A few years ago – more than a few actually – a subtle name change in the software world occurred. Companies like Symantec and McAfee replaced their traditional antivirus (AV) suites with Internet security software packages that combined firewall protection with antivirus and web protection software. Microsoft introduced Windows Defender as built-in spyware protection in its Windows operating system. MalwareBytes became a household name.
Despite the name changes and better capabilities for detection and prevention of infections from malware, humans remain the biggest threat to the health of their PCs and other devices. I don’t want to know the answer to this question, but I do need to ask it – Is your AV subscription expired? And there’s a second question question I need to ask if you aren’t paying for Internet security software – Are your definitions up-to-date?
Today’s the day that I’m going to encourage you, if you answered “yes” to the first question or “no” to the second, to make sure that your malware protection is up-to-date. If you haven’t performed a full scan in a few months, start one and spend a couple of hours doing a leisurely Saturday activity, away from your PC. If you don’t have protection on your other devices, why not install a mobile version of what you use on your PC or laptop?