Cybersecurity Awareness Month week 3: Does your data have enough PPE?

Shields Up!

If last week’s update on current threats had you worried, this week we’ll explore what you can do about them using the FBI’s #1 Cyber Safety Tip:

Keep software systems up to date and use a good anti-virus program

This single tip has two main parts, one for updates and one for anti-virus (AV). We touched on keeping your devices updated in week 1, and it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re installing the latest updates from the developers.

But what about AV?

Anti-virus programs are more important than ever, too! They can stop traditional worms and viruses, modern spyware and malware and many forms of ransomware. See below for some resources on how to choose an AV program for your operating system.

Windows 10

Microsoft’s Defender is very effective and has been rated highly for several years now. It’s free and comes with Windows 10.

If you want to diversify, here is a recent list of good choices for AV on Windows: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/the-best-antivirus-protection-of-2020-for-windows-10/

MacOS

It has long been rumored that MacOS users did not need AV programs, but those days are over. Apple does a good job of securing its OS, and has a few recommendations you might want to check out:

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/protect-your-mac-from-malware-mh40596/mac

The surge in popularity of Apple products has led malware writers to target the platform more frequently, and the result is a long list of recent malware, including OSX/Shlayer, Linker, LoudMiner and OSX/CrescentCore, to name a few. These days, running some AV software on MacOS is recommended.

To get started, visit: https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/

Linux

If you use a Linux-based OS primarily, you’re in luck. Generally, you won’t need to run AV on your personal machine, but this may change in the future.

Stay safe and #BeCyberSmart out there!