Many Still Don't Use Anti-Virus Software

SEATTLE - The Internet remains a dangerous place. According to a new survey by Consumer Reports, U.S. computer users lost more than $8 billion to cyber attacks during the last two years.

The survey found that the threat from viruses is a great as ever. And yet, 20 percent of American households don't use anti-virus software.

"It's really a shame," says the magazine's technology editor, Jeff Fox, "because antivirus protection is a mature technology, it's been around 15 to 20 years, and there are very good products out there."

Unprotected machines are likely to get infected which can result in lost data and significant repair bills.

A recent survey by a ESET, a digital security firm in San Diego, found that 65 percent of the adult users who have antivirus software on their machines are reluctant to buy upgrades. This inaction leaves their computers unprotected from new and increasingly dangerous online threats.

The top reasons given for not updating their security programs includes: it's too disruptive to what they're doing on the computer (38%), it's something that can wait (32%), it would take too long (27%) and I'm not sure know how to do it (14%). In a news release, ESET concludes that its survey "provides a look at the vast naiveté and complacency of today’s computer users with regard to online security."

(read more about the ESET survey at www.eset.com

Based on its testing, the editors at Consumer Reports aren't very big on software suites, one program that covers various computer threats. "Most of the suites we tested, including a lot of the big names, were stronger in one area than another," Fox explains.

Of the 20 popular suites Consumer Reports tested for it's September issue, only one - ZoneLabs ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite ($70) - did it all well.

For stand-alone antivirus protection:

• Bit Defender Standard ($30), the downloadable version, came in on top. Its scans include instant messages.

• ZoneLabs ZoneAlarm Antivirus ($30) also rated excellent. It has a full-featured firewall and scans within ZIP files.

Consumer Reports says both products rated excellent in their detection tests, "including recognition of viruses they had never seen." This is what you want your antivirus software to do.

• Kaspersky Labs Anti-Virus Personal ($50) rated "very good" at overall detection and was very easy to use. "It's features and easy of use rated excellent," the magazine says.

• Alwil Avast! Antivirus. This software is free. It rated good, so it's not the best protection you can get, but it's better than nothing. Consumer Reports says it would be "useful for protecting multiple computers on a tight budget."

If you buy security software, make sure you pay the $20 - $50 yearly subscription fee to keep it activated. There are so many threats on the net, you should be downloading updates at least once a week, if not daily. You can set your computer to do that for you automatically. But you can only get these updates with an active subscription.

Remember, without that subscription, your security software will very quickly become outdated. That will leave your machine and all your data wide-open to the cyber thieves.

For More Information:

Consumer Reports Special Section on Computer Safety