You sit down to use the computer. After it boots to the desktop, you cover yourself in a blanket of security features to ward off the many computer viruses that plague the internet and have done so since its creation. But is this necessary any longer and why are there still so many anti-virus products on the market?
In truth, the computer virus is all but completely eliminated. Once business figured out a way to profit from the web by sales and advertising, the computer virus has no place on the web and was simply intolerable for those who wanted to use it for business. It became a liability to have the computer virus threatening profits and the free movement of data within an ever increasing commercialized web. After Creeper in 1971, the first computer virus and Anna Kournikova the last virus in 2001, software manufacturers and makers of commercial and open-source operating systems combined forces to rid the web of the computer virus. And they have succeeded. The computer virus in no more.
But wait you say-what of all the malware and malicious software out there today? To be sure, much of the unwanted software on the web today is unwelcome, but they are no a virus in the true sense. A computer virus was purposed built to infect a computer, spread the virus once in a computer and then act out its destructive behavior until finally going dormant as malignant software. These don't exist today. Infections on the web today are listed as worms, Trojans, tracking cookies and the like. These systems are not designed nor are they intended to destroy a computer. Instead, they act as a program running in the background to force a computer to perform certain tasks or act on behalf of other nodes within a network for commercial gain. They are not intended to be destructive and instead serve the needs of the designer who was usually paid to make the software.
This of course, makes modern infections no less of a hassle. While they don't destroy a computers file structure, the havoc they cause is infuriating to all PC users alike. So, how can one protect themselves? You cant. No program or fancy spyware removal tool is going to save you. Running anti-virus software while browsing is just about as effective as praying for preventing computer infections. Your best bet is to learn good computer use habits and follow them regularly. Don't look for free stuff on the web. If the deal sounds to good to be true, it probably is and you risk an infection being tempted by offers that seem too generous. While you can safely get a lot of good material from the web for free using open-source and freeware options, most is trap. Knowing the difference between the two takes experience and savvy computer user. Check out offers before clicking them. If your not sure if the offer is real, stay clear of it and close the browser window.
So, if the computer virus is gone and all we have left are these annoying spyware applications floating around, why all the anti-virus software? If people keep buying something, companies will keep offering it for sale. Tons of money is spent in advertising and promotional scares to keep the computer virus alive and well among users to instil a sense of fear and urgency that they must take steps to protect themselves. Its a bit like the old Salem witch hunts. If enough people believed someone was a witch, she must in fact be one. This is silly of course, but is the same tactic used to keep anti-virus software flying off the shelves as people get the latest versions of what they think will protect them.
Be a smart computer user and a smart consumer. Educate yourself about risks on the web and take the necessary steps to protect yourself. Your best shield against a computer infection does not come in a box you picked up at your local tech store, it comes from smart computer users beating malicious software makers at their own game.
Chief Editor, CSN Network
http://www.commonsensenewsnetwork.com/
common sense news network
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