What is the difference between Antivirus and Anti- malware?

You must have heard the term Antivirus and anti-malware. But do you know the difference between them? And how they work?

Some time back, PC users were only worried about viruses that would be safeguarded by simple and free Antivirus software’s. But with advancement in technology and increase in the number of internet users things have changed drastically. The internet has pervaded our day to day lives and cybercriminals too have made it tough for us. Earlier simple viruses were made that would be detected easily, but now the scenario has changed and it’s not the old simple virus that they are programming these days. Apart from viruses, now we have things like adware, Trojan horse, ransomware, spyware, etc. Hackers try their best to get into all kinds of networks in order to get away with all kind of personal data including your credit card and banking details. Many a times they also track your contact list and can send unwanted emails. They do this in order to earn money themselves or sell out this data to others.

Malware is seen to be a generic term while virus is a much more specific one.  Virus is an unwanted piece of software, which is developed to hamper the smooth functioning of computers. It can enter a PC via external drives or through the internet. On the other hand malware refers to all kinds of malicious software that includes viruses, adware, Trojans, worms, etc causing issues which made it a must for us to use antivirus software. Thus along with it you also need to go for an anti malware program as well.

Nowadays security companies have specially designed antivirus and anti-malware programs for Mac, windows or smartphones. The features of these programs are also very advanced.

A thorough understanding of antivirus and anti malware program will prove out to be very crucial in the ever persistent fight against viruses and malware in general.

How to identify the fake apps in Google Play Store?

Be careful while installing apps from the Google Play Store

Take out a minute and think for a while, what is the first thing that we do as soon as we get a brand new phone? We quickly download all kinds of apps be it games, messaging, wallpapers and so on. But are we fully sure about what is contained in these apps? How safe they are? Google Play store has many a times been in the news for being infested with fake and malicious apps. Thus we should be very careful while installing apps on our mobile phones to ensure that it does not land us in the hands of scammers and hackers.  So here are a few simple steps to identify the fake apps in the Google Play store.

1.      The first thing that you need to do a little research about the app that you are about to install. Also research a little about the developer of that particular app. You can find this name very easily as it is placed right below the app. A genuine developer will have a website and other details of his work.

Check out for the developers name!!

2.      Another thing that can be considered is the editor’s profile. If his/ her profile contains tags like “Top Developer” or “Editor’s choice” then they are least likely to be false.

3.      Also make sure to read all apps permission carefully. Make sure the permissions asked by an app comply with its functions and features. For example, if an app like Skype requires your permission to access SMS, Call logs, media files then it is genuine, but if a gaming app asks for the same permission then it is seriously a bad app.

4.      Going through the user ratings and reviews are also very important.

Read the ratings & reviews of the user

5.      Another very easy and cool way to find out whether an app is genuine or not is to directly ask Google whether that particular app is genuine or not. If the app has a bad reputation, it will automatically be visible in the search results.

Google play store might contain apps that are risky but it is far way much safer than the unofficial or third party app stores. You might be tempted to download such apps as huge discounts are offered but keep in mind that you will be risking your privacy and security by doing this. You should also keep in mind that hackers and scammers are one step ahead of us in everything and they are always alert and keeping an eye on all our activities. They do their work so smartly that at times we don’t ever realize whether a particular app is malicious or not.

So the next time when you come across such an interesting app, do consider using the tips that have been discussed above and also have reliable Antivirus software installed on your phone.

What is Firewall? Why do we need it?

Protect your PC with a firewall

If your PC is connected to the Internet, you are a potential focus for a variety of digital dangers such as keyloggers, hackers and Trojans. This means that if you like most other people shop and bank online then you are vulnerable to a great amount of identity theft and other malicious attacks.

A firewall works as a hindrance  between your PC and cyber space. When you are connected to the internet you are continuously sending and receiving some sort of data. The firewall filters these small units of information to meet the certain criteria. This restricts hackers from getting inside our PC and steal our confidential & personal data.

