday usage.
For instance, I set up the Content Advisor to not allow any of the various bad content. But in testing it, I was still able to Google for some unwanted words. So then I listed approved sites that I knew my 9-year-old daughter likes to go to, plus our America Online Web page so we could get our e-mail.
I spent that morning trying to work at home and doing normal computer searches, plus checking e-mail. At first, it seemed great. If there was a site that I hadn't yet ''approved,'' I just had to type in my password and allow it.
But after about an hour or two, it got old. I had to type the darn password for nearly every single page, including pages within my AOL e-mail to even type an e-mail out. I ended up disabling the content adviser. My daughter asks to go on the computer pretty rarely, so when she does, we'll just monitor her. Frankly, it wasn't worth the headache to my computer usage to protect my kids on their rare occasions on the computer.
That's when I called Sundermeier to ask whether there was a better way.
He had told me the previous week that there was a balance in applying the settings, and even his relatives have complained about protections set up.
''Lots of times, people basically give up after a day or two,'' he said. ''It's a fine balance. I think it's a balance worth taking.''
I might try it again and play around a little more with the settings. I'm still in search of that fine balance.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Barberton, OH
Posted 09:42 PM, 06/28/2009
I really hate to point out a mjor flaw in this story, or atleast how the program is being promoted. A anti-virus that updates 70 - 1000 times a day? That is between every 20 minutes to as often as a minute and half. You are right, that would keep you from getting a virus because your computer would be too busy updating the program to do anything else. Either Betty Lin-Fisher mis-quoted him or Steven Sundermeier is the biggest BS artist out there.
Here are some real tips to help you -
IF you don't know who it is from, don't open the email attachment. Same goes if the wording of the email seems out of character from the sender
Go with a reliable balanced anti virus. AVG, which is free, is one of the best. It updates once a day, or twice of you want it more often. And it will automatically scan at a preset time each day. Set it for a hour after you go to bed and you will be in great shape. And unlike the program mentioned in this article, it is not going to tie up your computer as much as every minute and a half updating.
These two tips alone will eliminate 95% of the virus problem out there
