So in less than a month Grisoft has issued false-positives for their AVG (free and pay editions, 7.5 and 8 versions) virus definitions that claimed the incredibly commonly used firewall - CheckPoint Zone Alarm - is a virus, as well as that almost always used (because it’s Windows)  Microsoft Windows XP kernel file: user32.dll.  Now one, but two extemely commonly used files marked as viruses when they’re clearly not.  This should have been caught in testing before release to the world at large, because if these programs aren’t installed on the test bed, then what the heck is?

Well, it ain’t over.  Not by a long shot.

Because now in less than a month we have three, yes, count them, three false-positives from commonly used software.  That’s right.  Just shortly after smearing egg on their face with the Windows user32.dll false positive, Grisoft went and released a false positive of … Adobe Flash.  Yes, that’s right.  That little bit of software used all over the place on the internet.  That practically anyone who surfs the web has installed.  That just as clearly should be in Grisoft’s test bed.  That Adobe Flash.

I don’t think it could possibly get much more embarrassing for Grisoft at this point.  I mean it was bad enough when they instituted their Link Scanner that automatically pre-scanned common search results, causing web page hits across the world to jump insanely high when people weren’t actually visiting the sites, just getting them returned as search results.  That was bad.

But now three major false-positives, one of which rendered customer’s computers inoperative if they acted on it, in less than a month.

Hello?!

There was a time when I would have said that Grisoft AVG was hands down one of the best anti-virus software packages out there.  It had a lot to offer, and was well refined, even for the free version.  It used less resources than the majors from Norton and McAfee and worked just as well.  And so I’d used it for years.

In all fairness, I can no longer make such a statement.  There are others out there that are better.  There are others out there that are actually taking the time to test before release.

I’m not saying don’t use Grisoft.  If you have it, and like it, then by all means, the choice is yours.  But if you’re looking for something new, maybe, sadly, it’s time to look somewhere else.  Grisoft no longer inspires confidence.

A lot of people out there are happy(ish) to spend hundreds to thousands of hard-earned dollars on a computer. Mostly to use that internet / interweb / world-wide-mish-mash thing. Yet most don’t take even the simplest basic steps to protect their computer and what’s on it from the evil hackers of the world. Here are some easy tips for basic security:

Tip 1) Password

How often do you boot up your computer, straight into Windows, without ever entering a password? Most people set this up by default. Sure, it’s super-easy for you, but that also makes it super-easy for a hacker! One simple way to make breaking into your computer a little more challenging is simply to add a password to your account. Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> User Accounts. It’s that easy.

Tip 2) Anti-Virus

If you don’t have any anti-virus software, you just might get a visit from Aunty Virus. Oooh. But you don’t have to spend a fortune on anti-virus software. There are plenty of free options available that update daily, automatically, and are just as good as the biggies. Personally, I’ve been using Grisoft’s Free AVG for years. It’s free for personal use. It’s non-invasive. It’s easy to set up and use. It updates daily. Who could ask for more? There are plenty of other options out there. I haven’t tested them, but I’m sure they work too. Just remember, for anti-virus to really work, every so often you have to run a scan. You can run the scan manually. You can schedule one to run automatically. But if you schedule it to scan automatically, you have to remember to leave the computer on then. Anti-virus works by reading every file on your computer, searching for hints and traces of known virus code. If it can’t search, it’s not going to find, and you’re not going to be protected. Plenty of anti-virus packages can be set up to automatically scan files that you download and files in your email, but that’s not always enough. Every so often you just need to run that scan on your whole computer, just in case.

Tip 3) Firewall

Hackers don’t just get in when you download something. They also can break in over your network connection. These days with computers being automatically connected to a high-speed internet as soon as they turn on, this can be a real danger. It’s like leaving a big wide door open on your house and just daring someone to not drop it and check out your goodies, whether you’re home or not. Windows XP (after service packs) and Vista at least finally come with a built-in Firewall. I can’t say it’s the greatest firewall, but it’s something. If you have nothing else, turn it on! Or grab a nice free firewall. Depending on your computer you might have one built in, like my nVidia ethernet controller coming with nVidia’s ActiveArmor Firewall. Or there are free ones like Check Point’s Zone Alarm Free. Plenty of people swear by it, and anything is better than nothing. You wouldn’t leave the door to your house wide open all the time, don’t do it to your PC either. Close the door and even add a lock.

Tip 4) Wireless Networking Security

Wireless technology is great! It lets you run all sorts of computers and devices like Playstation 3s on the internet without having to run cables everywhere. It makes geeks sad, but it makes everyone else happy. You just bring home the wireless router box, plug it in, and tada! Easy-peasy. But just as easy as that was to set up, it’s that easy for someone else to use your wireless connection! Read the book that comes with your wireless router and learn the simple power of wireless security. Just like everything else, without even a simple password, you’re just leaving things wide open for anyone to use. The ancient security protocol for wireless is called WEP. It’s crap. Don’t use it. If you can, use WPA2, the second -more secure- version of WPA. If you have older devices however, you may have to resore to standard WPA. Whatever. Use something, anything, just so long as it’s not wide open.

Tip 5) Anti-Spyware?

Plenty of people will tell you that spyware is bad. And some of it is. And if not ‘bad’, the rest of it is at least not helping you. But what exactly is spyware? While most people can agree generally what spyware is, when you get down to the nitty-gritty, not everyone agrees exactly where the line should be drawn. This is why it gets very difficult to recommend a good solution. What one anti-spyware software might consider harmful, another might not. Which is right? It’s hard to say. Security experts will hate me for this, but unlike my other suggestions, this is one I say you should try different packages and just decide for yourself what is enough. Maybe one day the security field of anti-spyware will be further along, but right now I just find it too murky to definitively say you need this, and Product A, Product B, and Product X are good solutions for you.

* Caveat: This is not advice from a security professional. This is not sufficient action to make your computer entirely fool-proof. This is easy general practice good advice for achieving a basic level of security that should protect your computer from the majority of risks. If you want to do more, learn more. Security doesn’t just happen, you have to understand it to make it happen. And even then, no one is 100% safe. To paraphrase something I heard a long time ago on computer security: The only safe computer is one that has been secured, removed from all networks, unplugged, and buried in the ground. And even then I’m not so sure.