Your Computer Security

Through our repairs, we often see quite a few viruses and other nasties, followed by the question “how did it get on my computer?” Recently we have seen more and more of particular kinds of viruses that take advantage of weaknesses within the programs you have on your computer, and so this article is to help you avoid these viruses and help “strengthen” your computer security. 

One of the viruses commonly seen is “Australian Federal Police” alert which tries to scam you into paying money to release your computer. This particular virus uses a weakness inside a program called “Java”. A large number of websites today use Java, and on its own it is not a harmful program. It is good to have it installed. Java is a programming language that allows programmers to create more functional websites and applications. For example many website games, animations, and tools use Java. You probably have used it without even realising. 

Does your computer often prompt you to install updates, sometimes so often it is annoying?  Usually updates for Java use a file name “jucheck.exe” and because of this those who don’t recognise the name click to cancel this update or those who feel pestered by the consistent updates just ignore it. Many viruses, like the one mentioned above, take advantage of this. This is the flaw that they use to gain access to your computer; those who have not been updating their version of Java would be at risk. 

Now this problem isn’t just limited to Java, it applies to nearly every program you have installed. There is Adobe Reader, Flash Player, Microsoft Windows and Office, just to name a few of the more common ones. By keeping them up-to-date, you can keep yourself much safer from many viruses, even if the pop-ups they have asking to update can be annoying. 

Now there are also tools that can help keep your programs up-to-date without any popups. These are good for those people who just want to use their computer without the hassle of having to click through many windows before they can do what they want, and recommended for businesses who want all of their computers security up-to-date automatically. The trick is finding the one that works for you. 

As always don’t hesitate to contact your local computer expert to help you improve your overall computing experience.