Don’t forget about the killer hornets in your computer
The latest news out of Washington state is an influx of nasty-looking killer hornets that appear to attack and kill friendly and helpful French honeybees. And maybe they’ll attack humans too.
I wonder: Can the killer bees kill the killer hornets, or are we all doomed?
The killer hornets look horrid, and I can understand why they scare you. But threats like this happen from time to time, and preparation for the unknown proves indispensable.
They scare the daylight out of me, I must say, but I am more worried about the “bugs” that get into your computer than I am about the bugs in your soup – and you should be too.
It always amuses me that folks worry so much about the things they can’t do anything about, and how blasé they are about the things that they can do something about. It must be human nature.
If you haven’t checked out “end point” anti-virus protection, then you’re one of those who hasn’t worried enough about your own condition. And that means you are likely not prepared for the next bug attack.
End-point security
Simply adding just any anti-virus in an effort to protect yourself isn’t enough. In today’s anti-virus world, one needs group help and that means end-point security vs. your computer trying to do everything by itself with your lame anti-virus software.
You need a comprehensive anti-virus that seeks help from an army of users. You see, a regular anti-virus only uses definitions of existing viri and does not have the ability to “learn” about new ones.
Having end-point anti-virus means a computer between you and the Internet eliminates threats before they get to you. End-points are thousands of computers learning from everyone else connected to the network, helping eliminate threats that definition files often miss.
It’s not just anti-virus anymore
The name anti-virus is a misnomer, like telling someone to “dial a number” when calling on the phone. The anti-virus name is a holdover from the old days. Today, one needs cyber security that adds malware and hacking protection.
So ask your anti-virus: How old are you, and are you protecting me against the latest threats like killer hornets? If you haven’t updated your computer in a while, check out the use of end-point anti-virus and cyber security.
I just can’t stress enough the importance of great anti-virus products vs. that free stuff most people run.
Now quit worrying about the bugs you can’t control and start worrying about those bugs that you can control. Join the army and help protect yourself and others from virus, malware, hacks and the like. Now go do the right thing.
William Claney is an independent tech writer and former owner of Computers USA in the Clayton Station. Email questions or comments to willclaney@gmail.com.