Top six common Security Software myths – which did you believe?

One of a user’s biggest concerns when using their computer is the risk of getting a virus or spyware infection on their computer. This can be quite a hotly discussed topic and many people have strong opinions on what is best practice when protecting their computer.

With the increased use of computers for the handling of more sensitive data it is very important to keep your data safe when online, but what are some of the common myths when it comes to keeping yourself secure?

#1 The more anti-virus protection the better

It is important to have anti-virus protection with an active firewall running on your computer however, the use of multiple firewalls can cause problems. If the exception rules on both firewalls do not match exactly, then network traffic can be blocked, and programs may not work as expected. You can run anti-malware and spyware programs these will run one off scans on your computer and will not affect the firewall.

#2 I must pay for security

In order to protect your computer it is not always necessary to pay for your security software to keep it safe. There are a number of security software programs available for free and in our recent testing we found two that excelled, scoring over 75% and becoming recommended Which? Best Buys.

#3 It’s cheaper to renew

It is not always cheaper to renew your subscription to your security software; it may in fact be cheaper to buy a brand new copy. Also, as mentioned previously, your current paid for security might be replaceable with a free software security program, but remember to remove the original anti-virus software.

#4 Bank dividends in your favour collect $50

Banks may send you emails, but they will never ask you to verify any details with them. There are a number of phishing type emails about that pretend to be your bank and will try to obtain details from you. These emails can look a lot like the ones your bank sends out, some banks will include the last four digits of your account number in the emails to prove they are genuine. As a general rule of thumb though do not follow links from bank emails or give out any details.

#5 I need to upgrade my security to remove an infection

If a program you do not recognise claims it has detected a security problem and then tells you upgrade to a full license to eliminate the problem you should be very wary. The problem you have is not the so called detected security problem, but fake security software. Some of these can be hard to uninstall, but most legitimate security software programs will usually detect and remove them.

#6 I’ve won the Spanish lottery!

Before you run down the street screaming “Magnifico! Magnifico!” it’s worth stopping and thinking if you bought a ticket in the first place. If you did then Congratulaciones!, but in the more likely event that you didn’t then someone is trying to scam you. The scammers will also ask for an advance fee, no legitimate lottery will ask for this so the only thing to do is to move this email to your spam folder.

More on this…

• Security Software - Choosing the best antivirus software
• Windows 8: what we know – the latest on the next version of Windows
• Which? Computing free trial – free magazine and access to the Helpdesk