Firewalls helps to decide between the authorized and the unauthorized data

There are some firewalls that only monitor incoming traffic by default.  This may give us a false security and will not help you to remain fully protected. This may give a false security. One should keep in mind that outgoing traffic with your credit card information, bank account numbers and passwords is not protected. A good firewall will monitor the outgoing as well as the incoming traffic, keeping all your private information secure. 

Most sophisticated firewalls also include a feature that continuously updates the list of the applications that are good and the ones that are malicious. This way your computer protection is always up to date and the chances for a cyber threat is reduced.

Although a firewall provides protection to keep your PC safe from unauthorized access, it cannot remove malware from an already infected system. Therefore, a firewall should be used in connection with other proactive measures, such as anti-malware software in order to strengthen your resistance to attacks.

Tips for creating a strong password

Keep strong password to protect yourself against cyber attacks

Passwords give the principal line of protection against unapproved access to your PC. The stronger your password, the more protected and secure it will be from cyber criminals. You should ensure that you have strong passwords for all your accounts. In case you are using a corporate network, your administrator may require you to use a strong password.

Keep in mind the following points when creating a password:

·         Make sure that the password you are planning to set is at least eight characters long.

·         It should not contain your username, date of birth, company name, etc.

·         Do not use a complete word, making it easy for hackers to crack.

·         Should be different from the earlier passwords

In order to protect your account from being a target of hackers, you should set up a password that is a combination of uppercase, lowercase, alphabets, numbers and symbols.

Many a times there are passwords that meet all the criteria of a strong password but are still considered to be weak and can be guessed easily as it may contain a full word.

For example, Hello2u! is a wonderful password as it is a mixture of all the requirements but is still considered to be weak as it contains the whole word hello in it. Instead H3ello 2 u! can be a much better option as this contains a number and some space rather than the whole word being used altogether.

Thus these are a few steps that you need to follow in order to keep your accounts safe. If you feel that you will not remember your password then it can be written down at a safe place but make sure you do not write password on top of it, making it all the more easy for someone to trace. Another great advice to keep your accounts safe is to change all your passwords every few months. Your password should be kept in such a way that it becomes a sort of mystery for others. 

Obviously, all such topics can be solved if the above mentioned steps are followed and you create super strong passwords.

5 Online Shopping Traps to avoid this season

Online shopping made it easy and convenient!

Shopping has become so easy these days just with the click of a mouse or with the swiping of your card. Doing your festive shopping online can be a great way to avoid the crowds. It also helps you compare different products and their prices and choose the most suitable one for your needs. Ordering something online takes less time than going to the market and buying something. Whether you’re buying a computer, a pair of shoes or booking a trip, shopping online offers convenience and can make it easy to find some great deals. But at the same time shopping online can also put you at a high risk of becoming a target of these cyber criminals if proper precautions are not taken. Thus to keep your personal information safe, follow these steps to avoid online scams:

Use Common Sense

Make sure that the site you are surfing for, looks 100% right. It is better to take a little time and surf on various sites rather than ordering a product that never really comes. If you are surfing on a website that has poor spellings, logos or asking for too much of personal information then it’s better to be alert and pay a little attention to it.

Buy from reputed sites

Think carefully before buying from a new and unfamiliar website. There are so many websites that you are familiar with, so try to buy from these only as they have a reputation to maintain. Even if anything goes wrong, they will always be there to help you out and provide you with the best solution. It’s always better to spend a little extra on something you know rather than losing something completely.

Avoid clicking on suspicious emails

Phishing is an easy way used by hackers to target users

You get hundreds of emails in your inbox that offers a variety of discounts and offers for you. Most of these emails contain a couple of links in it. Though some of these emails offer real deals while others may be malicious. Links in malicious emails may be used to install unwanted software’s that can cause damage to your PC. These sites may look good and real but they have primarily been set up for collecting your personal information.

Never to use Public Wi-Fi when shopping online

When you type in personal information such as credit card details, bank account numbers etc across public Wi-fi, everyone using that particular network can access your information if they want to. You are always advised to use a secure network when shopping online. Wait for sometime before shopping if you can’t get a secure network.

Review & Ratings

It is very important to do a thorough research on the products and sellers before purchasing something online. Always read what people have to say about a particular thing. Look for reviews from multiple sources.

