Last Updated on December 6, 2020 by Matt

Award Winning Kaspersky Antivirus

The Kaspersky Antivirus program is a multi-awarded software and one of the best desktop security softwares that provides protection from malicious software for your personal computers. Information technology experts often recommend this program for its thoroughness in providing security in a home or office environment.

Kaspersky Antivirus is available for download and you can evaluate it for 30 days. An online scanner is also available. Visit the Kaspersky Antivirus site to download your free trial and get more information.

Why Do I Need An Antivirus On My Computer?

Because you need to survive in cyberspace.

There are so many metaphors you could use–going to battle without your weapons, jumping out of a plane without a parachute, etc.–all of which apply.

Without an antivirus program, your computer is as good as, well, dead.

Computer viruses these days are so sophisticated, they operate in stealth mode literally. They take over an unsuspecting user’s computer without them even realizing it.

Today’s suite of antivirus programs from the core antivirus system to antispyware to firewalls work hand in hand to provide the user with a defensive system that can prevent and stop viruses from carrying out their malicious objectives.

But even the best antivirus system can only do so much if the user keeps going back to the sources of computer virus infections. Most of these are from malicious websites, opening spam email with malicious software attached, sharing memory sticks that have been used on infected computers, etc.

It’s important that users are also not too casual with their computer use and avoid the usual sources of viruses. This is all the more true if you store sensitive data on your computer. Stealing sensitive data is always very attractive to cyber thieves and that’s why cyber crime is a multi billion dollar industry.

Invest in a reputable antivirus program and give your computer and important data the protection they deserve. It’ll save you a lot of headaches and heartaches in the long run.

Why Should I Use Kaspersky Antivirus?

Two reasons:

Realtime protection; and

OEM integration.

When you are on the internet most of the time, it is almost imperative that a each website you visit be evaluated for safety before the website is actually launched on your browser. Kaspersky’s SafeSurf feature makes this possible.

In conjunction with SafeSurf, there is the SafeRun feature which allows you to run suspicious applications and websites in an isolated environment. What this means is that the rest of your computer’s applications are protected while Kaspersky evaluates whether the suspicious program is safe or not.

When suspicious websites or unknown malware are encountered, the Kaspersky antivirus program is also able to get in touch with their central server to “consult” whether the these new anomalies have already been identified and whether a solution is possible. Appropriate response will be suggested or undertaken so that the user is aware of the threat.

Aside from these proactive measures, the Kaspersky suite of programs obviously include the base antivirus program, firewall, spam filter, and other system tools designed to deal with the most complicated of infections.

As for OEM integration, many people don’t know this but Kaspersky’s engine is used by other well-known software security developers. In fact, you might actually be using a security application right now that uses the Kaspersky engine without you knowing it. In other words, it is the favored security solution even by industry leaders.

These two reasons should be good enough endorsements as to the integrity of the Kaspersky antivirus solutions. The brand may not be a household name but industry professionals, who have the most experience in computer security issues, certainly give it their nod.

Get more information about Kaspersky antivirus and see for yourself what Kaspersky can do to secure your computer system.

Hotmail and Yahoo Mail Targeted By Hackers

The big technological news these days is the wave of hacker attacks that have been focused on government websites.

Somewhat lost in the flurry of reports is the news that two of the most popular, free email services–Hotmail and Yahoo Mail–have been targeted by hackers too. This is not unexpected.

Through the years, emails have been the main source of viruses. These days, hackers launch phishing attacks to get unsuspecting victims to click on a link that will lead to a malicious website. A trojan is then introduced into the victim’s computer which is capable of stealing personal data.

Sadly, computer users still haven’t learned after all these years. People still casually click on questionable links or nonchalantly open email attachments even from unknown senders.

Small wonder hackers and cyber-criminals resort to the time-tested modus operandi.

If you feel that there’s just too much hassle involved in checking the integrity of emails, it is recommended that you install the complete suite of computer protection software that are available. The Kaspersky Pure line of advanced computer protection is designed specifically for users who literally live their lives online.

The reality of life online is that hackers are usually steps ahead of the security companies. If the antivirus makers were mind-readers, there would be no online threats at all.

But the truth is hackers are always ahead and always developing newer and more sophisticated threats. To avoid compromising your important data, invest in a powerful antivirus defense system. It may actually be your last line of defense.

Understanding Spyware

Remember those old black & white War War II movies where spies run around trying to get as much valuable information from the other side and counter-spies being sent out to stop them?

These scenes still get played out everyday in every corner of the world, albeit unseen to the human eyes.

Today’s battleground is your personal computer. The spies are the malicious codes that have infiltrated your computer. The counter-spies are represented by your antivirus security program, your firewall, your anti-spyware and other similar software.

Like the spies of old, today’s spyware enter your PC’S undetected and usually with your guard down. These can be from running infected software, visiting dubious websites like those offering pirated software or pornography and the list goes on.

And because spies are trained to steal information, today’s spyware are out to get as much valuable data from you as they could. In relatively mild cases, spyware is used to track your internet surfing habits so that a marketing profile can be built around your online behavior. Then the spyware reports your preferences its creator. In this case, it is most likely a marketing research company.

In more serious cases, spyware are unleashed by cyber criminals to harvest data such as your credit card or social security numbers and the passwords to your online bank accounts.

There are a lot of reliable adware and spyware cleaners in the market that can remove these unwanted programs. The Kaspersky Internet Security suite assures you of safe surfing as well as monitoring and blocking of attempts to retrieve and forward your sensitive information from within your Windows operating system. It also works proactively to prevent future installations of these technological nuisances.

