Computer Tips

Protecting your computer from Viruses

With millions of computer users browsing the web at any given time, there are plenty of targets for malicious coders. While computer experts don’t always know why coders choose to build harmful computer programs, the fact is that it happens all the time. Computer viruses can steal personal information, interfere with normal operations, attract spam and even shut down your computer’s hard drive. Protecting your computer is critical for browsing success.

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Mac Anti-Virus Review

Major security threats to the Mac are pretty thin on the ground, but you might want to stop infections before passing them to PCs in your office or to clients beyond. F-Secure’s Anti-Virus for Mac offers protection against viruses and spyware.

The program appears only in the menu bar, so you won’t accidentally quit it from the Dock. Even the main window lacks such an option. Of concern, though, is that protection runs as a single user-owned process, which doesn’t automatically restart after an unexpected termination. You’ll have to do that manually to reinstate background scanning. The ease with which it can be disabled doesn’t inspire faith in readiness to protect against Mac malware should anything truly dangerous emerge.

When something is detected, a clear warning appears in the corner of the desktop. You’re told which file was infected, what with, and how it was handled. Typically it ends up in the Trash, since OS X prevents binned files being opened. When we dragged a few files back out, the infected ones were silently binned again.

Disappointingly, named infections aren’t linked to an online threat assessment. You’ll find descriptions under Security Threats on F-Secure’s website, but making you track down an entry isn’t the best response when alarm bells are ringing.