The Drugs Don’t Work…

Fake Anti-Virus software. It exists. It’s designed to trick you into downloading a nice pile of infected files and letting them take over your computer.

Here is a sensible document from Sophos about how to spot the fakes, and how to protect yourself.

The easiest way to avoid being caught is to choose a good Anti-Virus product before you get that little pop-up message claiming “your PC is infected and if you download this software it’ll all get better”.

Which Anti-Virus to choose?

Free Anti-Virus? … it’s better than nothing. Think though, if you were a virus writer, you’d have all the free anti-virus products and ensure your virus could beat them, wouldn’t you?

The one that was installed as a trial on the PC? … better but, let’s face it, that is probably a low-cost domestic product. It’s a product that has market share only because it’s a default option on so many new PCs, not because it’s good.

One you can download because it popped up when you visited a website and suggested you download it? NO!!!!!

The fact is, the more expensive the product, the more quickly it is updated by the vendor to protect against new threats. You should assess your exposure, and the cost to you in hassle, lost work or data, and recovery fees you might incur if you get infected. Balance these against the cost – from about £20 to over £100 per year – of a good, well-known commercial Anti-Virus product.

Tip: If you’re unprotected, download and install a trial of SOPHOS Anti-Virus from our Useful Links section. Even if you later choose to buy a different product, you’ll be protected against known viruses while you make up your mind.