Choosing the right antivirus software to stay safe from cybercriminals

Choosing the right antivirus software to stay safe from cybercriminals

Cyber crime was never such rampant ever in the past as it is in the present times. Around a quarter million malicious programs – fresh and new – are reported every day. The harsh truth is now apparent – everyone must have some kind of antivirus protection to stay safe from cyber crime. On the other hand choosing the right antivirus suite is much easier said than done. From basic software applications to those that come with hosts of useful features there are more options than you can imagine for an antivirus programme today. In the middle of these varieties of options it is really difficult zero in upon the right protection suite that covers all your needs.

In order to make this process easier, seasoned professionals dealing in the UK software industry suggest you to avoid few common mistakes while choosing your protection suite. The mistakes include the following –

The rate of detection

The goal about choosing an antivirus application depends upon how efficient it is in keeping your system protected from both known and unknown hazards. Multiple vendors are there in the market you can provide you with impression levels of protection. In fact you can expect a protection rate of 95% and above from some of these vendors. In this background there is indeed no excuse choosing a vendor that offers subpar or even mediocre levels of security. Antivirus applications that constantly fair poorly on independent tests in succession are best to avoid at every cost.

Protection in double layers

Malware applications are becoming increasingly complex with time. As a result the newer and smarter malware products are more difficult to identify. There is no more safety relying only upon real-time guards. These guards are only capable to run scans to identify any known threat. It is more sensible to rely upon antivirus suites that offer protection in multiple layers. This way you can be rest assured about much greater security compared to real-time guards. An example here will make things easier to understand.

A web protection component proves to be a excellent tool to snap connections to shady websites. It also stops malware from reaching your system. Multi layered security approaches uplift the security of your network to whole new heights of protection.

Security and privacy

It is important checking out the privacy policies of your antivirus vendor. These policies actually tell you a lot. A section of the vendors is constantly collecting data about your system as well as computer usage in order to improve their products. As general practice accessible product usage telemetry is never disclosed. Few products may also upload suspicious files from your system into the vendor’s scanning cloud. You or every other customer must be fully assured that a vendor will handle your data in the proper manner maintaining responsibility, ethics and your security. There is no assurance that your private document will not be a part of that upload as well. This factor is relevant for businesses that deal with private and confidential data of clients, like healthcare sector.

These days cybercrime is steadily booming. Cyber threats and cyber attacks are consistently making news. Identity theft and retail hack are the two commonest types of cybercrime. On an average a cyber crime victim spends nearly £700 out of his or her pocket and spends 20 hours to fix the mess that identity thieves created.

Types of cybercrimes that you must be aware about include the following –

  • Retail data hack – this is a grave danger and it can cast its negative effect on everyone. Since 2014 this menace is on steady rise. Cyber criminals managed to steal as many as 40 million credit and debit card numbers. Culprits sell this information on black market and contribute to identity theft. As a matter of fact the bulk of the responsibility lies with the retailer. They have to keep their payment methods constantly updated and secure. As consumers your responsibility is to check your bank statement and credit card statements at regular intervals.

 

  • Mobile security and vulnerability threat from smartphones – Cybercriminals are capable of exploiting vulnerabilities in your mobile handsets to get access to your personal information. These vulnerabilities come in form of apps that you use. Mobile phones are also susceptible to malware just like your PC. Malwares are known to capture screenshots and log keystrokes. Do not download an app from questionable source. It is important to research thoroughly on an app before downloading it. Upload your pictures prudently. Open your e-Mails carefully to avoid malware and phishing attacks.

 

  • Social engineering and phishing attacks – Cybercriminals trick innocent folks into revealing sensitive passwords and social security numbers. This is called phishing. One of the commonest phishing attempts is sending malicious e-Mails. These e-Mails are apparently sent from reliable sources like government organisations and reputed banks. The purported e-Mails look authentic at first glance although if you look carefully it is not difficult to identify at least some of the flip sides. Through these e-Mails cybercriminals ask you to disclose your sensitive information like social security number, passwords and financial information. Phishing is only a tip of the iceberg called social engineering. Social engineer – in simple words – is emotional manipulation to make you reveal or disclose your sensitive data. It is important to remember that authentic banks and government organisations will never ask you to verify any potentially sensitive information.

 

  • Identity theft – this version of cybercrime is rapidly rising these days. As a matter of fact the majority of aspects discussed so far in this blog post lead to the menace of identity theft. Identity theft is usually combined with phishing e-Mails and data breaches. Each one of us walking on earth is potentially vulnerable to identity theft through our home address, resume, photos and videos uploaded on various social media platforms, financial information and other means. Identity thieves use your authentic personal information to get loans sanctioned and open credit cards while making you liable.

 

In order to from all these threats and vulnerabilities, one of the basic things that you can do is investing in genuine software products every time. Experts dealing in laptop or computer software in London also suggest to mandatorily use antivirus suites bundled with a reliable VPN service whenever accessing the web.