Antivirus Programs: A False Sense of Security?

“I ain't ever had a job, I just always played baseball.” Satchel Paige

Like Satchel, I love what I do.... most of the time. One aspect I dislike is having to answer the following question:

"How can I be infected? I use an anti-virus product......"

I'm not going to blow a lot of smoke, life's just too short for that. The real cause of 99.9% of infections is a phenomena technicians in my industry refer to as the "PEBKAC" syndrome. Never heard of it? It's not surprising since I myself had to think long and hard before making any reference to it. In the end, I love to help people and I wanted to be honest and upfront about this and everything else we talk about. Based on past experience, the experience has not always been a positive one for me, some people don't want to hear this. On the other hand, those that did listen have not been re-infected since the reveal.

One good example of this syndrome is the person who, after receiving a curious email, decides to take a peek at the attachment. After all, that person has an anti-virus program running........

Most people will not admit that they are a carrier of the "PEBKAC" syndrome..... and I don't blame them.

When a problem exists between keyboard and chair, it's often difficult to take responsibility. It's just human.

Top rated anti virus programs are tested continuously at security labs. If you check out some of these studies you would realize that NONE of them catch 100% of what is out there 100% of the time. How can they; there are literally hundreds of new or modified ones released every hour or so. What's more, many will not even scan for malware which can be a simple script that turns off your anti virus program or changes your settings so that the internet is redirected to a false or bad website.

If you are running a Linux or MAC computer, you are not immune in spite of what you hear. If you had seen as many infected computers as our company has, you would know this as well.

All you can do is minimize your exposure. Fight off the PEBKAC syndrome and don't peek at that attachment, surf the net responsibly, make sure your anti-virus software is updated on a daily basis, use anti malware software in addition to your anti virus solution, make sure you download and apply operating system updates regularly (Windows, Mac OSx, Linux etc...)

Specially if you own a business (but not limited to business) you can also use filters which sit between you and the internet to block access to certain types of websites in addition to those known to be problematic. I know this is blowing my own horn but companies like GEEKS UNLIMITED can help you implement this type of protection.

Just know that it's possible to keep yourself safe while on the net. I know many individuals who have never ever been infected. Some of these same people, for a long time, didn't even have anti-virus or anti-malware software installed (They do now however, It's possible that I had something to do with that). These very same people dealt with the "PEBKAC" syndrome in a very positive way and took responsibility for the way they used their computers.

Teach your Children Well