What Your Antivirus Cannot Do
We rely on our antivirus to do a lot to protect our systems from getting infected. Perhaps we are relying on it too much to the point that we treat it like a bullet-proof vest. Not only does it typically lack protection against many types of “minor” malware, but virus authors are constantly finding ways to get around your antivirus.
Some viruses are updated daily just to keep ahead of antivirus programs, so for the most part your antivirus is always just behind – although patches and updates are released for your antivirus to combat in the back and forth battle. Sometimes your antivirus won’t stop a user from bringing in a virus, which is commonly done through an email attachment or visiting a website promising free programs.
There are also some programs labeled as Possibly Unwanted Programs, or PUPs. They are commonly not dangerous for your computer or financial security. If anything, they are popups displaying ads or a small program trying to make a quick buck saying they found a (non-existent) problem on your computer. Most of the time these programs won’t be blocked by your antivirus. In fact, short of majorly locking down your computer there are few programs that will protect you against these types of programs, and none of them reliably can do so.
The best way to keep these junk programs off your computer is simply to not put yourself into a situation where you have to rely on your antivirus to protect you. Don’t open up unknown emails and attachments. Stay off websites promising free programs but in turn add on other unneeded programs (even CNET does this). Keep away from deceiving ads that try to get you to click on them, even if they claim there’s something wrong with your computer.
On Facebook we have a segment that we do every once in a while called “What Would You Do?” that helps with identifying fake popups, ads, emails, etc. It’s kind of like a simulation without the risk of getting infected! Take a look at some of the ones we’ve had in the past and see what you would do.