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.

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.

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. 

4 Best Instagram Security Tips that you should follow!

Instagram Security tips

Instagram first time came up in the year 2010 as an iOS photo sharing app, but nobody had imagined how big and popular the service would actually get. Today Instagram is accessible over all major mobile platforms and has more than 400 million clients all across the globe. The key components of Instagram are Photo sharing and short video sharing. Facebook had acquired Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion. Like all the other social networks and media sharing services, there are some privacy and security risks that Instagram users should be aware of and need to follow. There are about 20% internet users who are active on Instagram and most of the people using this app are mostly young people below the age of 35. So in order to be safe and not indulge in wrong activities parents of young adults should keep a track of their child’s Instagram activities and should ensure that they are not exposing themselves to unwanted online risks that can lead them into a big trouble later.

Here are a few security tips that Instagram users should follow in order to protect themselves against all kinds of malicious threats online:

1   1. Use the privacy settings carefully

Choose such settings that inform you or alert you when a person sends you request or follows you. This way no one will be able to see your pictures or keep a track of your activities as it will not be available in the public domain.

     2. Be smart while choosing your profile picture

If you choose a profile picture that shows your face clearly and your name is also clearly visible, then it is very simple for the hacker to gather information about you and use it for their benefit. Thus you are advised to use a generic image or even if you want to share your image make sure the settings are rightly chosen.

3   3.Switch off location sharing filters

When you post an update or share an image your exact location is shared. It can allow unwanted people to know about your exact location and can then start following you. This can be a danger to your privacy and integrity.

     4.  Be careful before sharing pictures

      Every picture that you post on the internet can reach up to thousands of people which can be misused easily. So be a smart user and avoid posting pictures that you don’t want the world to see. Refrain yourself from posting offensive, personal and compromising photos.

     

     There are thousands of photos being shared on Instagram each day and it’s seen to be the perfect platform for photo lovers. But with so many photos and videos being shared it raises the possibility of your security being compromised. Thus we can avoid the risk by taking the right precautions. 

Has Your Android Phone Been Infected With Malware?

Keep your Android Mobile the right way!

It’s a very sad truth to accept that your devices are vulnerable to becoming infected when software installation is involved. A few years earlier, malware targeted windows phone due to its dominance in the computer market, but eventually it has moved on to infect Max and Linux computers. Now, malware posts a serious threat to mobile devices, including Android.

But the important question to be asked is “How does malware get on an Android device in the first place”? Most of the users install apps through the Play store and Google makes sure that malware does not get through them. Suspicious apps enter into our mobile phones through the play store showcasing to be genuine. So are you all prepared to face it? But before that, it is important for us to know what Malware is? Malware is an abbreviated term meaning malicious software. This software is specifically designed to damage a computer without the knowledge of the owner. There are various types of malware like worms, viruses, spyware and keyloggers. In order to protect yourself against malware you must be careful about what email attachments you open, stay away from suspicious websites and a lot more.

Sometimes, your Android device is infected and you are not aware of it. If so, then how can you get rid of such impurities? What are the steps that you should follow to keep yourself protected in the future? Follow these simple steps to keep your device protected.

Signs to detect Malware infection

Just the way you get some warning signals on your PC when a malware enters it, similar to this there are some warning signals that can alert you to the presence of a malware infection present on your Android device. So be alert and follow these steps.

Excess of Data usage: A considerable amount of malware exists to gather information such as credit card numbers, contact details, etc. Once this information is captured, the app needs to relay it back to whomsoever created it. This will bring strange hike in data usage.

Poor Phone performance: If you experience a slowdown in your PC then there might be a malware infection.

Reduce Battery Life: Most of the malware keep running throughout at the background. This may reduce your mobile phones battery life. More serious malware infections will kill up your battery life at a much faster pace.

Dropped calls: Sometimes your calls will drop due to poor service or at other times it can be due to the presence of a serious malware infection.

Are all these things happening with you? Don’t freak out. There are many Android users who have been using their devices without even being able to detect these viruses. It’s not that it will provide an instant harm. But it’s always good to be a little sensible when it comes out to mobile security. So take a heed and keep your Android device safe!

Can my mobile phone be infected with a Malware?

Internet has become an important part in everyone’s life these days. We all spend a lot of time surfing on the internet to grab information. The online shopping trend has also become very common these days. People surf on the internet for several different reasons.

Be aware of malicious programs targeting your mobile devices

But with years passing and the advancement in technology, a new wave of mobile devices is released that’s seen to be much more capable and convenient than using laptops. With Smartphone’s and ipads we are now able to handle almost everything from our homes or even if we are out on a holiday. Thus, it’s quite shocking to think how much damage can be done by malware to our mobile devices. The growing usage of Smartphone’s has opened a lot of doors for cybercriminals who have great opportunity to get their hands on your information or just harm you. Malware aimed at Smartphone’s has grown by over 76% over the last few months.

The term malware is used for malicious software, which is specially designed to damage your computer without the owner’s consent. There are various types of malware such as worms, viruses, Trojans, spyware, etc which can affect our PC. Today, most of malware is created in order to earn profit where the hackers ask for a huge ransom from the users. Hackers can ask for ransom by stealing your sensitive data, spreading email spam or child pornography. Malware is also used to steal passwords and account numbers from mobile phones without the user’s knowledge.

So here are a few tips to follow to keep your devices protected.

Inform users about mobile risks: Users should be aware about the various types of mobile risks involved. The various apps they install can also get some malware's that get into your device and damage it.

Keep device operating system up to date: If regular updates are not done on your system, then your device is vulnerable to potential exploits.

Encrypt your devices: Protecting your devices by encrypting them makes it very difficult for someone to break in and steal all your data. You can set up a strong password for your device to add an extra level of protection.

Install apps from trusted sources: Users should only install apps from trusted sources such as Google Play and Apple App store. Installing applications from unknown sites can be very troublesome and lead to infecting your PC.

Encourage users to install Anti-virus in their system: The risk of infection is higher especially in Android phones. Each day we transfer photos and videos in our phone which opens a big opportunity for dangerous viruses to get into our PC. Thus, installing anti-virus software helps you to keep your device protected. It does a regular scanning of your system and keeps you updated if any malicious software is detected.

Apart from the above mentioned steps, we can also adopt certain simple steps such as keeping your mobile phones password protected or logging out immediately after using your account. Each day, with new apps coming up, it is important to make sure what applications and what you don’t. Be an active user to protect your mobile devices from being attacked.

www.reveantivirus.com