Sometimes as you are purchasing over the internet, there are internet monsters who are continuously spying on you and your online activities. Thus it’s very important that you act out carefully and not become a target of these hackers. Also install a quality Antivirus software. 

Has the speed of your Computer reduced? It definitely needs a repair!

Boost up the performance of your PC

PC users do not find anything wrong until and unless they themselves face any issue while using a system. People believe that maintenance is only required for vehicles and nothing else, but that’s not true. Repairing and maintenance is required for everything be it your computers as well. If your system reboots again and again or if you have lost or have had your valuable data compromised then it definitely means that your system is in desperate need of maintenance. If you keep getting update or alert messages in between then it often distracts and hampers your work. A slow system accounts for a lot of frustration and brings in the thought of buying a new PC rather than recovering the old one. A slow PC is not a vice decision and leads to a great loss of productivity that leads us to spend a lot of money.

In the modern times, our PC is a great machine that is used for various purposes such as sharing of videos and images, sharing over social networking sites and also to save our important documents. Users want maximum usage for their PC but often end up taking preventive measures. As per a research conducted, an average computer user spends about 13 minutes per day just waiting for their technology to catch up.

Here are a few reasons that could result in a PCs reduced performance:

1) If a program of your PC crashes then it can reduce the speed of your PC over time.

2) Too much of temporary files have been stored on your system

3) Excess of viruses, malware etc transferred from the internet or via external drives like pen drives, etc.

4) There is not enough of free space on your hard drive

5) Your version of windows or other software is out of date

6) Your computer or processor is over heating

7) Your PC requires a memory update

There are some basic steps that one needs to take in order to maintain the working condition of a PC. There are several reasons. So in order to make your PC run in the best way keep it up to date, avoid water or other liquid spilling on the PC hardware, maintain your systems hardware and software and also install a good quality antivirus protection.

Follow these steps to maintain your operating system and data:

1) Install the latest updates for your PC. These updates will fix up most of the bugs.

2) Make sure to shut down your PC when not in use.

3) Keep a back up of rescue disk for the OS and also keep a back up of all your important data.

4) Be careful while sharing files

5) Get rid of software’s that are installed on your PC but you hardly use them.

Get an Antivirus protection for your PC that scans and cleans viruses automatically. This will update your system regularly and ensure that your PC is protected against the latest threats. It is very important that all the downloaded files should be scanned by your antivirus application before it is actually run or installed. Go for a free trial of REVE Antivirus that protects your system against all types of viruses and helps in boosting its performance. This PC security software comes with in- built PC tuner. 

Your Mobile Phone is a serious threat that must be secured!

Your Mobile Phone can be a great target for Cybercriminals

Cell phones have constrained a radical movement in the way individuals manage their everyday exercises and how associations benefit their clients through the use of this device. Earlier, one could easily find out a difference between internet, intranet and the internal corporate network. In today’s technology driven world, be it small or big cell phones conveying information, sending messages, social networking, gaming, downloading, etc all has become very easy. This has opened doors for cybercriminals.

As per reports, we can see that the supply of the number of smartphones has exceeded that of desktop and PCs. Nowadays, mobile phones are available in different prizes and models that are easy to afford. These devices can be used for different purposes, including sending and receiving electronic mail, storing documents and preparing presentations, storing data and more.

Even before the advent of smartphones, malicious programs and viruses were recognized as a threat for mobile devices. There are several applications that have come up which allow users to view and manipulate the financial accounts and shopping accounts which are linked up to credit cards that have become a common place for hackers. You can become a target by simply getting a text message or malicious software that is already installed on your device. The number of malware attacks is increasing at an alarming rate.

With less education about mobile threats and lack of security on these devices, users seem more inclined to become victims. Moreover, there is increase in issues from applications that upload malware. This opens opportunities for internet monsters to use these apps to install a backdoor on such devices for their own selfish purpose such as sending spam emails or recording keystrokes to record personal and financial details. Here are some reasons why mobile devices are particularly susceptible to attacks:

1.       Some applications are already installed in the mobile devices through third parties, this makes it susceptible to the distribution of malware. There is no proof of what applications they have installed, is it genuine or not.

