The Number 1 app you need on your device RIGHT NOW!

 Do you have AntiVirus?  Yes, but do you have it on your phone?  What about your laptop, or Chromebook?

If you don't, this was the sign you were looking for, pull that trigger!

The convenience of having a device that can go online at any point, no waiting also means that your device is accessible, with no waiting, to malicious software. 

This means as you are looking at Facebook right now, the device you are using could potentially already have a virus

    First of all, I'd like to point out the words I used regarding availability and malicious software.  I did not say a "hacker", because, generally people who have skills for working on computers do not make it their lives' work to try to screw people over by infecting their machines with a virus.  I'm not saying this doesn't happen, but generally, it's rare.

This guy right here, he's a rarity.

    Most of the time when your computer or device becomes compromised, it is because of something called Spyware/Malware.  If you haven't been up on all the lingo for the past 20 years ago, this may be a newer term for you.  Spyware/Malware is essentially software that spies on you in one way or another, and it can be a real hard thing to remove.

    Some popular kinds of spyware will usually tell you there is something wrong with your device when there isn't actually anything wrong because they want to sell you their product which will, in turn, not fix the issue and actually report MORE to the company who produced it.  It will position itself as something that boots up when your device does and makes it very difficult to remove without some specialized knowledge.

Spyware disguises itself as other things, it'll pretend to be antivirus software, or a useful toolbar, or maybe even a coupon code generator.  These are trickier because yes, they are providing the service they purport to, but they will also send your data back to the company which produced it.

If you are looking for antivirus or antispyware suites, I recommend reading up on them before installing, and when you read up on it, make sure you know the source.  Some good sources are PC mag and C|Net, although there are many, MANY others. Just look around on their website aside from the article you are reading.  Are there other technical articles, or are they just touting one antivirus over and over again?  If they are just constantly talking about their own antivirus program, there's a solid chance that it could be spyware. 

Know what you are installing on your machine.  If it comes from a dodgy source, don't use it, find something else!!

For your phone, I recommend BitDefender as it is a lightweight antivirus program, although most phones come with some form of antivirus on them now.  

Android

iPhone

For PC, I can recommend Sophos, Kaspersky, and BitDefender.  I personally use Sophos because it has some protection from Ransomware.  More on that in a moment.  

For Mac, I have it on good authority from a number of my former University of Michigan Colleagues that Sophos is the only decent solution.  I personally do not own an Apple Device and haven't for years, so unfortunately my first-hand experiences are a tiny bit lacking.

Now that you have some antivirus, let's talk about the number 2 

2. Anti-spyware/Anti-Malware

The old name of MacAfee is seen a lot in regards to Anti-Virus and antispyware/antimalware.  I personally hate it.  It's resource-intensive, breaks other applications, is intrusive as heck, and doesn't always do a great job protecting you.  Norton is also a hog and doesn't do much of anything, and it's really expensive!

However, PC Magazine suggests MacAfee for its top anti-malware program.  In all my time at Comcast, I can tell you that 6 calls out of 10 at one point were fixing issues that MacAfee caused, and the others were problems caused by Norton's.  So, I really in good conscious cannot recommend either of these programs in spite of what the experts say.  

BitDefender however also received high marks and I recommend them!

Also, the old standard of Malware Bytes.  It's not the most recommended program out there now, but it will certainly clean up your machine.

Another program I recommend picking up for your device is one called CCleaner.

The free version of these apps are fine, they just won't run automatically, you have to set a reminder to run them yourself.  I recommend at least once a week.

A word about Ransomware.

Ransomware is nasty stuff.  Once the program is on your machine, it's only a matter of time before a hired hand will start encrypting your files.  What this means is the files will not be damaged, but they also will not be readable without a key, and wouldn't you know it, that friendly hired hand HAS the key and is willing to give it to you, for a price.

That price is usually in BitCoin, and very high.

So, what you'll need in this case is an AntiVirus with Anti-rootkit protection.

The reason Ransomware works is because the program works its way to a place under your operating system (so Under Windows or OSX).  This makes it incredibly difficult to remove.  It also can block your access to certain websites, just like other malware does, so you can't download a program that has a ghost of a chance of fixing the issue as easily as you should be able to.  Ransomware can also really back up your internet connection, as it's using up bandwidth from the hired hand accessing your files.

I dislike paying for any software unless I have to, but this is one that is worthy of protecting yourself against.  It's the only thing that a full-on reinstall of your operating system won't always fix.

Most AntiVirus programs will protect you against rootkits.  This wasn't always the case, but here in the 2020s, it is!

Ransomware is pretty rare for the average person, usually, bad actors are aiming at larger corporations because that's where the money is.  Your average person is more likely to just purchase a new machine than to pay a ransom on their files.

If you are at all concerned about Ransomware, I recommend doing frequent backups to an external hard drive or a cloud-based storage solution.  Google offers 15GB of storage for free, and offers inexpensive higher tiers of coverage.  When in doubt, back it up, and do so often, especially if you're a writer!

This way, if your computer or device does become compromised, you aren't going to lose anything important.

And there's your Tech Witch Tip for today!  Join us again soon for another Tip!