What Should An Anti Spyware Program Be Able To Do?

Programmers of spyware and adware are more aggressive than ever. It was estimated last year that this particular “industry” is worth about $2-billion! It’s no wonder these coders are so motivated.

As a user, you have to be secured from these threats. Once these malicious codes infect your personal computer, they can practically hijack it and access the sensitive information you store in it.

Even if you do not store detailed information such as database files or spreadsheets, other data like passwords or emails can still provide a trail for the cyber criminals to follow. Yes, they are quite sophisticated.

A good anti-spyware program should do the following:

1. Prevent browser hijacking, especially when you visit dubious websites that have a lot of unwated pop-ups;
2. Detect and remove tracking cookies. These are installed without the user’s knowledge, also from questionable websites;
3. Erase or delete any traceable information stored on your browser’s cache as you surf the net;
4. Allow you advanced options such as looking into files and areas that are normally inconvenient to access, such as your startup programs, browser helper objects (BHO), and ActiveX programs that are being downloaded or used.

The last option is probably for more advanced users, it is worth your while to learn these simply because an understanding of these objects goes a long way in enhancing the protection you will receive from an anti spyware program. Information on these objects are usually available from the anti spyware’s homepage or just do a search through your favorite search engine.

Protecting Your PC From Zero Day Threats With Kaspersky Antivirus

New threats to your computer and online security keep popping up everyday. Sometimes they even appear within hours of each other. Such is the price of technology. The question that you should ask yourself is are you adequately protected?

If you are only running a standalone antivirus program on your computer, that may not even be considered adequate protection. Attacks can come from many fronts, some of which are:

from malicious websites;

from email attachments that are infected by a virus;

from peer-to-peer file sharing;

from downloading and running pirated software that is actually a front for a trojan

Most of the popular antivirus programs provide an entire suite of protection that can handle the above mentioned threats. But not all of them can protect you from the most aggresive of threats–zero day exploits. To those unfamiliar with the term, zero day exploits are attacks on flawed operating systems or softwares which have no fixes available.

In the world of information technology, news about zero day vulnerabilities travel fast. Software developers and testers may discover a flaw in a particular system and then announce it through a forum or blog. It is now up to the manufacturer of the flawed software to provide a fix. But oftentimes they are not fast enough in providing one and this lag is exploited by malicious hackers. So what kind of protection can you count on during that period when there is no fix?

In an interview conducted by the Government Computer News (gcn.com) website with Eugene Kaspersky, co-founder of Kaspersky Lab which produces the Kasperksy Antivirus program, he admits that there really is not much anyone can do while waiting for a software patch. So the best solution is to reduce the time lag between attack and protection.

The Kasperksy Antivirus program provides what is probably the fastest response to these kinds of threats through:

hourly automated database updates;

preliminary behavior analysis of your operating system and all installed programs; and upon gathering the needed information

provides continuous and on-going behavior analysis.

The hourly automated update feature not only provides traditional protection, but also updates the very program itself. Some experts have described this as proactive protection. The popular technology website C-Net (cnet.com) has gone to the extent of saying that “Kaspersky has consistently demonstrated the shortest response time to breaking new malware threats.”

In the same interview, Mr. Kaspersky notes that there is a disturbing direction that the internet is taking towards criminalization. This is underscored by the fact that most malicious codes being released these days are aimed towards hijacking personal information which can be used to make unauthorized purchases with your credit cards. Identity theft is also commonplace–criminals can easily withdraw from your bank accounts by masquerading as you. The list of felonies can go on and on once these cybercriminals are able to steal your identity.

With more and more people going online to do their shopping, it is no surprise that cybercriminals are behaving like bees being drawn to honey, the honey being your money. So it is quite important that your antivirus program is up to the task of protecting your computer thoroughly. Your identity is at stake.

Kaspersky Antivirus Provides Protection From Keyloggers

For those who are unfamiliar with the term, a keylogger is a program that runs in your computer’s background secretly recording all your keystrokes. So you’re probably wondering why such programs exist and what purpose do they serve?

Actually keyloggers are one of the oldest tactics in a cyber criminal’s playbook. You see, once your keystrokes are logged, they can now be retrieved by the criminal. The criminal then carefully reviews the information in hopes of finding passwords or other information that would prove useful to them.

Such is the basis for identity theft.

When you keep your personal and financial data on your PC or you do a lot online banking or transactions, you naturally have to key in your passwords or social security number or bank account number. Keyloggers record all these information and send them to the attacker.

Your next question is probably “How do keyloggers gain entry to my computer?” The answer can be varied but it simply boils down to two factors: 1) unsafe computer or surfing habits; and 2) unprotected personal computer.

The solution to factor #2 is quite easy–just install an antivirus program that can protect your PC from keyloggers, such as the Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0.

Factor #1 is a bit tougher to crack. This involves a certain level of behavior modification on the part of the user. It is basically premised on the fact that “old habits die hard”.

What this basically means is that if a user 1) enjoys visiting “bad neighborhoods” such as porn sites or sites that promote illegal software; 2) is lazy when it comes to computer security; or 3) is careless about verifying the integrity of software that they receive or borrow from friends or colleagues, then the chances of being infected with malicious software is very, very high.

There is no “magical formula” to cure bad habits and all information technology professionals understand this. The best solution thus is to install a very reliable antivirus program and set it to update by itself. The Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 is certainly up to the task and it could be the closest you will get to that “magical formula”.