2.       There are no default browser permission rules in a mobile device. This makes it all the more vulnerable to malware attacks.

3.       Users often check their emails on mobile devices and the no restriction of mobile browsers make it all the more difficult to identify which ones are the fraudulent sites. This increases the risk of your device being attacked.

Follow these steps to enhance your mobile security and keep your data protected:

      1.   Use strong and effective passwords. Make sure to change them regularly.

2    2.  Keep back up of all your important data and encrypt all the important and sensitive data so that it is not misused.

3    3. Use an updated and powerful Antivirus and Anti Malware software that will keep your device protected from all kinds of malicious threats.

      4. Think before you click, download or open an attachment. No matter how tempting an application looks, make sure to download it from the app store or from any trusted website otherwise just leave and walk away.

Expert Tips to Avoid becoming a victim of Ransomware

How to avoid being a victim of Ransomware!

The use of internet is increasing at a fast pace, opening large number of doors for the internet monsters. Big organisations and government agencies are moving towards a digitized world which leads to greater risk for them, making them vulnerable to cyber attacks. Survey shows that an increased number of ransomware attacks have been taking place over the past few years. Such incidents display a clear trend that malware attackers are steadily shifting to serious money making through ransomware attacks. Ransomware is seen to be a highly money making mechanism over the last few years.

Big businesses and local governments have been the recent targets of ransomware and are expected to be targeted in the future. Also, everyday users of the internet like us are also targets of ransomware. Most of our sensitive data is stored on our PCs that can be traced by these cyber criminals who use it in order to blackmail users and demand for ransom in order to get back your data.

At REVE Antivirus, users are proactive to protect themselves from threats rather than being a target of these cybercriminals and agreeing to all their terms. Criminals are looking for new ways to get into the wallets of hard working folks. What should users do to make sure that they do not become a victim of ransomware? Follow these simple tips to protect yourself against ransomware:

BACKUP AND KEEP DATA SECURE

We live in a computerized age where we are putting away everything from our personal documents to professional ones over our devices. If anything happens with your device, you will lose all your data. Thus it is important that you store your data on the cloud so that it can be retrieved even if you lose it. To be a little safer, make sure to save all your important data on external drives as well like USB drives, hard drives etc.  In case of ransomware, securing your data offline is extremely important.

Update Regularly

Do you often get pop up messages giving you update notifications but you hardly pay attention to them? Then be active and make this as your priority. Regular system update is very important if you want to keep your sensitive data secure. These updates help you to get rid of vulnerabilities that are found on your system. At times, it seems to be a pain to install the latest windows update. But neglecting them can result in your system being vulnerable to attackers who look to destroy it completely and provide maximum harm.

Have a security Software

Installing good antivirus software helps you to keep your PC protected from all kinds of malicious threats such as worms, virus and Trojans. Antivirus software comes up with high end solutions such as advanced scan engine, parental control, websecurity and more. When a type of ransomware is found in your system and you have an antivirus software installed in your PC, it can stop you from clicking a link or opening up a malicious file that it detects. Mobile phones could be more at danger given the amount of personal information that is stored in it.

Disconnect from Wi-Fi or unplug immediately

Many a times you suspect a file to have ransomware present, but you are not sure about it. The best way to protect yourself is to disconnect yourself from the network immediately this might mitigate the damage. It takes a lot of time to encrypt your files, so you may be able to stop it before it succeeds in damaging them completely. This technique is not seen to be completely secure or you may not be fortunate enough to move more rapidly in protecting your data than the malware, however disconnecting from the network might be a much better option rather than doing nothing at all.

Ransomware certainly is seen to be very frightening, but related to it, there are many problems that can cause a lot of destruction. Thus it is always the best practice to protect oneself against loss of data with regular backups. This way, no matter what happens you will not be losing your sensitive data and can start it all back as before. Thus, the best way to fight against ransomware is to act as an active internet user and enhance your knowledge about it and keep yourself away from becoming a target.