Netbook Virus and Windows 7 security and bittorrent
Many of us have dealt with viruses when they get downloaded to our computers from the internet. Viruses are even spreading by way of USB thumb drives just by plugging the device into your computer. However, the newest and potentially disturbing trend are viruses that are already installed on a computer even before an individual purchases the computer. Many people may remember the ipod virus that was preloaded onto ipod's sold in stores. The virus was actually a PC virus (not a MAC one) and spread to the victims computer by way of syncing the ipod through the USB connection. While this issue has long passed, viruses are still finding their way onto new computers. The latest trojan incident is infecting a netbook called the M&A Companion Touch. The virus was literally discovered after the computer was turned on for the first time. While I say a virus, it was actually a bundle of viruses installed together. One was an infamous usb thumb drive virus while the others were also damaging. I think it's really unfortunate that viruses are infecting computers in this way. I mean one of the first things someone might do with their new computer is logon on to the internet and enter their credit card number to purchase security software. Little does the user know that their computer may be inherently vulnerable and is sending their information to the virus/trojan creator. If you have a new computer, consider a free antivirus like AVG that doesn't use that many resources aka less ram. This should help the netbook still remain usable while having adequate protection.
Microsoft has made significant strides in increasing the functionality and security of Windows 7. It's interesting to note that the operating system without antivirus can actually be fortified to reduce malware up to 92% just by locking down a few settings. This also applies to Vista. Windows 7 does a lot of these necessary security protections nonchalantly. The operating system will automatically run at a reduced privilege mode only elevating privileges when necessary and prompting the user for permission. The other key feature of Windows 7 is its multi processor core utilization. This means that the operating system has the ability to select different processor cores (many computer's now have 2, 3 or 4) to run different tasks. This is extremely beneficial when the computer needs to run a free antivirus scan on the hard drive and it doesn't affect or slowdown the users everyday tasks. Therefore, antivirus scans can be run every time a computer is started.
The next issue is the Windows 7 bittorrent virus. Many people use bittorrent and usually don't think twice about the things they are downloading. Unfortunately, in the case of the Windows 7 virus, the user would download the program in an .iso or similar file. Because the file is an image file, antivirus will be unable to check the compressed image file for viruses. Upon installation, the virus will be embedded into the installation. Please be careful, and consider doing an antivirus scan after the cd/dvd has been burnt and again after the initial installation.
- You can get a free version of Windows 7 here