Always use protection … online

Editor’s note: Sahas Katta is the founder of Skatter Tech-a web magazine which can be found at skattertech.com. As a new addition to the Science and Technology page, he will review the latest gadgets and cover tech news.

Despite the constantly increasing popularity of Macintosh computers, the PC still dominates the market share across campus. Unfortunately, these Windows-based machines are vulnerable to being easily infected with nasty viruses and spyware. These infections are no joke: They pose a significant threat to your personal data.

One small click on a malicious web page can trigger malware to find its way onto your machine. If you are lucky, the malware may just make your life hectic with obnoxious advertisements appearing out of the blue. But viruses can also lead to the corruption of documents, data loss or even uploading your personal information onto the Internet and into the hands of identity thieves.

Those aware of the posed threats have turned to using products such as McAfee’s VirusScan or Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus for protection. Both of these are reliable and trusted brands, but there’s one major drawback: the cost. Both McAfee’s and Symantec’s solutions will run you at least $50 per year. That’s a lot for students on a tight budget to fork out to simply protect their data, especially on the verge of tuition rising and increasing living costs.

Fortunately, Microsoft has come to the rescue with the recent launch of Microsoft Security Essentials. The program includes virus, spyware and malware protection for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 machines. It even retrieves daily definition updates for the latest threats automatically. The cost? Absolutely nothing. It’s completely free.

Microsoft Security Essentials isn’t trial ware or a limited version, it’s the full deal. The quality of security doesn’t lack either. Most tests conducted by security experts have determined that this free tool performs almost on par with paid solutions. Microsoft also designed its security tool from the ground up to be lightweight and efficient even on older, slower machines.

Unlike McAfee and Symantec products, which almost always result in a major performance drop, Microsoft’s tool runs quietly in the background. For the most part, once you spend a few minutes to download and install the application, you won’t even know it’s there. If you are annoyed by your current virus scanner bugging you with obtrusive notifications for renewing your subscription or letting you know that it’s time to update – this is the solution. The only time Security Essentials should ever display a notification would be to inform you that it has caught and dealt with a virus.

If your security software’s subscription is up, you’re getting sick of what you are currently using, or you do not use any virus protection at all, then there’s absolutely no excuse to give the completely free Microsoft Security Essentials a shot. It just works.

For more information, images, and a download link, visit skattertech.com/?p=2763.

SAHAS KATTA can be reached at features@theaggie.org.